Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Aug 8: It were the mountains near my Village ‘Shree’ in district Doda, which surged my curiosity rather tempted me to scale Mt Everest and Kanchenjunga. I have innate love with mountains and nature.
This was stated by Everester Nirmal Kumar in an exclusive chat with EXCELSIOR today. Nirmal has the honour of scaling Everest last year and Kanchenjunga this year.
Hailing from a Village Shree, near Khellani in Doda district of Jammu province, Nirmal has the distinction of conquering Everest on May 28, 2017 at 8:12 am and summiting the India’s highest mountain peak Kanchenjunga on May 20, 2018 at around 8 am to become the first person from State to climb Kanchenjunga, in his first attempt.
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He said in his childhood, the mountains in his area always lured him towards climbing them and he became ambitious to summit the high peaks, adding that initially he thought that his natural fitness and temptation was enough to scale peaks but then he observed that it was almost impossible without basic and advanced mountaineering courses.
Son of Rattan Lal and Soma Devi, young Nirmal said that he did his schooling from Happy Home School Khellani (till 8th class) and later he joined Government High School Khellani (till 10th) and passed his 12th class from Boys Higher Secondary School Doda, adding that later he held a B. Tech Degree from NIT Srinagar and in 2011 got selected in ONGC and was posted in Assam.
He said after doing his basic mountaineering course in 2013 and advanced course in 2014, he was selected for Everest Mission, where he had to go through many selection rounds which he qualified and with sheer-dint of hard-work, dedication and determination, finally scaled the world’s highest peak in 2017 and then India’s highest peak in 2018.
Sharing his experience, Mr Nirmal was all praise for ONGC, Indian Mountaineering Federation, the State and the Central Governments and media for backing him and providing him opportunity to scale these peaks.
He described such moments as the happiest of his life.
He said being a son of a farmer and elder of the five siblings, he never expressed urge to become a Mountaineer, but there was passion inside him to be a ‘Mountain Man’ and he kept his passion alive along with responsibilities and maintained balance between studies, job and sports and started his mountaineering journey, adding that the risk of injury in this adventurous sport forced my parents to restrain me from taking it as a profession, but it were the agencies like media and the Government which motivated them (my parents), especially my mother to allow me to join mountaineering.
“My experience of dealing with rocks, snow and going up and down the hills to my school, coupled with my physical fitness helped me a lot in becoming a mountaineer. Using devices to almost a perfection and learning variety of mountaineering techniques, added colour to my natural ability,” expressed Nirmal.
To a question as to why a mountaineer needs support of Govt or other agencies to scale peaks, the ace mountaineer said that the equipment used is very much costly (worth lakhs) and beyond the reach of a common man.
“It is very difficult for mountaineers to purchase equipments at their own. You need around Rs 3 lakhs to buy requisite equipment to scale world’s peaks. It is not easily affordable. So one needs help and support from other agencies,” added Nirmal.
Expressing satisfaction over choosing mountaineering as his sport, Nrmal said that adventurous sportspersons can be the saviours of the people, communities and societies in disastrous situations.
In a message to youth of the State, Nirmal Kumar urged them to take part in sporting activities and live a fit and healthy life.
He said sports and games apart from helping one to be physically and mentally fit, are a step forward in helping youth not to fall prey to drugs and allied evils, rather guiding them not to derail from the mainstream.
He further said that by doing right things at right time, a right choice always follows.
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