Phunsuk Wangdu from Delhi

The first person to have set foot on both the North and the South poles, Englishman Robert Swan is now all set for his journey to the Third Pole (the glacial Himalayan region), and a bunch of Delhi people is making it happen.

The first person to have set foot on both the North and the South poles, Englishman Robert Swan is now all set for his journey to the Third Pole (the glacial Himalayan region), and a bunch of Delhi people is making it happen.

The-entire-team-on-their-last-expedition-to-Antarctica

The record-holding 57-year-old is part of the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), due to kick off from the Capital this August. GHE is an initiative by Delhi-based Paras Loomba, alumnus of the International Antarctic Expedition 2012, who has brought together like-minded young adventurers who will be exploring the majestic Himalayas in Leh and Ladakh under the guidance of Swan.

“What is life if you do not attempt something bigger than yourself? The Expedition will be an example of how the locals of Ladakh, after having faced droughts and flash-floods were able to bounce back to normalcy within a matter of months,” says Loomba.

Veteran Swan, who juggles his roles as explorer by profession, UN Goodwill Ambassador for Youth, environmentalist and the founder of 2041, an organisation working for the preservation of the Antarctic, is looking forward to the trip. “Realising the need of the hour to battle climate change, and to fight for a sustainable future, Paras quickly connected the challenges he saw in Antarctica to the ones he had observed closer to home,” he says. What’s more, Sonam Wangchuk, popularly known as the Real Phunsuk Wangdu (ala Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots), for his eco-friendly campus in Ladakh, is designing this E-Base, so you can imagine what it looks like.

The expedition will be an example of how the locals of Ladakh, after having faced droughts, were able to bounce back to normalcy.
- Paras Loomba, organiser