‘Mountain sirf itna jaanta hain ki climber aa raha hai, na ki ladka ya ladki’

Baljeet Kaur, a Himachal Pradesh-based climber, has scaled two peaks that are above 8,000 metres — Mt Annapurna and Mt Kangchenjunga — within two weeks.

I am good, fit and ready to climb another 8,000 metres,” says 27-year-old Baljeet Kaur, as she speaks to us from Nepal after scaling two peaks that are above 8,000 metres — Mt Annapurna and Mt Kangchenjunga — within two weeks.

The Himachal Pradesh-based climber who reached Nepal one month before the summit, says: “Climbing mere liye bahut different level hai. Main kisi record banane ke liye ya, ya name ya fame hasil karne ke liye climbing nahin karti hoon. Mujhe bas apni limit test karni hai, ki kitna main kar sakti hoon aur aur aage jaa sakti hoon. Main apni limit check kar rahi hoon (I don’t climb to set any records, or for any name and fame. I just wish to test my limit each time I climb),” says Kaur, who is originally from Solan district in Himachal Pradesh.

Sharing how her family’s support has been monumental for her success, Kaur, who is originally from Solan, Himachal Pradesh, says, “Meri family bahut zyada supportive hai. Par woh financial support nahin de sakte. Jitni bhi financial cheezein hain, maine khud hi ki hain. But, there is no gender discrimination at my house. Mere ghar mein mujhe bade bete ki tarah treat kiya jaata hai. Mountain [chadhne] mein aisa nahin hai ki ladka ya ladki (climber hai). Mountain sirf itna jaanta hai ki climber aa raha hai, na ki ladka ya ladki.”

An opportunity by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) as part of the NCC Girls Expedition 2016 changed the mission of her life. “Mujhe mountaineering ka naam bhi nahin pata tha. I was just told that I have to climb a mountain. I trained along with 100 girls from NCC. That’s when I felt passionate about mountaineering and one expedition was followed by another,” says Kaur.

Recalling a turning point of her life, she shares, “I was selected to climb Mt Everest in 2016. I started climbing, par 8,500 metres ki height pe mera oxygen [cylinder] kharab ho gaya tha. So, I had to return. The problem in India is that people only know about Mt Everest. Sabko lagta hai ki Everest hi sab kuch hai. Mere liye bhi 2016 tak Everest hi sab kuch tha. But after 2016, people encouraged me to climb other peaks as well. Maine unke baare mein study ki aur phir thaan liya ki mountaineering karungi par zero level se karungi. So I started training from the scratch.”

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