Heart-touching journey of Thane mountaineer’s Everest ordeal

Months after a photograph of a long queue at Mount Everest went viral on social media, Anjali Kulkarni, a Thane resident, lost her life due to overcrowding and extreme

Months after a photograph of a long queue at Mount Everest went viral on social media, Anjali Kulkarni, a Thane resident, lost her life due to overcrowding and extreme weather conditions at the world’s highest peak.

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In a documentary film screened at the Kashiath Ghanekar Natyagurh on Thursday, mountaineer Sharad Kulkarni showcased the ordeal he and wife Anjali experienced while on an expedition to the peak in May this year. The film talked about how extreme weather conditions and overcrowding led to Anjali’s demise. The screening was attended by around 200 people. Sharad will soon come up with a book on their journey.

“Through this documentary, I want the authorities and mountaineers to take measures to improve the situation at Mount Everest and similar places that are gaining popularity. The weather conditions in such places are extreme and one cannot be waiting at the same spot for long,” said Sharad.

Everest had been their dream for long, but Anjali died on the way due to the long queue, depleting levels of her oxygen cylinder and extreme weather conditions. “The documentary elaborately explains the couple’s journey, their lifestyle and their dreams. It also showed how they took enough measures to ensure good health and safety. However fate and nature cannot be predicted. In the documentary, Sharad talks about Anjali’s last few minutes. It was a heart-touching journey,” said Anand Bhosale, a close acquaintance of the Kulkarni family and audience member.

“We received help from the government to get my mother’s body to Kathmandu. However, if precautions were executed in advance, we could have averted this incident. Through the documentary we want mountaineers to understand the importance of taking insurance and mandatory precautionary measures,” said, Shantanu Kulkarni, the couple’s son.

To fulfil Anjali’s wish, Sharad will climb North America’s highest peak, Aconcagua. He will embark on this journey on January 6 and hopes to reach the peak by Republic Day.

Rajesh Narvekar, collector, Thane district, said, “Those going for treks should register themselves, this will help in providing safety measures.”