Lucknow banker scales one of Himalayan peaks

LUCKNOW: As a banker, Amit Kumar’s job is to audit monumental meta-data of transactions and compile comprehensive reports on a daily basis but not many know that the 36-year-old Munshipulia resident has also scaled several Himalayan ranges a number of times.
This year, just two days before Independence Day, the local lad climbed atop Mount Kun (7,077 meters), one of the highest peaks of the Himalayan range along the Line of Control in Ladakh. He now aims to climb Mount Everest.
Originally hailing from Chhapra district of Bihar, Amit said, “Initially, we had planned to raise the Tricolor at Mount Kun peak on August 15 to mark the Independence Day but extreme cold weather and unpredictable climatic conditions over 20,000 feet forced us to expedite our expedition. In fact, just 10 hours after reaching the summit the climate deteriorated to an unbearable level.” An alumnus of Patna University, Amit developed interest in trekking into mountainous terrains around 2017 after visiting Uttarakhand.
“Like millions of others I have been born and brought up in Gangetic plains but hardly gave thought to how important mountains and glaciers are to maintain ecological balance. Once you reach the summit, the scenic beauty mesmerizes you but at the same time makes you realize that efforts need to be made to secure it for future,” said the banker, who was 115kg till a few years back but the passion for mountaineering helped him to get in shape.
“Of course, fitness is required for such difficult expeditions but mental endurance and positive mind-frame in the toughest and harsh weather conditions is more important for mountain climbing,” added the father of a one-and-half-year-old toddler.
Amit was part of a seven member team led by Baljeet Kaur, who returned to Lucknow on August 19.
Earlier in the second week of May, mountaineers Baljeet Kaur of Solan district of Himachal Pradesh and Gunbala Sharma of Rajasthan became the first Indian women to scale Mount Pumori (7,161 metres) in Nepal on May 12 amid pandemic.