Wish to share my adventure life lessons with students and youth: Bimla Negi-Deoskar

Well-known mountaineer Bimla Negi-Deoskar is not only back from a Trans-Himalayan trek, but also from the jaws of death. She was part of the 11-member all-women Fit@50 team which completed an almost five-month long trek that went through some of the most dangerous routes in high altitudes. With over three decades of mountaineering experience, for Deoskar, the end of the expedition was simply a resting period before the next adventure started. But a near-death experience last month in one of the most inaccessible terrains on the Himalayas has led to Deoskar rethinking on the way forward. Since her leg surgery on July 9, Deoskar has been confined to a wheelchair till at least the end of August. Speaking to TOI, Deoskar puts into perspective how she views the accident, the miraculous rescue operation by the Indian Army and the support from her team and family members.
Excerpts from an interview...
Q. Your expedition’s team leader, the legendary Padma Shri Bachendri Pal, was an eye witness of your accident. Even she could not recall such a ‘miracle’ happening in her entire career.
A. It indeed was. Just over a month ago, on July 5, we were on a steep climb at a height of over 17,000-feet and one of the rocks I stepped on slipped. The ice below it must have been near melting point and gave away. I slipped and rolled down twice over but somehow got stuck there. A third ‘somersault’ would have meant the end of me, as there was a sharp drop after that. Later, two huge boulders from above fell and started rolling towards me. All those who were watching in horror are still unsure how the boulders missed me so narrowly. It’s a miracle, nothing else.
Q. Was surviving the fall into the abyss and escaping being pummelled by huge boulders the beginning of your ordeal?
A. When I fell down, I had closed my eyes. Most of what happened afterwards was told to me by my team members because the pain level was so high that I was not able to understand all that was going on. At that time I did not know that my left leg was broken and the right foot also suffered damage. The accident happened at 11am and the rescue ended at 2.30 in the night. Our team porters and soldiers from the Indian Army risked their lives to carry me on a stretcher all that while as I could not move on my own and air evacuation was not possible.
Q. So many hours on a stretcher and that too in excruciating pain must have been a dreadful experience.
A. It was absolutely scary because when it was nightfall, all I saw was darkness. And because of the route, only two people could carry the stretcher rather than four to share the burden. First our support staff, who were from Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TASF), helped to evacuate me from that perilous situation and soon army personnel joined in. It was bitterly cold and we were crossing rapidly flowing streams over derelict wooden crossings which could not even be called a tiny bridge. Pitch dead dark of the night in the Himalayas, the rapid flow of water and crossing over the planks was risky. One person would carry the light in the front and lead the way. Later, the Army also brought in their search lights to help. I was constantly thinking that if one of them slips while crossing the stream then three lives will be lost. But the Indian Army and my team members saved my life by putting their lives at risk. I must also mention the special role played by TASF because without them we would not have been able to even start this expedition.
Q. How did your family react?
A. My husband and sons are very cool and positive about this incident. Both say I will recover soon and will be back to my routine. My elder son is working with a group of scientists in Europe and says his colleagues are always eager to learn about what me and (husband) Avinash are doing. They really like it that we are in this adventure field and were following our Trans-Himalayan trek very closely. I also feel very happy to hear such things from family members. It keeps my morale high.
Q. Has the whole experience, which is also the worst accident you had in your career, got you thinking about life in a different way?
A. Well, I know for sure that I now want to do more social work than high altitude expeditions. Actually I have been doing social work and taking up social causes for a long time, but I think now it will form a much bigger part of my life. I wish to give back to the society and teach our young ones about nature. I still haven’t got the time to think about life post the accident. It had been hectic for me with the surgery and travel back to Kargil. I returned to Nagpur a few days ago and so, it’s all still sinking in. I love adventure and would love to be back in the mountains, but now it all depends on how well I recover. Till the third week of August, I have to be on the wheelchair.
Q. What kind of social work do you foresee yourself doing?
A. My focus will be Maharashtra because this is my karmabhoomi. I would love to teach school students about adventure, about being close to nature. They must realize the beauty of nature and the life lessons one can learn. In fact, I strongly feel that adventure camps must be made mandatory for students of Std VI-VIII. Mountaineering is not simply about climbing up and coming down. It’s like a philosophy lesson, where you learn to reach the top, regardless of the obstacles in your path. We learn to take small steps along the path while carrying on our back the weight of expectations, just like we carry a back-pack in real life. And we must have Mount Everest like aims for our life, always big. That way our preparation will also be big. So training kids in these aspects is something which I eagerly look forward too.
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
* Team leader: Bachendri Pal (Jamshedpur)
* Deputy leader: Chetna Sahoo (Kolkata)
* Bimla Negi-Deoskar (Nagpur)
* Savita Dhapwal (Bhilai)
* Gangotri Soneji (Baroda)
* Major (retd) Krishna Dubey (Lucknow)
* Dr Sushma Bissa (Bikaner)
* Payo Murmu (Jamshedpur)
* Vasumati Srinivasan (Bengaluru)
* Shamala Padmanabhan (Mysuru)
* L Annapurna (Jamshedpur)
Support team: Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (Mohan Rawat, Randev Rawat & Bhanu Mahto)