Students set to conquer Mt Everest

A team of six senior secondary students from Himachal Pradesh will climb the highest peak Mt Everest in April. The students talk about the strenuous training they are undergoing and how this experience is preparing them for future Pratima Shantaveeresh What do you all currently study and where? Has anyone in your family done similar adventures before? We are a group of senior secondary students of The Lawrence School, Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh. As a matter of fact, parents of most of us are from a defence background and thus, have tasted adventure in some sense though climbing Mt Everest is certainly first time attempt across our family background and history. What inspired you to join the team and climb the Everest? Ajay Sohal- This expedition is a sharp turn in my life because living in such extreme condition isn't easy. And getting an opportunity at such a young age makes me feel lucky. Prithvi Singh- "It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves," these are words by Sir Edmund Hilary who is a great inspiration for me as a climber. Climbing Everest will have a great impact on my self- belief and esteem. This will have a great sense of an achievement to me. Fateh Singh Brar- We are confident of making our expedition to Mt Everest a success. Am not going to take anything but picture, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time and lastly bring back nothing, but just sheer memories. Hakikat Singh Grewal- My love for the mountains, outdoors and my passion to attempt challenging feats makes me take up the challenge to scale Everest. Am going to take this as a learning experience and learn how to operate in hard conditions". Guribadat Singh- I'm proud of getting an opportunity to Climb Mt Everest and make a world record. The trust of my fellow colleagues, blessings of my parents & trainers will certainly make this dream come true. Shubham Kaushik- The saying, 'Don't quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion' gets me going. I want to take up this expedition for my parents, my school, my country and me and to overcome my shortcomings.

What are the other mountains you have conquered? So far we have not conquered any mountains. This will be our maiden attempt. You were on training period from September till December. How did you manage studies and training at the same time? We are still undergoing training for the expedition, currently we are being trained for fat reserve build up on the other hand we are taking up our annual exams also. We are able to manage with both because of the support from our school and family.

What was your parents' reaction when they got to know about your expedition? All our parents were extremely elated to know that we would be the first set of teenagers to conquer Mt Everest. They are completely overwhelmed by our efforts and are rendering their continuous support to us in every possible way. What are the steps you have taken to prepare yourself for the expedition? We have undergone a five-month extensive training in all formats of stamina build-up, fitness as well as adventure sports to equip ourselves and also to cope up with the hard tenure at Mt Everest. During that period, we were trained on various aspects including mountaineering training at HMI, Darjeeling, muscle build-up & strengthening exercises, weight training as well as 1000 kms of cycling on various terrains in Thar Desert. We were also trained on cross training, endurance and ten day high altitude winter-training cum acclimatisation trek at Khardungla, Ladakh.

What is your dream for future? At the moment our big dream is to successfully summit Mt Everest and also come out with flying colors in our exams. We are studying hard in parallel to ensure that we sail through both the boats in high scores. How do you think this achievement will help you reach your goal? As you sow, so shall you reap, this proverb is rightly said, because conquering Mt Everest as a start will certainly lay a strong foundation in our lives; Not only as an achievement but with a lesson that 'Nothing comes Easy'. Each day at the training is a new day for us, demanding a lot of dedication, hard work and perseverance and we are proud to deliver all of this successfully. Also, this entire process will remain vivid forever in our lives and will guide us to achieve our ultimate goals in life.

What are the tips you would suggest for future trekkers? 1. Being fit is the key 2. Take care of your health and try to be physically fit always. 3. Always prepare a first-aid box for yourself and your team. 4. Have patience 5. Don't ever-lit fire when it is not necessary. 6. To preventing insects and mosquito bites, always wear long trek pants and full sleeves T- shirts. 7. Carry a topographical compass and map for trekking in higher altitudes 8. Must remember to carry carbohydrate rich food products to get energy.