Anupam- The Dreamer

A few months back, someone asked me- “Why the hell do you need to exert yourself to run in marathons?” The answer is simple- “Because I enjoy doing it!” Why? Because like different adventure sports and activities, it is also a way to build your mental and physical strength. It is also a way to discover your strengths and your weaknesses and push your limits. The adventure may be of any kind- from simple activities like jogging, running, playing outdoor games, swimming, to harder versions like marathons, bungee jumping, skydiving, ironman races, athletics, mountaineering, hiking etc. Each and every adventure activity makes you realize something about yourself and uncovers some aspect of your personality.

Like, the first time, I went on a trek was with TSAF (Tata Steel Adventure Foundation) in Uttarkashi. The question that many Officer Trainees asked to our management before the trek was that – “What is the use of an extreme activity like trekking in the high altitudes for the engineer graduates like us in a company whose work is to make steel?” And the answer which came from the management was just beautiful- “Those who cannot undertake adventure in life are not fit for TATAs”. This was the spirit of adventure that was bequeathed to the generations after generations in the TATAs, the legacy flowing from the legendary JRD Tata. JRD himself was an accomplished licensed pilot (infact he was the first person to get a flying licence in India, which bore the number 1, which he wore with pride), who used to fly solo from Karachi to Mumbai and elsewhere.

It was a firm belief in that organization that adventure builds leadership qualities in an individual- like perseverance, goal-setting, teamwork, motivation, better communication, cooperation, managing stress, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, strength of character etc. The location of adventure might not be the shopfloor of the factory, it can be nature also like the mountains, but the learnings that you take from there to the shopfloor will be extremely useful! And believe you me- It was one of the best experiences in life that we had! Although while doing the trek, it was very tough on all of us- physically and mentally. But, after coming back, all the bitterness was gone and what remained were only the beautiful memories. It also builds self-confidence of a person, as one comes to know that the physical and mental strength that one possesses is far greater than one could possibly think. Jab tak try karoge nahi to pata kaise chalega?

The older generation neither had the money nor the time to do such activities. Also, the standard of living and the earning capacity was limited to basic essential things in life like roti, kapda and makaan, so they were neither keen nor exposed to such activities. But, in today’s times, the avenues for adventure are galore. In India also, there are many adventure activities that have come up. Once I went for scuba diving in Andamans, and the experience I had was just surreal. It cannot be expressed truly in the words. There is a whole different world of life inside the seas and oceans. For a moment, when you are inside the water, you sort of enter into an imaginary world shown by the movies and you forget everything else. And when you come back to the surface of water again, you would feel similar to what Hrithik, Abhay, Farhan felt in the movie- ZNMD.

पिघले नीलम सा बहता हुआ यह समां,
नीली नीली सी खामोशियाँ।
न कहीं है ज़मीन,
न कहीं आसमां।

सरसराती हुयी टहनियां , पत्तियां,
कह रही हैं की बस एक तुम हो यहाँ।

सिर्फ मैं हूँ, मेरी सांसें हैं, और मेरी धडकनें।
ऐसी गहराइयाँ,
ऐसी तनहाइयाँ,
और मैं सिर्फ मैं,
अपने होने पे मुझको यकीन आ गया।

The spirit of adventure also adds passion, intensity, fun, and joy of exploration in life. One of my batchmates had the opinion that going on a trek is just a waste of time, and instead we should do something meaningful for the society. That was his perspective and he may be correct in his own terms. But, unless you go out, explore and break your own cocoon, you would not know what potential you had and what you were missing in this life. Some experiences cannot be put down into words, just felt!

Today, I was watching the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, based on the legendary high-altitude Nepali mountaineer, Nirmal ‘Nims” Purja (popularly known as Nims Dai). Unfortunately, he lost his life a few days ago while climbing Broad Peak in Pakistan on an expedition. His story of conquering all 14 mountain peaks of more than 8,000 meters height in a record time of 6 months (previous record- 16 years), is a testament of willpower, grit, self-belief, teamwork, leadership, unimaginable limits of human body and never giving up attitude! He was told that his project of 14 peaks in 6 months was impossible, that’s why he named it as “Project Possible” and actually did the unimaginable! Such people inspire the whole human race with their amazing feats!

The legendary Nims Dai

Adventure is all about taking certain amount of risk, when you take risk to go beyond your comfort zone to do something extraordinary. Without risk, you cannot excel anywhere in life, neither in your college, or your job or any other field. Even the inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, sportspersons, celebrities at some point of time have taken some risks in their life. Without adventure and risk-taking, nothing worthwhile has ever been created in this world.

To the spirit of adventure ✌