By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : When Bollywood’s latest patriotic blockbuster “Chak De India” showed up the deep scorn in which the reel vice captain of the Indian cricket team held women’s hockey, it was just the tip of the real iceberg.
In India, where cricket is the national obsession, sponsors are interested only in the willow, to the detriment of other sports, especially mountaineering, that builds team spirit and character.
Just ask Hyderabad lad Bachinepally Shekhar Babu, who created a record of sorts by scaling the 8,848 m Everest in June almost entirely on his own resources and is back among the mountains.
The 27-year-old left for Tibet Friday to scale Mt Cho Oyu, the sixth highest peak at 8,201 m. On the way down, he plans to tackle yet another peak – Mt Shishapangma, the 14th highest (8,013 m).
Though the son of a state bus driver in Andhra Pradesh pulled off a superhuman feat raising the money needed for the expensive Everest climb on his own, three months later, there’s still little public interest in him or mountaineering.
Babu, joint manager at Andhra Pradesh Tourism Board in Hyderabad, aims to conquer as many of the 8,000 m mountains in the world as possible.
“Some of them are in Pakistan,” he told IANS on the eve of his departure. “Indians may not be allowed there. I plan to climb as many as possible.”
He had set his sights on Cho Oyu since 2005 but failed for two consecutive years due to lack of sponsors.
This time too, he has been able to rustle up only Rs.200,000 from a Hyderabad-based software company, for a double expedition that will cost over Rs.1.2 million.
Though Andhra Pradesh Tourism said it could contribute another Rs.250,000, it is yet to make up its mind.
Besides taking loans, Babu has been helped by Nepali trekking and mountaineering agency Arun Treks, which has been sympathising with his plight.
Everest changed the lives of Sir Edmund and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first mountaineers to reach the summit.
However, for Babu, there has been little change besides his promotion from assistant manager to joint manager.
Though Cho Oyu and Shishapangma are lesser peaks, what makes the expedition more challenging is that this time he will have no support.
But Babu is undeterred. “I want to finish what I started,” he said doggedly.