Dhaka, June 8 (UNB)-There were times when she thought she wouldn’t make it. When an avalanche knocked her down and partially buried her, the journey seemed to be over. When she was struck by snow blindness at 8000 metres, it appeared as if she would perish on the mountain. But the fear of failure, rather than the fear of death, drove Nishat Majumder on.

“I knew just how much was riding on this,” she said. “I knew this was probably my only chance. I thought of the millions of people who were following me from Bangladesh. I just couldn’t let them down.”

In many ways, Nishat is a reluctant heroine. Soft spoken and small in stature, the 31-year-old accountant doesn’t fit the conventional image of a tough, strapping mountaineer. She isn’t flamboyant and doesn’t showboat. It’s only when she speaks that the quiet strength is evident.

“People say you shouldn’t do this or that because you’re a girl,” she said. “I wanted to show everyone that I could take on this challenge even though I am a Bangladeshi girl. I dedicate this Everest summit to Bangladesh’s youth, especially the girls.”

Nishat’s achievements might suggest she has always known exactly what she wanted to do, but this is far from the truth. At school, she followed no particular path. “I was a typical middle class Bangladeshi girl. At that stage I didn’t dream that I would go adventuring abroad and climb the world’s tallest mountain. I went to university and then into accounting, still not knowing what I wanted to do.”

It wasn’t until 2003 that she discovered a passion that was to change her life. Talked into a trekking trip to Keokaradong by friends, she got bitten by the mountaineering bug. She decided she wanted to climb. Not only that, she wanted to climb the highest mountain in the world. Nine years on, she has fulfilled this ambition and broken records and barriers in the process. But how did she do it?

“Simple,” she said, with a self-deprecating smile. “I wanted to climb these mountains more than anything else in the world, and that was half the battle won. When you push through the pain barrier to reach the top of a mountain, you get intense satisfaction and that fuels your desire to take on the next one.”

A ‘personal Everest’

Nishat’s mother, Ashura Majumder, said she allowed her daughter to pursue her dream and supported her in every way she could. “I could see her heart was set on it,” Ashura Majumder said. “I have always believed parents should not force their hopes and dreams on children. I wanted to allow my daughter to follow her own dream.”

Nishat believes that everyone has ‘their Everest’, something they badly want to do. “The secret is to have the self-awareness to listen to your inner voice and follow a path that is right for you. Everyone has a summit they want to climb.”

But Mount Everest stretched Nishat’s resolve to breaking point. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I did it. It feels like a miracle that I’m back in Bangladesh as the first Bangladeshi woman to have summited Everest. There were so many occasions when I thought I would never make it back.”

On April 27, while undergoing acclimatization for the summit attempt, Nishat and her co-climber MA Mohit were climbing from Camp 1 (19,500 ft) to Camp 2 (21,000 ft) when disaster struck.

“We were climbing through an area surrounded on three sides by some of the world’s greatest mountains: Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse. The snow was bright and the scenery was magnificent,” said Mohit, who became the first Bangladeshi to climb Everest from both the Tibetan North side and the Nepali South side. “We were snapping photographs, when suddenly there was a sound and the snow began to roll down the slope towards us.”

Mohit and their Sherpa quickly snapped their carabiners onto the ‘safety’ position onthe fixed rope, but Nishat delayed for a few moments, still taking photographs. The result was nearly catastrophic.

“As the avalanche subsided, we looked around and saw Nishat lying 30 feet away from us,” recalled Mohit. “We hurried over and saw that her clothes were stained with blood. Luckily, she hadn’t been completely buried.”

Several climbers were killed by avalanches during the climbing season and for Nishat, seeing dead bodies in the deep crevices was particularly shocking. “As you cross the deep crevices on flimsy aluminum ladders, you can’t help noticing the bodies and you realize it could be you,” said Nishat. “I focused my eyes on the ladder rungs, avoiding the deep abyss of the crevasse and tried to place my crampons points carefully on the rungs. But it takes its toll on you.”

Push for the top

On May 17, the weather cleared and the first ‘good weather window’ for the summit attempt opened. It was a narrow window and bad weather was forecast to close in by May 20. Many teams decided not to make the attempt and wait for a larger window predicted for May 25.

Nishat, with typical determination decided to push for the summit at the earliest opportunity. But Nishat and Mohit reached Camp 4 – highest camp on Everest at 26,000 ft – later than scheduled on May 17 and had to wait until the night of May 18 to attempt the summit.

“You climb Everest by stages, and you have to earn every stage,” said Nishat. “It is not an environment in which humans are meant to survive and for people like us, people from low-lying plains, it is doubly difficult. You must climb to the next camp high on the mountain before you can rest. There is nowhere to rest in between.”

Mohit added: “Conditions were very difficult during the first window this year. Many climbers turned back. Some returned with their summit but also some minor frostbite and wind blindness. Several people died.”

Summit attempts on Everest typically start at night. Climbing through the icy darkness using head-mounted lamps, the climbers reach the summit triangle as dawn breaks. Experts warn climbers not to attempt the summit after 2 PM since the weather starts to get worse. Many climbers have lost their lives in foul weather on the way down.

“We had been using supplemental oxygen since Camp 3,” said Nishat. “I hit my mental wall way before my physical wall. My body was getting more and more tired, but mentally I was wondering how much reserve I had. At daybreak, we were pushing hard to get up and down before the winds arrived.”

The Hillary Step loomed before them. Named after Sir Edmond Hillary, it is a 40-foot high rock outcrop that creates massive bottlenecks and traffic jams if the route is crowded with climbers. The Bangladeshi climbers were held up for over an hour.

“It was difficult climbing, but we finally climbed the outcrop and pushed for the true summit,” said Nishat. “My body was almost exhausted. I concentrated on breathing evenly and putting one foot in front of the other.”

Nishat and Mohit took the final steps to the top of the world at 11.30 AM. They planted a Bangladesh flag and unfurled a banner saying “Because I am a Girl” – to mark the campaign run by Plan International, Nishat’s sponsor.

The sun revealed the highest peaks of the world all around them. Tibet lay to the north; Nepal to the west and south. There was no higher spot on the globe.

“My emotional wall just collapsed,” recalled Nishat. “I had done it. I had achieved my dream. I couldn’t think of anything else.”

Mohit added: “After spending some time at the summit, we started the difficult descent. Climbing down is even more dangerous in many ways – most casualties happen on the way down. The body is exhausted and people let down their guard. Nishat was having problems seeing since her eyes had been hurt by the glare from the snow. But slowly, we made our way down.”

Because I am a girl

Plan International had backed Nishat as part of its ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.   Tim Zahid Hossain, Acting Manager, Communications and Public Relations of Plan Bangladesh said: “Because I am a Girl is Plan’s campaign to fight gender inequality, promote girls’ rights and lift millions of girls out of poverty. What better ambassador than a courageous young woman who has conquered Everest?”

Hossain added that it was even more fitting that Nishat had done it in the company of Mohit. “Our campaign believes that working for equality must involve men and boys. This is a perfect symbol of the mutual support that can work wonders in our society.”

Nishat realises that Everest has changed her life forever. But she says it has increased her responsibilities too. “I know that I must use this opportunity to do something for society. Summiting Everest isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning.”