CLIMB IN A DAY

On 29 May 1953, Sir Edmund Percival Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. In 1952, Tenzing Norgay was part of a Swiss Expedition which had fallen short of Mount Everest by 240 meters due to weather and exhaustion.

Hillary and Norgay had carved out a professional relationship as they both trained together for the treacherous climb through Khumbu Icefall. The final Camp at South Col was set up by the Hunt Expedition at 7890 Meters. The first of the two climbers of the expedition, Bourdillon and Evans, attempted the summit on 26 May 1953. They fell short by 91 Meters as Evans’ oxygen system failed in those trying conditions. Hillary and Tenzing then made the second attempt.  

Snow and wind held the pair up at the South Col for two days. On the morning of 28 May 1953, Hillary and Tenzing set out with a support trio of Lowe, Alfred Gregory and Ang Nyima. The two pitched a tent at 8,500 m on 28 May while their support group returned down the mountain. On the following morning, Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen solid outside the tent. He spent two hours warming them before he and Tenzing attempted the final ascent wearing 14 kg packs. The crucial move of the last part of the ascent was the 12 m rock face later named the "Hillary Step". Hillary saw a means to wedge his way up a crack in the face between the rock wall and the ice and Tenzing followed. From there on the balance effort was relatively simple. Tenzing Norgay stated in his narration "The Dream Comes True" that Hillary had indeed taken the first step atop Mount Everest, despite Hillary quoting that both had reached the summit at the same time. They reached Everest's 8,848 m summit, the highest point on earth, at 11:30 am on 29 May 1953. As Hillary put it, "A few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow, and we stood on top." 

What would have been the thoughts of Hillary and Tenzing as they packed their bags to make the final assault on the virgin peak of Mt Everest? The day would have dawned with its own peculiarities on 8500 meters above the Mean Sea Level. All the previous days of the expedition were now events of past utilized for acclimatization, training and climb. 29 May 1953 was a brand new day for both the climbers and they had a mission to scale. The only baggage they carried was physical in nature and weighed 14 Kgs each pack. With their eyes set on the top of the summit, they would have both made a careful climb up the mountain. They did not carry any radio sets to communicate their climb with the base camp. Everything that they both were tasked to achieve had to be done on that day- 29 May 1953. Each passing day would have only made their task difficult and worn off their spirits. The mission would keep on getting critical with the ticking away off the clock. The choices are limited when time starts wearing away towards darkness. Both Hillary and Tenzing did what was supposed to be done- they climbed the Mount Everest in a day on that fateful day of May 1953. In the history books, both got etched forever as the first climbers to scale the tallest mountain and the singular date 29 May 1953 became a landmark date.

In any human life, the time spans can be large but the days of milestones are unique and singular. Humans prepare in their own myriad ways for various challenges and adventures of the maze called life. Who knows what they encounter in between or how they shape up plans to meet the exigencies? The magic of successful humans lies in circumventing/taking challenges head on and achieve the tasks on the designated day. The significance of each day lies in the achievements scaled in its span of 24 hours. Humans learn and practice to be ready for the D-day. Everything, therefore, does happen in a day!! Some may contest this assumption but what is the harm in getting pinned to the ideology that each day is important and much can be achieved if the focus is correct.

A student prepares the whole year to write that elusive exam on the D-Day, an astronaut trains for that perfect take off on the D-Day, the project are matched for various timelines to meet the D-day etc. In almost each human activity, the day is an important constituent. A lost day cannot be regained. All practice is void if the target cannot be captured on the D-Day. Each one of the humans have the capability to awaken themselves to capture their day and to achieve the climb. The will power factor plays an important role in shaping the human destiny. No human activity is easy, but on the flip side no activity is such complex that the little climbs associated with them cannot even be attempted. Each failure can be converted into First Effort in Learning (FAIL) and each end can be termed as Effort Never Dies (END). In every No there can be the Next Opportunity (NO). There is no better adage that “Each Day Counts”. After all, the final climb happens in a day only.   

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay dreamt years about climbing the Mount Everest and climbed for 07 grueling weeks before they dug the final axe on the peak at 1130 hrs on 29 May 1953. The climb was done in a day.

Each day, all of us are preparing and practicing for the respective climbs in various fields. The D-day arrives with each of its moment etched with precision. The time does not stand still ever. We have to gather ourselves up on all possible fronts and make the first move for the climb. Each step takes us closer to the summit. Finally, the last axe is dug deep onto the summit and it provides the last help to scale the highest point. The height of success dwarfs everything else- though momentarily as the next challenge starts unfolding its majestic climb. So, keep putting out those steps in the right direction to achieve the climb in a day.    

FOX SQN MEGA SOCIAL, NEW DELHI-28 NOV 2015

#BEST ADVICE: PERFECTION-MATCH IT!!

Manoj laid down the map on his table and carefully studied the contour lines laid out on the paper. The solitary bulb in his makeshift cabin was trying to add to the warmth of the “Sigri” burning inside the cabin. Low temperatures in high altitude can be punishing and can lead to various effects of freezing. For Manoj, the temperatures did not matter tonight. His mind was fixed on his long cherished aim of flying his Attack Helicopter in the high altitudes. 

As he finished his study and lay in his creaky bed for the night rest, his mind drifted off to the days when he was passing out of the National Defence Academy (NDA). Manoj had the opportunity to enter the portals of the Maker of Men (The Motto of NDA) twice. He has had the great fortune of getting trained by some of the best that NDA had produced. His thoughts wandered towards his Squadron Cadet Captain in the Foxtrot Squadron 2^nd Lt Arun Khetarpal, PVC who was already a folklore. In his dreams he saw a young lean and mean guy in a white T shirt and back drawn hair standing in the Central Lobby of Foxtrot Squadron with two stars made on the breast pocket of his T shirt. Under that was written Jaat in a slant and an underline drawn. The handsome Sherwoodian, Jaat looked like the Clint Eastwood of the Foxtrot Squadron.

Manoj dreamt about his NDA experiences the whole night. He has had the fortune of passing out of NDA twice due to his change of service from the Air Force to the Army. It had become his plus point. He understood the DNA of NDA even better. Jaat took Manoj under his wings and trained him relentlessly after Lights Out for perfection of exercises like High Horse, Scissors and Back Flips. As they trained in a Guru-Shishya format, Jaat would impress upon Manoj to match up to the perfection levels.  Robinhood was reborn as Jaat. Always ready to help a guy in distress, costs did not matter to him. If you were not doing well in the Out Door Training at NDA-go to Jaat. If you have changed your Medicine-on-Duty Category to Rest –In- Cabin Category and the Training Officer is looking for you, back to Jaat for help as he was a savior of sorts. He was an epitome of Perfection in whatever he did. On that night, Jaat was re-visiting Manoj to affirm that perfection has been achieved and Manoj was now a rookie Attack Helicopter pilot of the Indian Army. Manoj slept with a smile on his face and an assurance that he had trained well to match that perfection which seniors like Jaat had always sought from him.

Waking up early, Manoj ran his mind on the sortie that he would be flying. He was in Command of the Cheetah Helicopter of the Indian Army’s Aviation Corps. In 1984, the Indian Army's Northern Command had inducted the HAL Cheetah into the Siachen Glacier. The pilots were put to the ultimate test professionally and also in terms of human endurance. In 1986, the "Air Observation Post" units were transferred from the Indian Air Force to the Indian Army to form the Army Aviation branch. Using nine helicopter squadrons, Army Aviation was supporting ground units by carrying men and material in the highest battlefield on earth, culminating in the conquest of the entire 72 km of the Siachen Glacier. Innumerable skirmishes and confrontations have taken place in the in the Siachen Glacier and the Army Aviation Corps was to provide the required support for sustenance of the Indian troops.

Manoj had understood his mission well. Strapping up his cockpit, he gazed towards the white snow-capped mountains that stood firm and tall on the horizon. Powering up his chopper’s blades, Manoj felt the thin atmosphere getting cut by the motion and the throttle could now feel the lift. The chopper lifted effortlessly and he shaped Course. It was a perfect lift off and the Station Commander watched the young pilot in his first independent flight taking off. His mission was taking him today to heights to drop supplies and to pick up an injured soldier.  Flying airliners at altitudes of 35,000 feet is routine. But helicopters, with their relatively small rotary wings, struggle in thin air and Manoj’s Cheetah was no exception. Manoj’s mind was trained to achieve perfection. He moved the Cheetah with minimal load to the high snow clad ranges and spotted the injured soldier. Lowering his supplies bag, he hovered the Cheetah in a steady position and evacuated the injured soldier with perfection and returned to the base. As the casualty moved away in a Field Ambulance, Manoj inspected his machine before calling it a day. He looked skywards and remembered his affable seniors like Jaat and Arun Khetarpal at the Military Academies who had drilled the ideology of achieving perfection in him. His mind was tuned to race towards perfection whenever a challenge emerged.

Perfection is a key attitude of successful humans. Ever wondered why a Sherpa keeps climbing the great height again and again? He has achieved the levels of perfection which are required to scale the unpredictable heights. He fights against Mother Nature, his own chemistry and pulls up against gravity. He only looks up and goes for the kill each time he gets a window of opportunity. All that weighs on his mind, maybe, is to meet the challenges of his mission. He meets the same with Perfection. There is nothing left to take away at times, but that does not deter the Sherpa from climbing again and again.

A young boy heads to sea with his father. He has no sea legs but he matches the vagaries of the sea under the watchful eyes of his father and the boat’s crew. No body teaches them how to sail across the oceans to earn their livelihood. It is an art which is passed down the generations with hands on training. Soon, the boy catches the first catch of fish on his own and as the father fades away, he takes over the command of the boat. Nothing is possible without making an attempt, at least. Perfection is elusive and can sap the best of the energies. However, the search for perfection does begin the race. How far the race goes depends upon the will power of the humans. No one but the runner has to decide the distance he wants to run and how much ground he can cover. Perfection meets each human in its own way, albeit in a percentage which he has bargained for himself. 

Efforts must continue to meet perfection. The dare devil inside does come into play when humans try to achieve perfection. The fight to reach the desired goal is intense and rough at times, but, the brave hearts continue till they have scaled their aims. Perfection demands an exact matching. Who then stops us from trying and to achieve perfection? It is our own free will to train ourselves and to match the perfection.

Do you have it in you is a commonly used dialogue in most tense situations. It does evoke responses from humans. So, what is your response to this question? Go for it and match Perfection- to the hilt because you never know what percentage scale you achieve.

   

SOAR IN THE SKY

Captain Karan Singh walked the aerobridge path with a spring in his feet. He was greeted with a warm handshake as he entered the big Jumbo airliner. This was a dream come true for Karan Singh. He had risen to be the Captain of one of the largest commercial airliner in the World. He entered the freshly prepared cockpit and welcomed his crew as they closed inside the jumbo. The plane got loaded and soon enough the ATC gave all clear to Captain Karan to roll down the plane till the far end of the runway for a take-off. Karan had been a passionate Pilot and had thousands of hours in his log book for various types of aircraft. He saw the weight sheet of the jumbo under his Command, did his trim calculations and rolled the jumbo down the tarmac. On a thumbs up RT call from the ATC, Karan throttled up the massive jet’s engines and began the run down the runway. With deft controls, Karan pulled the joystick backwards and the plane’s nose lifted for a smooth take off. His co-pilot congratulated him and the jumbo began its climb to the designated altitude. The thrust of the engines kept the plane on its course and it continued to soar in the sky. Captain Karan Singh had soared in the sky to achieve his passion- Fly a Jumbo Airliner.

         

As the plane moved, air flowing around the wings created the lift. The lift increases as the plane gathers speed. The plane takes off once there's enough lift to overtake gravity. When the plane's in the air, thrust from the engines pushes the plane forward. The Pilot in Command sets the Course and the plane moves on the designated path to reach the desired destination. Karan Singh had taken all the correct actions to get airborne in his dream-liner. He had achieved this dream with the dint of his hard work and focused approach. After all flying a plane is a passion and no passion comes to reality with a lot of hard work and focused approach. As Karan settled the plane to its designated flight path, his mind brought back the memories of his journey to this day.

         

Born in a village of a remote town, Karan was the eldest amongst his 2 other siblings. His father was a soldier with the Indian Army. Shuttling their lives between occasional stay with his father whilst on peace station postings, Karan had lived with a dream to fly an airplane. He would watch the airplanes in the sky as a young lad and chase their flight paths on the ground. His mother, though from humble rural background, noted the spark in young Karan. She would excitedly call out his name when an airplane zipped the skies above their home. The peace posting with the Army brought Karan’s father to New Delhi. This gave Karan an opportunity to see the airplanes as they took off and landed. A bright student, his passion for flying itched him to scale better results and Karan would be the leader in his class. With every success, he would look up towards the sky and plunge for another milestone.

         

The circumstances of his family and his father’s military income was meager. Time had come where a bold decision was to be taken by the family to support Karan’s dream. Karan’s younger siblings had also followed their elder brother’s path. His younger brother cleared the competitive exam of the Military School and moved on to a stable education path with limited expenses. His sister was also sharp in her studies and aimed to be a Doctor. Calculating the future of his children, Karan’s father decided to hang his Military Uniform to plough back his accumulated benefits and begin the life of a pensioner. The decision was not easy as he had to leave a life that he had begun as a young and raw recruit of 17 years of age with the Indian Army. Moving in and out of field and peace postings had not enabled the family to own a stable home other than the shared ancestral home in the remote village. The village greens had taken the shape of concrete dwellings as the nearest town emerged as the hub of a throbbing pharmaceutical industry. Karan’s father finally hung his Uniform as Karan was about to finish his graduation. The monetary benefits accrued over the years vanished in thin air as Karan signed on the dotted lines to train as a Pilot. There were tears in his eyes as he hugged his parents before catching a flight out of the country to train as a pilot. As the airplane ran down the tarmac, Karan clenched his fists to return home successful.

          

The life began a new turn for Karan’s family as his father and mother returned back to their roots to wait for the future’s turn. The Veteran had no option but to move on with a second job to support his family’s needs. Karan’s father had led a disciplined life with honesty, integrity and commitment to the Nation’s cause. The local industry had a few jobs to offer and Karan’s father had not much choices. Skills sets become a complex word for job seekers in their middle ages. There are not many takers for Veterans and exploitation of humans is rampant. As is the trend, Karan’s father joined a small Company in the town near his village in the Security Department. The Veterans have had a say in the field of unflinching Security towards the Nation and the first opportunity arises in the same field post hanging the Military Uniform. The meagre pension had to be augmented to meet the growing family demands and to meet the challenges of wavering economy. As his children toiled in their respective arenas, Karan’s father began giving his best in his second career too.

          

Time flew by even as struggles continued. Finally, Karan got back with his flying certification and commenced his life as a trainee pilot. The sacrifices of his father and the reason for taking a pre-mature retirement to arrange funds for his training were not lost on Karan. His vow to do better than the best was more firm now and he followed his dream with unflinching passion. His time to repay back to his parents had begun. As Karan climbed to the designated altitude and shaped the plane’s course to its destination, his mind ran the entire flurry of life as it gone by for him. He had not forgotten his father’s sacrifice and his ever smiling mother who willingly relocated every time the Nation invoked the call of duty. The passion of soaring the sky in turn meant that each one of the family members had to soar in the sky to achieve Karan’s aim. Karan felt tears building up as his plane cruised using the thrust of its powerful engines and the various parts responding to the massive thrust. Inside the cabin, all was stable and calm whilst outside the temperatures plummeted many notches below dead zero.

         

It is not easy to soar in the sky and behind every successful human there are many unsung humans. These unsung humans pay a heavy price to ensure that the passions of the individual are scaled successfully. How many get their due rewards when the individual they have strived for soars in the sky? Not many would be able to recall that they were ever thanked by those humans who climbed upon big shoulders to scale their aims. The corollary is also true- it is not easy to sacrifice one’s life to support someone else’s dreams. Both the sides of the coin reflect one message- It requires guts to reach the glory. The supporter and the supported both end up reaching the peak of their respective destinations, one who gains touches Zenith and the one who sacrifices touches Nadir. The gap between the two needs a bridge and that is where the sky kisser has to help the broad shoulders which launched the journey.

         

Many a soldiers of this country head to become Veterans at an early date and time in their lives for various reasons. They launch many a lives by standing tall and offering their broad shoulders. The Flag soars as high as the pole takes it. Sky is the limit and we must take care of those who launched us to soar in the sky. The Veterans need you more than ever before. They have been the Flag bearers of the Nation and end up sacrificing over and over again for various facets of their lives. The Nation will soar the sky, all that we need is to honor the sacrifice for the Nation.