Author: Pritha Chatterjee
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: November 28, 2010
Introduction: At 78, mountaineer Lalita Patil
is going strong, conducting trekking camps and fighting for her ancestral
property
She is the second Indian woman and the first
from Maharashtra to have scaled the Everest base camp. After leading expeditions
to six peaks in the Himalayas, she has been conducting trekking camps across
the globe, the most recent in New Zealand two years ago.
"Once a mountaineer, always a mountaineer.
One lifetime is too short for the hills," says 78-year- old Lalita Patil,
sipping green tea at her Shivaji Park residence.
After SSC from King George School in Dadar,
Lalita tai, as she is fondly known, decided to pursue her dreams. "I
was always Sportswoman, a kabaddi and tug-of-war champion in school. Scaling
heights was something I had always dreamt of," she says.
She armed herself with a basic degree in mountaineering
from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in Uttarkashi, and an advanced
mountaineering course from the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering (HIM)
in Darjeeling. In 1974, Lalita tai led an all women expedition to the Hanuman
Peak in Dronagiri.
The Everest base camp expedition came in 1978.
"That was the high point of my career. I was commended by Indira Gandhi,"
she recalls, showing painstakingly preserved clippings from old Marathi and
English newspapers.
Lalita tai was also one of the founder members
of the Maharashtra Trekkers and Mountaineers Association, and enjoyed the
post of secretary of the organ. isation for seven years. In 1975, Lalita brought
together women mountaineers from the state to found the Ladies Maharashtra
trekkers Club.
Many would find the stamina of Lalita tai
surprising. Recalling an incident, she says, "I was 42 when I was a panelist
for selecting an Everest expedition team. Women half my age could not match
my speed or stamina," says Patil denouncing any need for modesty.
"Why be modest at this age? I am proud
of my achievements," she says.
In 1981, she left fulltime mountaineering,
and has been since organising camps for children from rural areas. "Apart
from physical training, I give them lessons on naturopathy, a must for anybody
aspiring for such a life in this age of fast food. For the last three years,
I have been shuttling between Mumbai and Narpad, about two kilometers from
Dahanu where I was born. I conduct most camps for children here. It is good
to return to your roots," she explains. After a divorce, "years
ago" Lalita tai has been living alone.
It's not only mountains she takes up as a
challenge. Incidentally, she has taken up a fight for her ancestral property
in Narpad. "I rued an FIR five years ago over a property dispute with
neighbours. But despite repeated reminders to police and meeting Home department
officials, I cannot get the police to conduct enquiries," she says. "As
soon as the new CM was announced, I sought an appointment with the home minister
again," she adds. "The new CM has given hope, and I too will go
to him if required. Nobody stops Lalita tai," she says with conviction.
