Extraordinary stories are made with extraordinary efforts! Proving age is just a number is Poona A Bamba, a 64-year-old retired Delhi judge, who joined her husband on an unplanned Everest Base camp trek recently. The former Delhi High Court judge found herself facing a challenging decision she had never imagined taking on. According to an Indian Express report, in November 2024, Bamba travelled to Nepal with her husband, Anil Bamba (66), a former bureaucrat and experienced traveller.What began as an unplanned decision turned into a 10-day trek covering more than 65 kilometres, through rugged trails, dense forests, suspension bridges and biting cold, to Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,364 metres.“My husband was going. I wasn’t even going to go initially,” she told The Indian Express. Recalling how the idea took shape, she added, “I thought to myself, ‘how did this idea get into this man’s head?’”But as the departure date approached and her husband struggled to find companions, Bamba began looking at the plan differently. “I thought to myself if he can go at the age of 66, why can’t I?”Not a seasoned mountaineer
Punam at Everest Base Camp (PC: The Better India)
Bamba did not undergo any specialised trekking or altitude training. But she maintained an active lifestyle and her routine included morning walks, meditation, dancing and pranayama. She usually walked around five to six kilometres every morning, a habit that had become a fixture of her day. But walking on familiar roads and climbing through the Himalayas were two opposite experiences.The tedious journeyHer journey began in Lukla, Nepal, with her husband, a friend and a Sherpa guide. The days involved long hours on uneven terrain, with the group sometimes walking for nearly eight hours. The higher they climbed, the more demanding the conditions became.The altitude affected her appetite, while the cold made even ordinary comforts difficult to find. Warm soup and ginger-honey tea often became the most manageable options for sustenance.In a conversation reported by The Better India, she said, “There were moments when I was done — just done,” describing the difficulties. The challenge was not simply reaching the destination. It was finding the strength to begin again each day.When the mountains felt intimidating
Punam and Anil Bamba (PC: The Better India)
Bamba recalled feeling scared. Her reassurance came from the presence of their guide and a simple thought she repeated to herself: “guide saath hai, toh le hi jaayega” (the guide is with us; he will take us through).The trek also demanded practical discipline. The group had to reach its lodges before darkness fell, because daylight in the mountains could disappear quickly. Temperatures plunged, food became less appealing, and each kilometre required patience.A suspension bridge, a glacier and an unexpected momentAmong the most memorable experiences came while crossing a suspension bridge over the Dudh Kosi River. Bamba paused to catch her breath. Above her was a glacier; below her, the river flowed through the vast Himalayan landscape.The sight prompted an emotional response she had not anticipated. It was a moment she can never forget. The mountains offered a perspective that was difficult to find amid the demands of professional life and everyday routines.Trip to AntarcticaBefore the Everest Base Camp trek, Bamba had also travelled to Antarctica and crossed the Drake Passage, known for its rough waters.Retirement is not the end of the storyBamba’s journey to Everest Base Camp is a perfect example of the fact that retirement is only the beginning of another chapter of life. She joined the Delhi Higher Judicial Service in December 2002 and retired in 2023. The trek, undertaken a little over a year after her retirement, became an example of what can happen when an unexpected opportunity is not dismissed simply because it arrives later in life.Sometimes, an extraordinary adventure begins not with a lifelong dream, but with a spontaneous decision to take the next step.
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