An uphill task

Trekking can be difficult business. Can you imagine scaling peaks in the piercing cold or trudging on along rugged terrain in heavy rains? It’s feats like these that evoke questions in the mind, like what kind of rain gear must one carry, or what are the best shoes to wear. If you’re a trekker, or a hopeful one, and have been bothered by such questions, your questions are about to be answered. Art Village, a creative community that brings together professionals for skill sharing, is organising Let’s Talk about Treks! — a workshop that will answer all questions you have regarding the great outdoors. Hosted by mountaineering couple Vineeta and Divyesh Muni, this workshop will shed light on the ups and downs people face while going on treks.

Acclaimed mountaineer Divesh, who has been trekking for over 37 years and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, gives us a gist of the workshop. He says, “The purpose of the two-hour session is to address questions in the minds of people who like to go in the outdoors but don’t know many things like the fitness level required, the equipments needed, etc; if they are going to the Himalayas, then the concept of acclimatization. So, the idea is to hold an interactive session and basically answer peoples question about the outdoors.”

Divesh, who is also the Vice President of the Himalayan Club, recalls his early days when he first started trekking. Says the mountaineer, “I started trekking when I was in school. I was fortunate to have a neighbour who would take us for simple treks around the hills in Mumbai. Later, I seriously started in ‘81 when I got out of school and went for my training at a mountaineering institute.” But unfortunately, things are not the same anymore, as trekking has been commercialised and this impacts the safety of trekkers.

Delving into this, Divesh says, “When I started, in those days, there used to be a club and there used to be people who would hand hold you. Now, this culture no longer remains. There are very few clubs and people don’t join clubs actually, they go up on their own after reading a bit on the Internet. They join some commercial organisation without knowing much about it and this causes accidents to take place.” It is this fatal reality that has motivated Divesh to create sufficient awareness about the outdoors.

The mountaineer also has tips for those heading to the trekking hotspot, the Himalayas, and asks people to pick the company they will trek with carefully. He says, “Earlier there used to be a lot of guidance from club seniors and people would be there to take care of you. But now, with commercial outlets, it's more of a business-client relationship. Some outfits are really good while some are not. They are fly-by-night operators and that's where the problem starts.” Divesh has himself been to the Himalayas more than 30 times now and feels that going there is a way of life. “I went to the Himalayas for the first time as a trainee for my training course. But that impressed me so much, I have spent my entire life going to the Himalayas now,” he gushes.

Post this first-of-its-kind workshop, Divyesh hopes to continue working along similar lines to educate people. He says, “Being the vice president of the Himalayan club, my idea is that we need to have a few guidance sessions, seminars or practical sessions where people can understand more about the outdoors before they venture out. If people are opting for a commercial outfit, they should know what kind of commercial outfit it is, whether that commercial outfit live up to safety standards or not or are they well equipped to deal with the outdoors. Otherwise, dangerous situations could manifest.
—The workshop will be heald on May 24 at Art Village Studio, Juhu