A climber's dream

India and Maharashtra’s fine mountain-climber, Tuhin Satarkar is eyeing a berth for 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This will be the first Olympics, that will see the extreme sport bouldering as an event.

The 21-year-old from Pune has represented the Indian team at several occasions, which includes Asian Championships twice and the Climbing World Cup 2016. Tuhin has devoted his life to climbing, putting his academics on hold. He is also the first Indian to climb Ganesha (8b+) in Badami, Karnataka. “My ultimate goal is to keep achieving more and more but I think I could triumph at the Olympics as this will the first time that a bouldering event will take place at the Olympics,” he asserts talking about his Olympics dream.

 “I am not sure if India has registered a team yet but it is the best to keep an eye out,” he says.

The young turk says his parents, who are also mountain-climbers, inspired him to give bouldering a shot. “I think I was six when I started climbing. We had a climbing wall at our house where my parents practised as well. I gave company to my father on his expeditions and my interest kept escalating,” says the upbeat climber, who is represented by Red Bull India.

Talking about his fitness regime, Tuhin says, “ I think climbing makes the whole body work and I don’t have to do anything else to keep myself fit.”

 As mainstream sports have struggled over the years to gain popularity in the country, extreme sport is altogether a new concept. “In the initial stages of my career, there was not much to make financially. With time there have been international sponsors that have come up. I have been associated with Red Bull, who sponsors my climbs. It is not that profitable as there is not any support from the Centre as well. There is better infrastructure in other countries and I plan on changing that one step at a time,” says Tuhin, who has opened a climbing gym in Pune recently.

Tuhin was the face of ‘Red Bull Jod ke Tod’ event that took place at MET Ground, Bandra on Sunday. “It is a fun experience being a part of the human pyramid. Even I have tried it once or twice as a kid,” he recalls.

“I am always looking for new challenges and it is the fear, that keeps me going. If you are a part of an extreme sport, you need some fear to keep your juices flowing. I have done excruciating climbs and Badami and Hampi where there was a lot of danger and risk,” he explains.

Apart from the mammoth climbs, Tuhin has been a regular at Leh and Dhakoba, where he goes with his old man. “It is nice to have a partner and if it is my father, it is the best,” he says.

While, the Pune boy is busy with the extreme sport, he also works with a non governmental organisation (NGO) in Pune to rescue animals. “That (animal rescuing) is something I love to do. There are times when I use my skills to rescue animals that are stuck on cliffs,” says a humble Tuhin as he has been working for the NGO for around three years with his hectic schedule.