‘This is to bring out the next gen of mountaineers in the country’: Nishat sets eye on new peak

It all began in 2003 for Nishat Mazumder when she went to the country's highest peak Keokradong (967 metres) to attend the Bangladesh Astronomical Association's programme on the 50th anniversary of the Mount Everest summit. Since then, Nishat has climbed some of the highest peaks in the world and eventually accomplished a massive feat of becoming the first Bangladeshi woman to conquer Mount Everest. 

Now she sets out for Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres (26,781 ft) above sea level. A part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. The word 'Manaslu' means "mountain of the spirit." She is scheduled to set out for the Himalayan country on Monday.

Nishat did attempt to climb Manaslu back in 2011 to qualify for starting an expedition to climb Everest. At that time, she returned from camp-3. 

Why Manaslu again? "I attempted this mountain back in 2011 and reached up to 7,200 metres. Ever since then, I've been dreaming of climbing Manaslu. Now I will try again," she told The Business Standard in an interview. 

"Also, I am not going alone this time. Praggya Paramita Roy, a second-year student of Dhaka Medical College who has never climbed any mountain before, will be with me during this expedition. This is also an attempt to bring out the new generation of mountaineers in our country," she added. 

Each mountain has its own unique challenges. According to Nishat, mountaineers face avalanches in Manaslu more often. This makes the expedition very risky. She almost died from an avalanche while climbing Everest back in 2012. 

Most mountaineers talk about mental stress more than physical difficulties after they climb a mountain. For Nishat, keeping herself positive helps to stay away from the stress. 

"I try to enjoy the expedition as much as I can, this is the way I keep myself positive. If I think that I'm detached from the whole world, then it gets tougher," she said.

Nishat will be in a seven-member team during this expedition. "There will be six other members from around the world in my team. Nirmal Puja, who was my guide during the Everest summit, is the team head."

Orion Group is sponsoring Nishat's expedition and this gave her the idea to take someone new with her on this adventurous journey.

"The idea was to bring out new-gen mountaineers and show a path for them. When I got the sponsorship from Orion, I thought of doing something new. 'Orion trek with Nishat' aimed to select a mountaineer from 18-25 years of age who has never climbed any mountain before." 

Nine girls were taken to Kalapahar, the highest hill of Sylhet, for physical and mental ability tests. And, among them, Praggya was eventually selected on the basis of a fitness and mental test.

"We've been grooming her mentally. And we've also provided some basic training for her. I will be with her throughout the expedition, she will have her on-spot training there," said Nishat.

Nishat wants to climb as many mountains as she can in the next few years. But her goal is to help the adventurous new-gen mountaineers and pave the way for them. 

"Financial issues are the biggest challenge. Mountaineering is an expensive sport and also very risky. We don't have any financial sponsors for our mountaineers. We have a lot of potential in our new-gen mountaineers. I have the responsibility to help them materialise their dreams and I want to help them reach their peaks," Nishat concluded.

While Pragya will return from the base camp after 15 days, Nishat will stay there for 30 days more with the aim of conquering Manaslu. She is scheduled to return home on 9 October.