This was your fourth attempt on the Mount Makalu, who would you give the credit.

It wasn't easy this time either, all these four years have costed me so much so coming back to Mount Makalu each time gave me a different experience and each time it taught me that i wasn't prepared. Infact last year i thought i was almost there, but i was wrong as we were only half the way to summit push. So one thing i have to give credit to, is my team as having a good team is essential and their years of experience and decision making at critical times are crucial and came in handy. Also the biggest credit goes to my parents as they have seen me go through so much for past four years. I was not going out for family vacations or dinners and used to behave finicky and they took all that.

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What was your feeling when you finally were there up and above Mount Makalu.

There are few things that cannot be described using the 26 alphabets. Honestly this was a personal seeking for me, a matter of finding my ownself as i felt that i had lost a part of me on the summit and i dont like when i cant complete something or when someone tells me i wont be able to achieve something and Mount Makalu had become that something. When i finally reached the final summit there were so many emotions, i saw the clouds, the sky and i saw the whole world below this fifth highest mountain. I cant say this is one of my best expeditions so far but it is certainly very special.

How would you describe your health right now

(laugh) The tip of my toes are still numb and cold, i have lost a lot of weight. I have put in a lot of efforts to train for this expedition as i was brutal with myself and this expedition too took a lot of toll, but now i am climbing down and situation is getting better and once i reach home i will be sleeping well, eating well and will do everything normally also spend time with my parents.

At 22 your have already climbed four peaks more than 8000 meters, what all would you think you would have achieved by the time you are 32

Its quite a funny question for a mountaineer as we don't even know if we would even wake up after we go to sleep and we faced this as we lost two of our Sherpas who never woke up from their sleep. There is a huge cost that a mountaineer pays for the all the beautiful views and summits. The long term goals are definitely to complete the remaining 10 peaks in the world that are higher than 8000 meters but i have already set my goals for the next one year and that is more expeditions to explore the virgin mountains. There is one more 8000 meter mountain to climb that i am still keeping a secret.

How do you see the mountaineering scenario in India

I would ideally want to show the World, what India has in store for them. There are 300 virgin mountains of above 6000 meters altitude waiting to be explored. India is going to be the future of mountaineering. My constant challenge is to set new limits for the Indian youth and encourage mountaineers not to limit themselves to just Manali and Kashmir but urge them to see the real Himalayas. So the key is to explore more areas and put them on the map.

Tells us about your Climb for Climate Change initiative

Climate change is real and the idea of 'climb for climate change' is extremely close to my heart. My first understanding of how the mountains were suffering due to climate change was during my first expedition to Mount Everest and seeing a glacier that has dried up and hearing about its beauty from the Sherpas. Not only this even during the Mount Makalu expeditions i listed some serious environmental concerns in terms of disappearing glaciers and other problems. All this has changed me as i started getting more aware about my actions and now i also keep telling people about climate issues. I believe that we exist only if we allow Environment to exist.

What are the steps you take as a mountaineer to reduce your carbon footprint during such expeditions.

We ensure that there is minimum waste being left during the expedition and infact we carry a 'rest top bag that has bio-organic powder that converts human waste into gel and we bring it back after the expedition and dispose it properly. I also feel lot of mountaineers are now aware and are responsible, its the cities where the carbon footprint is growing and the CO2 levels being pumped are obnoxiously high and hence i also take a lot of precaution when i am in my city away from the mountains

Was there a time when you thought you could be fourth time unlucky

There was a point where the weather went nasty and we just did not know what to do next and the ghosts of my past three unsuccessful attempts to scale Mount Makalu came back haunting and i thought we might have to return and could see my entire year of hard work and effort going in vain and i might have to begin the entire routine again, but somehow the team took right decisions we waited for half an hour and everything fell in place for us to proceed.

How you keep motivated

When you are climbing an altitude of 25000 feets, being motivated is extremely difficult and hence having a good team is important. There are times when brains stop functioning, brain cells begins to die and one cant even make sense of what is going on. Also oxygen levels are one third of what one normally breathes. My training has taught me that Pain is temporary and it will only last for some time but the pain of not being able to make it to the top will last for an year or forever and i cant stand that. And hence at such times you look back think of the efforts you have put in and the longing for the summit, one step at a time you move ahead keeping myself strong and fortunately everything went in our favour this time.

How do you as a 22 year old convince your parents to allow you to take up such adventure

When i was 15 and i had to convince my mother to send me to Mount Everest she asked me if its dangerous and i told her crossing the roads of Delhi is much more dangerous than climbing Mount Everest. People driving cars on the roads are more crazy than Mother Nature as with Nature all you need to do is follow its rules and nothing goes wrong. Convincing my parents was not difficult as they knew that this was my dream and they saw me getting up at 3.30am in the morning, following strict diet and saying no to a normal life lead by a 22 year old so their support only kept getting stronger. I am most blessed to have a parents like them.

Readers of DNA have been following your expedition in the daily column carried, what is your message for them.

The fight against climate change is not just mine but ours. It's time we realise what path we have walked in and take care for our future generations are going to blame us for not realising something so evident. I would want to thank everyone for being a part of this journey. If you are able to change and contribute even a little bit to this cause through this expedition, it has made all my hard work on the mountain, worth it.