Right time to promote adventure sports in states: Mountaineer Ajeet Bajaj

Chandigarh, July 7

The first Indian to complete the ‘Polar Trilogy’, Ajeet Bajaj, has said that every state should have an adventure school to promote such sports among its citizen.

“I have kayaked along the coast of Greenland as part of an Indo-American team. I have completed Polar Trilogy. I am an active swimmer… So adventure is not restricted to mountaineering alone. Every state in India should have an adventure school, as per the available resources, to help the young generation remain fit and get close to mother nature,” said Bajaj while speaking at the 59th Foundation Day of the PGI.

Bajaj asked youngsters to find their real potential for becoming a successful and happy person in life. “I was lucky enough to get support from my father. The same I am forwarding to both my daughters. India has a lot of positional and courageous youngsters should come forward to live with their passion,” added Bajaj.

Bajaj and his daughter Deeya are the first father-daughter duo to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam by scaling the seven highest mountains in the seven continents. He is also the brand ambassador of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign.

Sharing his experience of scaling Mount Everest with his daughter, Bajaj recalled overcoming the malfunctioning of his oxygen mask and braving a storm with temperatures dropping to minus 50 degrees Celsius. “Unfurling the tricolour was a very proud and emotional moment for both of us. We don’t climb for records. As the first parent-child team from India to climb Mt Everest (in 2018) and the first in the world to have climbed from the harder north side of the mountain, we wanted to give a strong message to our fellow citizens that no challenge is too big for us Indians,” he added.

Meanwhile, PGI Director Vivek Lal, former directors Yogesh Chawla and Jagat Ram, and senior doctors of the institute were also present on the occasion.