• About
    • Testing
  • Basking in Glory
  • Marathon Bloggers
  • Path to Fitness
  • Reading Corner
  • Sin-A-Mon : The Food Tales
  • Song on my Mind
  • The Header Story
  • The past thoughts
  • Thru My Lens

Monika's World

~ Monika's World : Some memories I am trying to treasure in a busy life

Monika's World

Monthly Archives: August 2015

Heroes of the Mountains : An ode to the brave mountain people

17 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by monikamanchanda in Motivational, My India

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

act of kindness, bravery, frozen himalayas, ladakh, leh, mountains, rescue, stok kangri, synapse adventures, trek

N along with a few of our very close friends had gone to trek Stok Kangri, a pretty difficult trek at 6153m (20187 ft). They did great but also encountered an incident which we all felt must be shared. So here is Vandana (one of the members of the group) sharing it with you. Might be a little long read but take my words for it, every minute worth it.

Over to her

———————

PATHAR NAHIN, AADMI HAI

We set out at midnight for the final ascent to the summit of Stok Kangri. At around 6:30 AM, our expedition group was 100-150 meters short of the shoulder of Stok, when we heard “Stones, rockfall, sit down now with your hands over your head!” A few seconds later, our lead guide Takpa Norboo called out to his fellow-guide Suraj in Hindi, “Pathar nahin, aadmi hai, Suraj”. (It is not a stone, it is a person, Suraj)

We glanced up from our climb, and saw an image of something (was it a bag or a body?) being hurled off a stony outcrop 50 meters above us. It was a body alright, and it bounced off the snow, another rocky outcrop and back to the snow along a path about 30 meters or so, to our left. The head was unprotected, limbs loose and the face bloodied – the person was probably unconscious or worse. At this point, the four of us from our expedition group huddled around, clinging to our ice axes. We cast furtive glances to the left, almost dreading what we were about to see. Before we could fully grasp the situation, our lead guide, Takpa Norboo dropped his bag, swiftly headed to take position and intercept the ‘rolling body’ in a way that a field goal keeper would.
Takpa is a mountain Sherpa- all muscle and small framed. The person he was trying to save was much bigger than him and appeared to be falling very rapidly. We were on the last leg of our climb on a mountain face that had a 800-1000 meter drop into the glacier.

The body hurtled down with a momentum that seemed to take Takpa down with it. But Takpa was ready. He threw himself in the path of the speeding body, grabbed it with his right hand as it went past him. He spun around to the right, slammed his ice axe into the ground and now both began to slide. Simultaneously, Suraj (our second guide) slammed into the legs of the body and his ice axe into the snow, bringing both Takpa and the body to a grinding halt.

All this – in a matter of seconds. We all tried to gather ourselves; by this time all our guides (Takpa, Suraj, Gulzar and Lotus) checked on us and rushed to the scene to help the person. They provided oxygen immediately, laid out the ropes to create a make-shift stretcher, and emptied their bags to create the support for the stretcher- all resources that were being carried for our group’s expedition. Takpa advised our expedition group to turn around and commence descent. The injured person needed the guides more than us. Oxygen levels of the injured person were dropping to 36; we were out of oxygen cylinders for our own group in any case.

The presence of mind of our guides at this stage was commendable. They had figured out that the choppers might not make it to that altitude. They decided to take him down to a lower altitude. This was a mammoth effort at those heights, with the lack of proper stretchers and equipment. It required the help of at least six people to bring him down.

The rest of the story is resonating in the media. The IAF choppers did a daring act of rescue, placed their own lives at risk at that altitude, to get the injured person into the chopper.

We were shaken by the whole episode but even more overwhelmed by the multiple, random and selfless acts of kindness on the mountains to save a stranger’s life. What would have happened had Takpa not got across so quickly and positioned himself in the path of the speeding body? What would have happened if Suraj did not provide reinforcements? What would have happened if Gulzar had not provided the critical medical support, stabilization and oxygen? What would happen if our guides thought only of the interests of our expedition group? How do people put their own lives at risk to save a stranger?

This story is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the harsh, unforgiving mountains, like Takpa Norboo- how many more such stories exist and never get told or heard? Only those that have been on foot at 20,000 feet on a 30-degree plus, slippery and icy snow face can fathom how hard it is and the calibre of men who did what they did.
This story also reminds us of the need to take the mountains and harsh terrains with utmost seriousness. This is not a walk in the park. We need to be prepared physically and mentally, need the right equipment and the right guidance, expertise and processes.

Most of all, this incident reinforces the belief in humankind – all is not lost and superheroes do exist in real life. Takpa Norboo – we salute you.
-Vandana Ramani
(This article recounts the events as witnessed by the author. It may not be published, edited or rewritten without the express written consent of the author)

Takpa Norboo

Takpa Norboo

Tapka

Gulzar

Gulzar

Takpa and Lotus

Takpa and Lotus

Suarj

Suraj

Rescue under way

Rescue under way

Rescue underway

Rescue underway

Rescue Underway

Rescue Underway

Edited to add : Some press links covering the accident where only IAF has been mentioned

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iaf-rescues-injured-israeli-from-18-350-feet-in-ladakh/article1-1378343.aspx

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4689470,00.html

Like it, Share it

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Screen time : a permanent debate for today’s parent

04 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by monikamanchanda in Parenting

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

parenting, screen time

Put a few young parents in a room together, and you can be sure that within a few minutes or so the topic of discussion will soon divert to the dilemma on most parents’ minds: Screen Time! Questions like, how much is enough, do they even need it at all, and how the child is being affected by the medium – are all grey areas for most parents.

Every parent has a viewpoint on the subject and every parent has an unfailing logic attached to it. Frankly, I have sensible friends at both ends of the spectrum – the ones who truly believe TV is evil and that kids shouldn’t even get near it to the ones who think of TV as the salvation to all their problems ranging from babysitting to everyday tantrums.

The reality, according to me, as is always in life, is to be somewhere in the middle or as they say, striking a balance. Assuming that in this day and age, a 100% cut from technology and TV is possible, is an act of delusion. Schools start computer classes in 1st standard these days and if that is the case how does one keep the child away from the screen? TV and screens are the necessary evil of this generation and I feel that creating a balance is the key for sowing the seeds for your child’s healthy relationship with screen.

At our home, screen time has simple rules. Weekdays are only allowed for project and research for school work and over the weekend, an allowance of 45 minutes of TV and 30 minutes of iPad. Now this worked perfectly fine till I started realizing it’s not the TV I hate but the thousand and one ads that run on TV. Advertisements that tell me child that he will grow well if he drinks boost and he can probably forget all vegetables and other stuff. Ads that tell him that fat is ugly and that hands shouldn’t be washed for 1 min, well I can go on but you get the point.

Plus the quality of programs like Oggy who taught my son to talk in Hindi which scared me like shit, to give you an example. One day at dinner table the child told my mom “Kya mast khaana banaya re bidu” in the voice similar to hold your breath Shakti Kapoor. That is what scared me with his TV time and we struggled, we went and back and forth. I got him some CD’s that he got bored of and hence wanted to go back to TV again.

And then we discovered Teewe, which changed and eased the whole screen time situation at our home

teewe

Teewe is an HDMI media streaming device which transforms any TV with an HDMI port, into a smart TV via which streaming becomes a child’s play (pun intended) on your TV. It allows you to stream content from your phone, laptop, PC or tablet, right onto your television so essentially the control of what your child watches is with you.

The child can’t really wander on the internet which I think is any parent’s fear and yet the child is entertained, can play games, learn the stuff he wants on YouTube (mine loves to watch videos about underwater creatures and how the parts in bike and cars work), listen to music and dance with his friends or watch the good old Tom & Jerry. Its safe content with control in parents’ hands which I think is the only way forward.

So at our home we resolved the screen time tension with Teewe. You can do it too. Whether it’s learning about types of flowers or listening to nursery rhymes or catching a great episode of Mr. Maker, with Teewe the much desired balance and control is easier to achieve.

To know more click here

teewe 2

 

 

Like it, Share it

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Me, Myself and me

bundle of contradictions, a working independent woman, a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a traveler and ya a blogger :)

Like it?

Subscribe in a reader

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 8,260 other subscribers

or get it in ur mail

Subscribe to Monika's World by Email

or make it ur favorite

Add to Technorati Favorites
Bookmark and Share

Or follow me in networked blogs

NetworkedBlogs
Blog:
Monika's World
Topics:
 
Follow my blog

Show some love err like on FB

Monika's World

Promote Your Page Too

Will always be proud of April 2011

Proud to be listed in

Best Blogs of India

Member at

India Counts

Also at

Visit blogadda.com to discover Indian blogs

My IndiRank

monikamanchanda.wordpress.c...
81/100

The Celeb Moment at BlogAdda

Would love to hear from u

SO WHAT WOULD DO U BUY FOR UR CHILD?

CAN WE HAVE A AMOL ARTE PLEASE

THE WEDDING STORY

A MOTHER OF THREE DAUGHTERS : GOD SAVE HER

DO U STAND UP?

THE MOST IMPORTANT YEARS REALLY

A SUNDAY FOR ALL RELIGIONS

AND THREW HIM DOWN THE STAIRS

EDUCATION A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE?

THE AUTO SAGA

Your precious words

Santhosh on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
nikita on Ladoo for the Elephant Go…
Manish on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
Sima on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
Rebecca on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
Santhosh on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
Zarine Kharas on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
shruti artsycraftsym… on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
Rajlakshmi on Heroes of the Mountains : An o…
Srabani Rao on Screen time : a permanent deba…

RSS Sin A Mon Tales : for the foodie in u

  • Of being busy, Sabudana Vrat Namkeen & Weekly Menu
    I have been terribly busy for the past sometime. No time to breathe, too much work kind of busy. An exciting new consulting whose details I would share with all of … Continue reading →
  • Diwali Special Moong Dal Ladoos
    I chanced upon this video yesterday, about a grandfather missing his family. I was completely engrossed in the emotions of the video, when I realized the Diwali surprise. Watch this till the … Continue reading →
  • Molagapodi Recipe : A guest post by R’s Mom
    I have known R’s mom for a very long time now, been reading her blog for years when she was a mom of one R to now when she is … Continue reading →
  • Menu of the week 21st Sep and a bloggers block
    As it goes the last post I did was the previous Monday and was a menu of the week post. The whole of last week went off with me thinking … Continue reading →
  • Menu of the week 14th Sep and Recipe for Ragi Vermicelli
    It’s been a couple of months now, I have been sharing weekly menus now and the emails & response to this has been overwhelming. I am so glad you think … Continue reading →

Tweet Tweet

  • @_alps I am reading them very slowly because I don’t want them to get over 1 hour ago
  • 6- cheating by counting a work read 🤣🤣 But honestly enjoyed a “gyaan” giving book after forever https://t.co/FRTcQOr1Ra 11 hours ago
  • 5 - Move over Nordic Noir because Delhi Noir is here. Black River by @nilanjanaroy is gritty, disturbing at times b… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 11 hours ago
  • 4 - dark & humourous stories about a 88 yr old serial killer. Very good read indeed https://t.co/anHUP85zdf 11 hours ago
  • 3 - I had read Camill’s Ice Princess series long ago and enjoyed it. Then this popped up on my list while talking a… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 11 hours ago

Looking for something?

Now Reading

Raise your Voice

Plant a tree and Save Earth

together we can make a difference

RSS India Helps

  • Fwd: Urgent appeal for Rahat Floods..
  • Help needed for a baby

Around the world

Locations of visitors to this page

I wrote about

10 day you challenge 55 word fiction 55-er Abc Wednesday ABC Wednesday round4 Abc Wednesday Round 5 Abc Wednesday Round 6 award baking bangalore birthday blogadda blogging book book review books cake Canon SX200 IS car causes to champion contest Delhi dessert drive family feelings Feminism festivals fiction flowers food Friday Feast friends fun garden highway travels india indian just me life love LRP main course Marathon Bloggers memories movie music NaBloPoMo Ojas parenting personal photography pics picture pictures politics project 365 rant recipe review society tag ten on tuesday This and that thursday photo challenge travel travel tales veggies wedding weight Weight loss Weight loss update whole wheat wishes wordless wednesday

The hit thoughts

  • My Name is Madhavi
  • Elephant (aka Safari) ride 2100 kms
  • Day 10 : The madness of an Indian Wedding
  • happy happy wala birthday | post 17

My Moment of Glory

My Interview at WebneeTech

U have company

From 23rd May'09

  • 364,295 came, thanks guys

I see ya

Did u Cruise January with me

I did it

June’s Daily Dose

ABC Wednesdays

A Picture is worth a thousand words - currently running The musical journey Also did

moi current state

My Unkymood Punkymood (Unkymoods)

Plagiarism is a virtual sin

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Check Software Creative Commons License
Monika's World is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

My recent ramblings

  • Save your family from Dengue
  • Heroes of the Mountains : An ode to the brave mountain people
  • Screen time : a permanent debate for today’s parent
  • Teri Bindiya re …
  • Dear Badi Mummy : A letter to my Granny
  • Things I never want to forget about N #4
  • Things I never want to forget about N #3
  • Things I never want to forget about N #2
  • Things I never want to forget about N #1
  • Gratitude Journal Part 1

My past ramblings

Let Me be Myself

I scribbled on…

August 2015
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Jun   Nov »

A Place for Booklovers to hang out

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Monika's World
    • Join 316 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Monika's World
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: