Onwards and upwards: How one man defeated Covid to scale Mt Everest

Neeraj Choudhary scaled his first peak in 2015. Over the next five years, he trained hard and ate right to become Everest-ready.

In the last week of March 2021, Neeraj Choudhary, 37, left his hometown Jaipur with a dream—to hoist the Indian flag atop the 8,848.86m high Mount Everest.

He had worked hard for years to see this day—he had run and cycled several kilometers, practiced various kinds of breathing, done strengthening and flexibility exercises, and followed a strict dietary regimen.

Thankfully, my lungs were not affected and I could get back on the journey just a few days after battling with the  Covid virus.

- Neeraj Choudhary, mountaineer.

His worst fear came true when his Covid test came back positive just before he was to embark on the first leg of his rocky adventure from Delhi.

“I was shattered and had to return to Jaipur. But despite Covid, I continued to be positive and made all efforts to recover," said Choudhary.

A vegetarian and a teetotaler, Choudhary started drinking ‘gur’ or jaggery water as his ‘health drink’. He also consumed 40 almonds and 40 raisins soaked overnight in water and drank two liters of milk a day. And he practiced breathing exercises while walking.

"The expedition was initially planned for 2020 but had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. I did not want to lose this chance. Thankfully, my lungs were not affected and I could get back on the journey just a few days after battling with the Covid virus,” he said.

Choudhary, who works as an officer in the water resource department of the government of Rajasthan, reached the peak on June 3, 2021.

Life-learnings

Choudhary’s tryst with mountaineering began when he met Capt. Jabar Singh Bhati, SM of 10 Para (Special Forces), while pursuing engineering in MBM (Mugneeram Bangur Memorial Engineering College), Jodhpur, in 2005.

“My regular practice under direct guidance of Jabar Sahab and frequent interactions with the Para-commandos honed my physical and mental fitness. I looked at mountaineering as a life-learning exercise,” said Choudhary.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi—M. Tech. in Environment Engineering and Management—Choudhary is 6ft tall and weighs 75 kg. He forayed into mountaineering in 2015 by climbing a peak in Leh at an altitude of 6153 meters, followed by a few more before setting his sights on Mt Everest.

Highest highs

The IMF Everest Massif Expedition 2021 team of 14 was divided into four groups for scaling four different peaks—Mt Nuptse (7861 m), Mt Pumori (7161 m), Mt Lhotse (8516 m) and Mt Everest (8848.86 m).  Choudhary was a part of the four membered group for Everest.

And were there any adrenaline-packed moments?

“Of course! There were a few days when the winds gushed at a very high speed. This was when the cyclones had struck. It was scary and we had to reschedule our time table. But the fundamental philosophy of my life has always been to look for solutions rather than clinging on to problems. This helped me sail through the tough terrain,” said Choudhary.

What has mountaineering taught him?

“Death is a certainty. Why should you fear something that is certain. But more than anything else, it has taught me the value of life and be a human being,” he said.

Neeraj Choudhary on the peak of Mt Everest. Climbing the world's highest peak is obviously difficult - and dangerous - in any year. The pandemic year only compounded the difficulty for climbers like Choudhary who contracted mild Covid in March.