Tete a tete with Vishruti Jakhar

Tete a tete with Vishruti Jakhar

Vishruti at a waterfall at the end of the Panpatia Col Trek

 

Introducing our friend Vishruti Jakhar here, who hails from Jaipur, and a woman on wanderlust!We are all inspired by her occupation, her travel choices and her wandering spirit. She is definitely a trailblazer, one among the confident Indian women going out and daring the world today. She is passionate about Travel, Photography and Life – all captured through her FB Page, ‘The Burnt Shoe’. On her maiden trek with us she signed up for one of our most demanding treks in the calendar – ‘The Panpatia Col’ and sailed through it without any qualms. She has a demanding job and indulges in Adventure Travel to beat the stress. Recently, she spent time volunteering in Kashmir with the relief operations after the flood.  This is a short tete-a-tete with Vishruti trying to find out more about her affair with Adventure Travel.   Name: Vishruti Jakhar Occupation: Assistant Driller Occupation Description: I drill for oil and gas in deep waters from a drill ship. I work for 28 days (14 – 15 hours a day 7 days a week) and get off for the next 28 days. My work is both physically and mentally demanding. Age: 27 Home-town: Jaipur List of treks/climbs done/ places travelled to: Kedarkantha Peak, Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, Minkiani Pass, Panpatia Col, Chandrataal and its wetlands, Gyeryongsang Peak Countries visited – Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Malaysia, Brunei, Mauritius, Singapore, Mozambique, India     1) What does travel (adventure travel) mean to you? For me travelling is a way of discovering oneself – you not only get to challenge yourself mentally and physically but in the process of doing that find out your hidden capabilities. It’s a quick escape from the stressful city life. Vishruti at her drilling site in the sea 2) When was the first time you went on an adventure trip and what got you hooked?  The first adventure trip for me was to Kedarkantha Peak, Uttarakhand. Its an otherwise easy trek but was made difficult due to the bad weather we encountered. The divinity of the surroundings far away from the city hustle bustle really allured me. On treks and climbs you generally have very basic facilities that I enjoy.   3) Do you travel alone or with groups? Which way do you prefer? I travel alone and prefer small groups for treks rather than large ones. In smaller groups you can give yourself more time and enjoy nature at its best without leaving much footprint behind.   4) What are the general fears that you think women have in signing up for an adventure trip? Talking about fears, in all honesty I feel much more safe in the mountains and in the wild than in cities. In the mountains nature doesn’t discriminate on the basis of gender, also mountain people are extremely well behaved and friendly.   5) When you choose an adventure travel operator what do you look for in them?  The operators must be reliable and hospitable to start off with. A proper certification, experience and skill are big factors I look for. White Magic ticks off all the points I look for.   6) Of all the places you have been to, which one is your favourite and why? Its difficult to point out a place, each place had something unique to offer. Kashmir offered the beauty of varied landscapes and alpine lakes whereas Panpatia Col had unreal snowfields above 5000m!   7) What has been your toughest moment on an adventure trip? My toughest moment was on my trip to Minkiani Pass. Heavy, chest-deep snow conditions made the climb to Minkiani Pass very long and treacherous. The otherwise 4 hours climb from Kareri Lake took us 9 hours instead. The descent after the Pass was very steep. After 11 hours of climbing and descending we decided to call it a day and dig the snow out on the slopes to be able to create a flat space to pitch a tent. It was then when I started showing early signs of Hypothermia. It was a long sleepless night. The next day, I was hardly left with any energy and as luck would have it, we had to walk till 9 in the night again.   8) You were recently on a challenging trek with us…What kind of adventure excites you/Or what element excites you in the whole adventure trip? The obliviousness, the not knowing of what is going to happen next, which view lays next and is about to get unfolded excites me. Treks are not only extremely beautiful and bring one close to nature but they also present a wonderful opportunity to test your mettle. Panpatia Col, which is a challenging trek, offered it all. It was beautiful and yet challenging. The remoteness and the mysticism associated with it made it all the more alluring and different from the rest.

Vishruti(extreme right) atop Panpatia Col(5250m) - May,2014

 

9) Has doing adventure travel brought any change in you? It certainly has, it has made me more confident, fearless and daring. During the recent floods in Kashmir, a friend offered me to come along for a rescue and relief operation. We were there for 2 weeks and did things I would have never thought of. The experience was overwhelming and morally rewarding, I don’t think it would have been possible had I not been a keen adventure traveller. It made me a better person. It also inspires me and helped me immensely in pursuing my hobbies of photography and writing. My work can be followed on FB Page “The Burnt Shoe”.   10) Any advice for single girls/ women wanting to take on adventure activities? I fairly remember, when I went for my first trek, I went by myself and joined a group of 27 trekkers. I did not know anybody. Out of 27, there were 9 girls in which 6 were solo travellers and like me did not know anybody else on the trek. Similarly, on Panpatia Col, we were two trekkers, me and Sugandha, whom I came to know on the trek itself. So girls are getting out there and are leaving the society infused hesitations and apprehensions behind. To all the females - Just keep up with your physical training, stay aware of your surroundings and get out there!    

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