Satyabrata Dam, photo courtesy: TEDxZurich
Mountaineering, to most of us, sounds adventurous and exploratory; however, it is extremely aggressive, dangerous and exhausting, especially when you think of inconsiderate and merciless weather conditions, inconsistent blinding blizzards, towering maze of pressure ridge, possibility of trapping in eternal hazards, rapid transformation of its shape and color. Almost every moment you are supposed to stretch your physical and psychological limit to balance the life on and off the edge. Such experiences are unparalleled on earth where deaths lie very heavily in every depths of the cliff ahead and where mistakes are unforgiving.
Think of Satyabrata Dam, who calls himself a globetrotting adventure seeker and a die-hard adrenalin junkie, has been pursuing his passion for expedition since the age of 10. He served as a Submarine Commander in the Indian Navy and after 22 years of his dedicated service, he took voluntary retirement in 2010 to chase is passion for extreme sports, traveling in place that are not in the map and extremely difficult to reach and share those wonderful knowledge of word treasure with people all over the world – sometimes through writing and photography and sometimes through words they can feel the thrill inside.
For 35 years he has accomplished all the impossibilities with smile on face and love in heart.
Some of his achievements are:
1. Successfully climbed all the seven highest summits of all the 7 continents that includes Mt Everest
2. One of three in the world to conquer the second highest peaks of 5 continents
3. Skied across the Greenland ice cap and the most dangerous and life threatening poles – North as well South facing problems like the rarefied atmosphere and lack of pressure.
4. Visited 146 countries and climbed over grueling 350 peaks worldwide
5. Walked the length of Africa from Tunisia to South Africa and crossed the ancient Silk Route from Mongolia to Istanbul
Lessons to learn:
Nothing is impossible when we are ignited by our passion and addiction, which can be treacherously exhausting, extremely arduous and gruelingly challenging but their strange fatal charm can’t be escaped (if you are truly passionate).
Satyabrata Dam Quotes
“Pure happiness is usually achieved only after suffering through some great hardships..”
“I have seen money is not equal to happiness which I am sure most of you are unable to escape the trap”
“What gives you happiness? – Accepting who you are, accepting what you’ve got and being happy with that…”
“I was walking under the massive vertical face of ice. while I was going to cross it.. I saw few thousand tons of ice rushing towards me and what came into my mind was – acceptance. It was my destiny…I felt very happy about it..there was no fear..I wasn’t panicking despite my face was completely broken. So acceptance is what matters.”
“I think Google map is killing us, where is the thrill of finding places by yourself? I don’t want second hand knowledge for anyone..let me fall in the hole and experience it under my feet..I think in this generation we are losing the sense of adventure because we are pre-informed”
“Forget about where you want to go..just follow your next step..that’s important because you can’t take away your step..every step is important. If you look at the mountain and think you should climb up there..you would be so demoralized and discouraged; therefore think about the next step..”
