He couldn't see the snow-capped mountain, but went on to conquer it

He couldn't see the snow-capped mountain, but went on to conquer it
MILIND GHATWAI

SURAT, JULY 2: Who wouldn't be fascinated by the sight of snow-capped mountains silhouetted against the vast expanse of skies? The thought of scaling them might appear daunting to most.

Yahya Sapatwala can at best only form a mental picture of these snowy peaks, but he has already scaled one of them trekking up to 12,000 feet. He performed the feat early this month when he trekked to the Beas Kund point in Manali.

At first, it's difficult to believe that the 30-year-old junior lecturer attached to the District Institute for Education and Training is not endowed with the faculty of sight. ``They are light bulbs that can't glow without electricity,'' he jokes about his dead optic nerves.

It is this remarkable resilience that has helped Yahya to turn the handicap into his strength.

``The last 2,000 feet was the toughest test, for I had to cover 12-13 km fast. I was lagging behind the group and was wondering whether I will be able to make the return journey to the upper camp,'' he says, recalling the tense moments he passed before he found himself on top.

He was part of a trekking expedition organised by Vadodara-based Nature, Adventure and Sports Institute. He got help only when he looked like going in the wrong direction or running into something. On familiar terrain like the place where he stays or the institute where he works he goes about like any other sighted person.

``Up there, after 10,000 feet I felt oxygen was getting less and less. But at no point of time did I think that I wouldn't make it to the top. The only worry was whether we will return in time,'' he says. Three persons in the group could not make it to the target height. It took the group five days to make the grade.

Yahya did lag behind others but the group was never forced to reschedule the camp. Priyank Oza, the camp organiser, says ``We thought it would be tough for him. But his spirit is indomitable.''

Yahya had attended a couple of trekking camps in the past but he never reached such heights. In Manali, he also took part in rappelling, para-gliding and river crossing successfully. What drew him to trekking was the opportunity it gives to develop friends, socialise as also to increase mental strength.

``I can't see snowfall but was able to feel it when I took my hands out of the bus,'' he says of his memorable moments. ``There is something in the Himayalays that it passes for a tapobhoomi. I could feel it.''

A Visharad in music, he is currently doing his PhD, researching Gujarati proverbs, after obtaining a junior research fellowship from the University Grants Commission. He is interested in literature and writes poetry.

Confidence is second nature to him. His colleague Jagdish Patel says, ``He is perfect in whatever he does. Though we are sighted, he performs better than us most activities. We were confident that he will make it to the top. He did.''

He walks so fast on the familiar ground that his colleagues and family members get worried. ``I generally walk to the institute. The daily walks keep me mobile,'' he says.

``I want to donate my eyes. The eyeballs will help someone to see, though they were of no use to me,'' he says with equanimity.