Top of the world

Top of the world

After climbing Everest, Indian twins Tashi and Nungshi are on a mission to conquer the highest peaks in the seven continents Nungshi and Tashi Malik, twin sisters from Haryana, are an exceptional duo.

At the age of 22, they became the world's first twin sisters to climb Mount Everest. They scaled the world's highest peak on May 19 last year.

And now they are on another unique mission called Mission 2For7 - to climb the highest peaks in all seven continents for the cause of young Indian girls.

The talented pair has already climbed six of these peaks: Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa (February 2012), Mount Everest in Asia, Mount Elbrus in Europe (August 2013), Mount Aconcagua in South America (January 2014), Mount Carstenz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea (March 2014) and Mount McKinley in North America (June 2014).

They are going to complete the last one, Mount Vinson in Antarctica, this December.

Their passion for mountaineering began when they were enrolled at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi by their father, Colonel Virender Singh Malik, who wanted them to gain exposure to the sport, for physical benefits and discipline.

They turned out to be remarkably good at it, scoring the highest marks and showing great endurance and strength.

It was in 2010 that they decided to climb Mount Everest, after being motivated by their instructor's words - who had great faith in the twins' abilities.

The twins told tabla!: "Soon after our course we already had the images of climbing Everest in our mind. Because every climber has the desire to climb to the top of the world. A lot of the motivation came from our instructors who guided us and had faith in us to go through this expedition."

"But it was very hard to convince our mother. She felt it wouldn't be right for her daughters, basically how a typical mother would think in India. But we got our way, she finally agreed and we made our way to the summit in 2013, after three years of delay."

During their Everest climb, they were joined by Pakistan's Samina Baig who became the first woman from the country to climb the peak.

And together the three of them put the Indian and Pakistani flags side-by-side to spread the message of peace.

It was from Samina that the twins got the idea of climbing the highest peaks in all seven continents.

The Pakistani girl is doing the seven-summit challenge with her brother Mirza.

However, the twins saw this endeavour as something far more symbolic than just establishing themselves in the mountaineering world - they saw it as a chance to inspire and encourage girls, especially in India, with the message that they are capable of anything.

The twins said: "Apart from the message that we carry with us on all of our climbs, we have a lot of media ask us questions on the international scene, and that is how we can make an impact. We come from one of the most regressive parts of India, Haryana, where issues such as female foeticide still exists."

"We have one of the lowest sex ratios in the country and we want to change that. It's all about breaking the stereotypes and showing the country that girls can achieve absolutely anything in life."

Ever since their Everest feat, the girls have been invited to schools and universities, and have also given several talks to promote the idea of Mission 2For7. They do a lot of awareness programmes for young girls.

They recounted a recent example where their efforts have had an impact. "We were invited to go to a village in Haryana and it was really interesting and heartwarming to see that the turnout included about 3,000 men."

"They all applauded our efforts and achievements and were all listening to and accepting women like us to come and speak to the crowd, which was a big step in itself," the twins said.

Apart from the issues related to girls in India, they also want to promote mountaineering as a sport in India.

They want to promote the idea of a healthy lifestyle, with emphasis on the need for physical well-being and making India an "outdoor nation".

The twins, who currently reside in Dehradun, grew up all over India because of their father's army background.

They excelled in sports in school, playing hockey, table tennis, basketball and badminton which they believed helped them immensely in the mountaineering training.

They credit their father for instilling in them a love for the mountains.

Mission 2For7

The average climber takes around five to seven years to climb all seven peaks. But the twins have completed climbing six peaks within the span of one year, exhibiting exceptional skills.

They said: "We count ourselves really lucky to have conquered each peak on our first attempt."

However, all has not been easy, considering mountaineering is extremely treacherous and unpredictable.

The twins shared incidents where they encountered the dead bodies of fellow climbers and sherpas and even had to cross over them while climbing, all of which took a toll on their emotional condition.

"We know about 25 climbers who lost their lives within the past year, and they were all climbers that we knew personally. It's hard thinking about it and knowing that they all have families and children too, and also to think that they were trying to accomplish the same feat as us."

The twins consider themselves incredibly lucky in terms of their physical well-being as they said that several of their mountaineering friends suffered from frostbite and have had to amputate fingers, toes and even ears.

Tashi and Nungshi had no serious injuries or health concerns except for dead tissues and deep cuts in their hands and thighs.

They said that the biggest physical setbacks were dealing with the lack of oxygen, temperatures going below -40 deg C and winds which come at you at 50mph.

"This really takes a toll on your tissues and muscles," the twins said.

"You feel like your entire body is breaking into fragments. And on top of that you also tend to lose a lot of weight. During the Everest climb, we lost 12kg and during every other expedition we lose around 5kg."

Near-death experience

Nungshi spoke about a near-death experience on her way down from Everest.

"It was the first time I had ever experienced the hypoxia state, where the oxygen doesn't reach the brain. My regulator stopped working, and as I was waiting for a Chinese climber to pass me during that transition phase where you have to wait for the climber, I rested my head against the side wall and I don't remember anything for minutes after that. I was unconscious."

"A few minutes later, another climber recognised me, shook my hand and said 'Nungshi, wake up'. When I woke up I had no idea where I was, what I was doing up at 26,000 feet and at that point it was all about my mental strength taking me forward. The first few steps were hard and fuzzy but then I gained momentum and finally found my sister. If it hadn't been for that climber who recognised me, I wouldn't be here today," she said.

After Mission 2For7, the twins plan to pursue sports science, as it covers many fields such as physiotherapy and nutrition. The sisters also hold a bachelor's degree in journalism.

During their otherwise busy schedule, Nungshi and Tashi dedicate seven to eight hours a day to exercise and training.

They go for a 10km jog every day, spend two hours doing strength exercises in the gym, an hour of yoga, and climb stairs with 30kg of weight on their backs.

Such dedication, coupled with talent, has been the reason for their success. Summiting Mount Everest is no mean feat, but these two have shown if there is a will, you can find the way.

tabla@sph.com.sg


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