Debt-Ridden Everest Summiter Piyali Turns to Rock Climbing School to Conquer Loan Avalanche

Mountain climber Piyali Basak, a debt-ridden athlete from Hooghly's Chandernagore who has scaled six of the world's ten highest peaks, set up shop at a bookfair in her hometown to instruct people in rock climbing and sell equipment for mountaineering.

Piyali, 32, chose this course in an attempt to pay off a massive debt. The climber's expenses to fulfill her ascent goals total Rs 80 lakh.

Opening the stall involves more work than just selling mountaineering supplies. A large number of tourists, rock climbers, and hikers visit the hills and mountains. Before heading uphill, I want to establish a platform where people can receive inexpensive rock climbing instruction. "I started my campaign for my new effort with this stall at the book fair," Piyali, a primary school teacher, added. "

In 2018, Piyali began her ascent of peaks higher than 8,000 meters when she ascended Mount Manaslu (8,163 meters), the eighth-highest peak in the world.

She achieved the seventh-highest peak in the world, Dhaulagiri (8,167m), once more in 2021. She successfully ascended Mount Everest (8,848 meters) in 2022 without the need for additional oxygen. She ascended Mount Lhotse, the fourth-highest peak, after two days of conquering Everest (8,516).

She attempted to climb Mount Cho-Oyu (8,188 meters), the sixth-highest peak in the world, which is located on the China-Tibetan Province No. 1 border. She was forced to return due to inclement weather before reaching the final 100 meters of the peak.

She ascended the 10th-highest peak in the world, Mount Annapurna (8,091m), and the fifth-highest peak, Mount Makalu (8,481m), in 2023.

Sadly, Piyali has not yet received her certificate of recognition for climbing the two peaks from last year because she neglected to pay the organization that arranged her expedition for a sum of Rs 30 lakh.

"I went to rescue another foreign mountaineer, and on my way back to base camp after conquering Makalu, I suffered severe injuries. I had to travel to Nepal for pricey medical care. To obtain my certificates, I must give the Nepal-based organization Rs 30 lakh. I'm not sure when I'll be able to collect the money," she uttered.

In addition to repaying the Rs 30 lakh she had borrowed from different banks, Piyali also had to pay back the Rs 50 lakh she owed to summit Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, and Mount Dhaulagiri.

Piyali claimed that despite her requests for financial assistance to chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other organizations, no answers have been received.

"Every month, bank interest rates rise... I have no idea what to do. The teacher stated, "I'm going to Delhi now to beg our Prime Minister Narendra Modi for support," adding that she would be traveling there on Tuesday.

She explained that her way of making some money was through her stall at the book fair. The 10-day book fair in Chandernagore came to an end on Monday.

Although Piyali was disappointed that not enough trekking gear was sold during the event, she was pleased to meet at least 200 people—including parents of small children—who expressed interest in her proposed platform for training aspiring climbers.

"I have no idea how many people will sign up for my platform in the end. However, I enjoyed our conversations. "I intend to set up a comparable booth at the Calcutta Book Fair as well," she declared.

She continued by saying that her goals were to provide young climbers with inexpensive trekking equipment and training at a lower cost than other establishments.

"As a mountaineer from a very lowly beginning, I am aware that reaching aspirations of reaching summits calls for enormous financial resources. "I want to use my platform to provide affordable access to mountaineering experiences for the next generation," she stated.

The Indian Medical Association's (IMA) vice-president for Bengal, Chandan Kumar Ghoshal, a 74-year-old surgeon, described Piyali as a valuable asset for both Bengal and India. "We want the state and the central governments to positively help this courageous young mountaineer," Ghoshal stated.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.