Hyderabad school unfurls its flag on Mount Everest Base Camp

Hyderabad: "It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves," said Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to have reached the summit of the tallest mountain in the world. That was precisely what drove the students from Indus International School to set foot on Everest base camp.

An expedition team consisting of eight students (3 girls and 5 boys) of grade 11 and 1 leadership trainer trekked for 110 kms in seven days to complete the expedition, which had begun with disruptive weather conditions causing delay of four days from the planned schedule. The team, however, made up by walking non-stop further in their journey.

The students displayed a high level of endurance and purpose, meandered through various villages, streams, ranges, people, vegetation, snow, rocks, and clouds of pristine and gigantic Himalayas to reach its tallest peak. Finally, after moving through Himalayan villages of Tengboche, Deboche, Dingboche, Pheriche, Lobuche and Gorakshep, the student-team unfurled the Indus School flag at 5,365 meters, on the Everest Base Camp (EBC). "I don't think I was afraid even for a moment. I knew I would or let's say we would reach our destination. We had prepared hard for it, after all" said Zuzanna Wlazlo, a class XI student who was part of the expedition team.

As part of the preparation for the expedition, the school had set up a fitness regime to make the team mentally and physically ready. "It was a spiritual experience wherein the students not only experienced the vastness of the Himalayas, but also felt the vast potential within. We in Indus believe empowering our students with the qualities of mental toughness, resilience, and goal mindedness. The expedition to Everest Base Camp was one such endeavor," said Mitesh Singh, Expedition Leader, at Indus School of Leadership.

"The expedition to Mt Everest Base camp under the leadership of Mitesh Singh has proven that endurance and mental toughness displayed brought success to the team. At Indus, students are put through PEAK experiences to move out of their comfort zone," said Col Sathya Rao, Director at Indus School of Leadership.