Travel With a Couple

At first glance he would pass off as an uncle next door. Ever smiling, but certainly not the patronizing ones. His nimble body is deceptive of the exceptional feats it has accomplished. Scaling more than 120 peaks in Maharashtra. An unbreakable record of 40 virgin peaks. And 40 odd new routes to some of the known mountains.

Meet Pradeep Kelkar, affectionately called as Pradeep Sir by mountaineering lovers in Maharashtra, a winner of many national and state awards including Shiv Chhatrapati Award. If humility can be measured in heights, one has to add up all the mountains he has climbed so far and perhaps the ones he is yet to climb.

We were fortunate enough to be trained in rock climbing and rappelling by him during the Ratangiri mountaineering adventure organised by Nature Knights.

While at Ratnagiri, after an exciting day, we chatted up with Kelkar, getting to know about this unpretentious man and his adventurous life…

Kelkar’s long-term affair with mountains started way back in 1978 when he did his first trek to Dhak-Bhairi. Initially, rock climbing was just a hobby for him. It later became a passion. In 1979, at a time when harnesses and other equipment and techniques were unheard of, Kelkar scaled the Lingana pinnacle, a daunting formation of rock between Torna and Raigad forts, with the aid of only rope slings and pitons. After 28 years, during the night of December 31, 2007, he again successfully climbed Lingana to welcome 2008. This amazing performance also proved that he still retained his fitness and stamina!

Kelkar got his formal training in mountaineering from the Manali Mountaineering institute (now Atal Behari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports). He completed the institute’s mountaineering training programme with an ‘A’ grade and first position among all the competitive participants.

By 1994, he had completed 120 successful climbs, including 40 virgin peaks and 40 new routes. The highest peak he conquered is Aaja Parvat at 4,500 ft in 5 days.

The humble Kelkar does not take the full credit for his success. He never forgets to thank his team members for their support. His team, under the name Ratnadurg Mountaineering Association (RMA), conducts training programmes for adventure seekers. RMA’s summer training camp for kids at the Bhagvati Fort in Ratnagiri is a big hit, attracting more and more participants each year.

In addition, Kelkar and his 20-member core team use their skills and abilities for many public causes. RMA has been in the forefront of many rescue operations including the Bhuj earth quake. The snake experts in his team rescue snakes that find themselves in the middle of human habitat and let them back to their terrain.

Kelkar, also employed with Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST), is supported by his wife and son on his adventures.

There is a road – for namesake. It was ok initially, like any other forest path. As we moved deeper into the forest, forget that the path became narrow; it was nothing but ditches as deep as 2 ft and boulders. Not to mention that it was an uphill climb.

One moment we were climbing up at somewhat 70 degree, followed by a climb-down at a similar angle. At one place, we couldn’t find any track; instead we were climbing a rock face. Throughout this terrific drive, we were holding on to whatever we could to prevent our heads from hitting the top of the jeep. Nevertheless, we were all laughing hysterically and singing a song made for the occasion.

If there was something common between all the passengers, it was an unrelenting faith in the young driver who was doing nothing short of a dangerous circus, albeit practiced well.

(This is a slice from our drive to Manpara peak in Nelliyampathy, Kerala)

A 120-m long elevated walkway touching the treetops in the middle of forest! Take this path interspersed with 109 steps and you could try out some adventure activities – all handled by trained professionals.

This is part of Thenmala Ecotourism, a unique programme designed by Kerala Tourism department. A relatively less-known tourist destination, Thenmala is a nature lover’s dream destination. Nestled in the ranges of Western Ghats is the Thenmala Dam and around it is the Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary. If you always dreamt of doing something that would give you an adrenaline rush, but could never figure out what to do, Thenmala can be your place for initiation. You could try out Flying Fox, Burma Bridge, River Crossing, Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking and more. Lush forests of Thenmala also hide the old ‘Thiruvanathapuram-Shenkottai’ road, a large part of which is submerged in water now.

Forest department also organizes 1 to 3 days of trekking in the deep forests. We visited the place in April. Monsoon will be more interesting as you could manage a splash in the mud as well.