Death is his best friend. In freezing cold or searing heat, when breaking ice or scaling rocks, he is aware that he can lose his life the next moment. For Satyabrata Dam, it is a treacherous journey but close to his heart. His CV describes him aptly: Motivational Speaker, Life and Leadership Coach, Adventure Consultant, Impossible Dream Facilitator, Extreme Mountaineer, TED Fellow and Fellow of Royal Geographic Society.
“I live a risky life. Every trip, the probability is I may not come back. On many occasions I thought I would die. I have had major accidents but I accept this is my life,” says Satya, aware that climbing comes with inherent danger. “Only this year I lost four friends.”
For Satya, death is “interesting” and he discusses it with some enthusiasm. “Life means there is death. I have made it my best friend, always waiting for me around the corner.” That is the reason why he chose not to have a family. “I didn’t want to bind myself.” A doting mother is his biggest fan!
Just back from Europe where he delivered lectures on climbing and indulged in some climbing, he is now repacking to leave for Alaska where he will guide a Gurgaon couple in its bid to scale the Seven Summits. The 49-year-old Satya, who describes himself as a globetrotting thrill-seeker, has an enviable list of achievements. He has not only scaled the Seven Summits but also skied to the North and South Poles; he is only one of three persons to have also climbed the second highest peaks of five continents; scaled more than 350 peaks worldwide; walked the length of Africa from Tunisia to South Africa; traversed the ancient silk route from Mongolia to Istanbul and skied across the Greenland ice cap.
He has been an obsessed climber for 40 years now. What began as a mini adventure, when an uncle took him along for a climbing outing, grew into a fierce “commitment” towards mountains that has taken him to some of the most exotic spots, often the most desolate, in 146 countries.
Satya notes that ice is more daunting than rocks. “Rock will not change, but ice changes every hour. Ice breaks, rocks don’t. I like doing new things, like climbing frozen waterfalls. Dangerous but thrilling.”
On ice, the Chakraraju in Peru has been the most challenging. “It is one of the five most difficult climbs. I lost my partner during that effort. I returned 100 metres short of the summit. But the process was more important than the destination. On (rock) I have to reach my own summit.”
Climbing, in India, is just getting popular. “Sadly there is no sponsorship because it is not a spectator sport. It has a huge following in Korea, Japan and many European nations,” says Satya who is striving to create awareness on plastic pollution and garbage dumping in mountains. “Climbers leave a lot of garbage behind. We are actually fighting a losing battle to keep the mountains clean.”
There is nothing like failure because each expedition teaches. Satya, a submariner in the Indian Navy for 22 years, feels ‘impossible’ is only a state of mind. “I will see you on top!” As he concludes, “You don’t conquer a mountain. You only succeed in reaching the top.”
