Mountaineering twins Tashi and Nungshi Malik are on a mission to change perceptions about women and sport in India. At just 23 years of age, the twins have climbed the seven summits of the world including Mount Everest.
In April this year, they topped this and completed the ultimate adventure’s challenge known as the Explorers Grand Slam; reaching the North and South Pole in addition to the seven summits. They are the first twins, the first South Asians and the youngest mountaineers in the world to achieve this accolade.
They see climbing mountains as a metaphor, showing girls that they can conquer whatever obstacles are thrown in their way. They are proud to be breaking gender stereotypes as well as world records and want to establish mountaineering as a serious sport in India.
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“We want to use our passion for climbing to create social change and shift perceptions about girls and their value in society in India. We are fighting for gender equality and against female infanticide,” says Tashi.
Being awarded sports scholarships to study in New Zealand, conquering the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, was a dream come true for the twins.
“Sir Edmond Hilary has always been our inspiration. We have studied in the U.S. before but New Zealand is an ideal study destination as it is a sport loving and mountaineering country with a high quality education system,” says Nungshi.
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The twins have just finished the first semester of a graduate diploma in Sport and Exercise Science at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargill on New Zealand India Sports Scholarships.
Commenting on the benefits of studying sport in New Zealand, Ziena Jalil, regional director, south and southeast Asia at Education New Zealand says, “As a country with an envious track record in sport and a top quality education system, New Zealand is well placed to offer courses in sports related fields. Not only will these qualifications in the field of sport help the Indian students gain rewarding careers for themselves, they will also serve the sporting ambitions of both India and New Zealand.”
For many Indian students, the big draw-card for studying in New Zealand is the hands-on, practical approach the education system has to offer.
There is a big focus on applied learning and industry engagement. The outdoor work-life balance is also appealing. Three quarters of New Zealand adults take part in sport and recreation every week.
“We are learning from real-life situations rather than just text books. One of our recent assignments involved writing exercise plans and programmes for clients. We also had a lab where we tested what happened to an individual’s breathing rate and depth when pushed to their limits as a way to understand high performance training.
“We have experienced the effects of high performance as professional mountaineers. It is great to now understand the science behind it. With the knowledge and tools we have gained at SIT, we feel that we will be well-equipped to take up a profession in sports training when we graduate,” says Nungshi.
“There are also plenty of extra-curricular and outdoor activities to take part in New Zealand. Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, is only a couple of hours drive away,” says Nungshi.
In all, ten Indian students were awarded sports scholarships through the India New Zealand Sports Scholarship initiative.