Police Constable Anand Shinde says he is 44, but with his fit body and energetic demeanour he can easily pass for a 35-year-old. As he sits among his friends in uniform, rattling off statistics about glaciers and mountains, one begins to understand the secret behind Mr. Shinde’s fitness.
A 24-year veteran of the Mumbai Police, Mr. Shinde is now posted with the Special Branch. Over the past 18 years, he has completed around 100 mountaineering expeditions, a passion kept alight in spite of hectic working hours and familial obligations.
Mr. Shinde was always interested in mountaineering and he enrolled for a basic training course in 1997 at an institute in Manali. The next year, he went on his first mountaineering expedition to Mount Gangotri 1 (6672 metres) and has not looked back since then. Till date, he has completed 13 expeditions in the Himalayas and more than 80 in the Sahyadris.
Self-funded trips
What makes Mr. Shinde’s expeditions remarkable is that they are self-funded. “I am aware that my passion is not inexpensive. So, I set aside some money every month to undertake at least one expedition each year. My wife and two children have always stood by me.”
Mr. Shinde’s strict diet and fitness regimen are inspirational for his colleagues. “Food that makes one perspire is avoided as the sweat produced by three layers of protective clothing could freeze and lead to frostbite. I maintain my physique and energy level by trekking regularly; even my children accompany me now. They have more fun out in the wild than in malls.”
In 2013, Mr. Shinde was among 55 mountaineers selected by the Ministry of Youth Affairs for an expedition to the Bhadal glacier in Himachal Pradesh. The expedition was a memorable for Mr. Shinde for two reasons: his wife had to pawn her jewellery to raise money for the equipment, and it took the legend of Anand Shinde to new heights.
“As luck would have it, I forgot to pack my snow goggles, which prevent snow blindness. The team leader asked me to go back. But I took a large handkerchief and tied it around my forehead. It was thin enough to let me see clearly and also prevented snow blindness. My team leader thought I had lost my mind, but I completed the expedition.”
Treading fearlessly
The next year, Mr. Shinde scaled the Mount Nun in Jammu and Kashmir along with a team of boys and girls half his age. In 2016, he could not go on an expedition owing to personal problems, but this year he has set his sights on Mount Kamet in Uttarakhand (7,756 metres).
Apart from frostbite, snow blindness and fatigue, mountaineers have to face wild animals ranging from poisonous snakes to man-eating tigers. But Mr. Shinde says he never has been afraid of animals as they don’t attack human beings if left alone. “Only man is vile.”
