As the buildings around him tumbled like a pack of cards en route to the Kathmandu airport, Pune-based mountaineer Umesh Zirpe sensed the disaster was unprecedented.
Despite having led three successful expeditions to Mount Everest, Mr. Zirpe acknowledged that he and his team of 12 were a bundle of nerves when the earthquake struck.
The group, helmed by Mr. Zirpe in an expedition organised by Pune-based mountaineering organisation Giripremi, consisted of teenagers, whose parents broke down at the Pune airport on their return on Tuesday.
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Mr. Zirpe said that after the quake, the Kathmandu airport became overcrowded owing to the frantic evacuation. Hence, he decided to take the road, despite the threat of landslips.
He and his band of youngsters will remember that 30-hour journey from Kathmandu to Gorakhpur for the rest of their lives. He, however, pointed out that the group’s travails were nothing compared to tragedy of the quake.For 13-year-old Sharayu Mirajkar, a student of the Vidya Valley School, the visit has left an indelible impression. “The sight of endless streams of children and elderly men and women sleeping on the streets was extremely painful,” recalls Sharayu.
Another youngster Rishabh Saparia says he will return to Nepal next year — a decision wholeheartedly endorsed by his father.
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Mr. Zirpe plans to return to Nepal on Thursday. “I plan to locate the missing people whose relatives are going through a harrowing time.”