Darjeeling, April 3 : Braving sub-zero temperature to ski over 800km through the vast emptiness of the Antarctica — without a trained guide to warn of the blizzards and crevasses — with 80kg of ration slung on the back is no ordinary man’s, or for that matter a woman’s job.
But then, 38-year-old Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu from Darjeeling is no ordinary woman. She has been selected to represent India in the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition and will be the first woman from the country to ski across the Antarctica. She had beaten 27-year-old Aparna Ray from Calcutta to clinch a berth in the expedition to the pole to be led by Felicity Aston. The team will start for Antarctica later this year and hopefully arrive at the journey’s end on New Year’s Day 2010.
The spirit of adventure runs in Reena’s family. Her husband, Loveraj Dharmshaktu is an Everester. “It means a lot not just to me but for the women of this country,” Reena said over the phone from Delhi where she is currently based.
“When I was in school (Loreto Convent), I always used to marvel looking at the Kanchenjunga and was inspired watching young boys and girls of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute climb the Tenzing rock. That was when I got interested in outdoor activities and I did my basic mountaineering course after graduating from St Joseph’s College (North Point),” said Reena.
In March, at a gathering organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society in London, Reena had introduced herself: “I come from India and in India outdoor sport with women is not really encouraged…By going to the South Pole, I will be getting a big platform. I can use this opportunity and speak to women, go to colleges and schools and talk to them about my experience and tell them…they should follow their dreams.”
To mark the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth, the team of eight women from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK have been selected for the expedition. “I have never done cross country skiing. I went to Norway recently and tried my hand and I was selected to represent my country,” she said. The camp in Norway was not easy. That is where Aston chose Reena over Aparna.