Mountain worshipper: Malli Mastan Babu’s final climb too was successful

Hyderabad: Satyam Bheemarasetti, one among those who helped co-ordinate the rescue of Malli Mastan Babu, said that despite the tragedy that struck Mastan, he was returning after a successful climb.

Mr Bheemarasetti, CEO of Neosilica and a trekker himself, has been with Mastan since his seven summits challenge.

“He was a true global citizen. He spoke many languages fluently, including Spanish. He was known more outside India. I wonder how we, as a country, overlook such people when it comes to recognition.”

The magnitude of support Mastan received from his mountaineering peers from across the globe is a telling tale of the kind of human being he was.

Read: Malli Masthan Babu is lone climber who is an inspiration to many

The search operations, which began on foot, were led by Hernan Argusto Parajon, an Argentinean. The team slowly swelled with support from other European mountaineers and experts in Andes terrains over the week.

Mastan was on his way back

It was a combination of bad timing and bad weather that took Mastan down. “Mastan was returning from the summit and pitched his orange tent at 5,900 metres. We can ascertain this is on the basis of the route. The route for ascent and descent are different and so are the tools used. Generally, all climbers check the weather before they set out on these journeys.

Read: Friends recall Mastan’s passion

But on the March 24 there was a flashflood in the region and Mastan was right there. There was severe dip in temperature and heavy snowfall. And as any mountaineer would, Mastan decided to camp there till the conditions were better.

But it looks like he had no window of opportunity to start off again due to consistent snowfall and the dip in temperature,” explains Satyam.

The remains

The body is yet to be recovered from the tent and brought to India owing to 3-foot to 9-foot of snow at the altitude and the requirement of special kinds of choppers.

Read: Ace Indian climber Malli Mastan Babu lost in the Andes

A special team would also be required. “We are co-ordinating with Indian and Chile governments. But it might take a day or two to get all the resources together. We should be able to get the body down around Monday or Tuesday,” said Satyam.

Tributes pour in

Since the time Mastan went missing, a team of people from across the globe, including a large community of Indian Diaspora have rallied together for support on social media. On Saturday, the page ‘Rescue Malli Mastan Babu’ that had been keeping the community updated on every development ended the status with “Mountains retained its favourite child. R.I.P Malli Mastan Babu.” Soon, a new page was born to pay tribute and out came stories, of inspiration, perspiration and some touching and even profound tales that he had only shared with his friends.

About his first nightmare alone, he had told a friend: “I felt a bit nervous and scared but then I had the realisation that I am a part of big Nature, and that I should not worry.”

Not a conqueror, but a worshipper of mountains, Mastan’s Facebook page is also a window into the kind of traveller he was. The man who made friends easily, a man who believed in taking his culture and roots to the world, a man who believed in the sanctity of nature and most importantly a dreamer who wished all human beings devoted time to nature.

A friend of Malli Mastan Babu from Dubai, S.B.V. Raju respected Mastan for the connection and reverence he had towards the mountains. “Many people call him the ‘Conqueror of Mountains”, but he was more like a ‘Worshipper of the mountains’,” says Mr Raju, who climbed Kilimanjaro with him in 2013.

“Every mountain that Malli Mastan Babu climbed, he brought back all the garbage that people left behind. There would be no trace of humans being there and he believed in the sanctity of keeping it that way. He was so careful to even not damage the flora. In higher altitudes there are usually these small bushes which were also carefully treated by Mastan,” adds Mr Raju, who also journeyed to Elburus in 2014.