Sister won’t cry for Mastan

Nellore: It may take more time than expected to recover the body of mountaineer Malli Mastan from the Andes in Chile and bring it back to India.

Malli Mastan Babu’s sister, Dr Dorasanamma, who has been coordinating with rescue teams and the Indian Embassy in Chile, said that it was a very difficult terrain and only helicopters could approach the spot.

“At least six to seven people would be needed to transfer the body into the helicopter”, she said.

Speaking to this newspaper at their ancestral home at Gandhi Jana Sangam village of Sangam mandal in SPSR Nellore district on Sunday.

Dr Dorasanamma, who is a practicing neurologist in Tirupati, said that her brother would spend more time with her whenever he returned to India after his adventures.

She said that Mastan was capable of covering distances, which usually took three days for others, in one day.

“When the teams were looking below 4000 meters, I suggested that they go beyond 5000 meters since I knew his speed, and this helped them to spot him,” Dr Dorasanamma said.

She added that they had never approached the government for any help when her brother was alive despite his outstanding achievements. She attributed this to an unpleasant experience he had when he met a ruling party leader a few years back.

“I would tell my brother, ‘there is no need for recognition for natural talent. We know we are the best whether some one recognises it or not. God knows and people will also realise’,” she said.

“I carefully kept all the gifts he had brought and the letters he wrote in the last 10 years and he would laugh at me for keeping them like artifacts in a museum. I would tell him that he himself was a museum to me,” she said.

She also lauded the Indian Ambassador in Chile, Mr Debraj Pradhan. “He said that he was going to save not an individual but a representative of India’s honour after he read about Malli in websites.”

Dr Dorasanamma added that the family did not want to cry for Mastan as they had the same courage he had.