Skip to main content

Meru


Human endurance.  An X factor.  No one can accurately describe what it is.  It is somewhere between genetic code and willpower.  Some have it in spades.  And then some.  There were three that did.  They are all mountaineers.

Meru is a documentary directed by one of the climbers of this dizzying peak in the Indian portion of the Himalayas.  It is a fascinating picture showcasing the human ability to surmount odds and pursue a passion where it becomes a matter of life and death.  We watched this film today and were blown away by not just the expedition but the art of film making in what can only be described as arduous circumstances.

Meru is approx 22,000 feet altitude which makes it about 75% of the height of Mt. Everest, the tallest peak in the world.  But the challenge to summit it for a human is not the mere height, which is still staggering - just around where jet planes fly - but the sharp final ascent on a granite wall that can crack and collapse if you are not careful.  That ascent alone is the last 1,000 feet and can take days for the best climbers in the world.

It was summited in 2011 by a team of three called Jimmy Chin (also directed and produced the documentary), Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk.  All amazing people in their own rights who apparently only live to scale new peaks.   Renan made a near miraculous recovery from an earlier ski accident where his skull and vertebrae had fractured just couple years prior and went on to summit the Meru peak with these other two in part as an homage to their first attempt that failed just 100 meters from the peak.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On the go(zay masta) in Japan again

Cool cat the Japanese are Tokyo at dusk  My second visit to this land of the rising sun after almost a decade. Back then clearly I was wet behind the ears product manager and likely didn’t pay attention to all (efficient) things Japanese. But today I did and of course continue to be impressed. It is as much the obvious stuff like on time travel that is both clean and comfortable and all that which makes it possible. The impressive landmark and landscapes that these humans have put together despite their cramped (or because of it) surroundings and precarious geological conditions could amaze a novice architect among us. But it’s also the little things that someone had to think about which have a phenomenal impact on day to day lives that make the Japanese stand apart. Below are few random examples- 1. Providing a very fine machined wooden toothpick in every packet of wooden chopsticks. The said chapsticks are simply set on the To Go counter of any food vendor/ convenience store wher...
Post a Comment
Read more

Presumptive Society

Today's world is hyper connected.  I am not so sure what it means but you hear it a lot.  It is probably hyper but not sure how connected it is.  Sugar (fermented or not) is available in many ways than before and so getting hyper is easy.  It is probably more a threat than cocaine since it is sold legally. And what is this connected stuff?  Most people I encounter seem disconnected from reality.  So going back to this assumption that we are connected there are subtle and no so subtle instances of how brands and companies and middle men try to portray someone - A linkedin profile for somebody working for X years at a place advertises to the connected network that so and so is CELEBRATING X years @ Such and Such Inc. Do we know if (s)he is celebrating or cringing?  Perhaps a better way to portray will be - So and So LASTED X years @ such & such inc. Then it exhorts the readership to go ahead and congratulate them for this lasting effe...
2 comments
Read more

The Central State aka MP

Narmada river and site of Omkareshwar Indore Rajwada or palace of the Lady Holkar   Somewhat geographically centered in India is the hot landscape of MADHYA PRADESH. A region I had a faint memory of visiting as a young lad eons ago. Now in my (along with my best half) quest to get to know lands far and wide I got an opportunity to visit Indore city and surrounding areas in MP. It begins with an evening visit to a bustling old market selling native snacks both savory and sweet. It is the realm of jewelers who run night time street side restaurants once they close their primary operations at dusk. Think of it as desi style block party that I am told goes into wee hours of the morning. My impression was it is worth one visit.  The humid and hot ambience along with crush of humanity doesn’t make for a pleasant dining experience but the sheer variety of foods sort of makes up for it. From piping hot coconut filled fritters to oodles of milk based sweet confections, I gorged on item...
Post a Comment
Read more