Flushed with excitement. Eyes glowing in anticipation. A hint of nervous energy balanced by a sense of serene acceptance. When we met model Madhabilata Mitra at Paris Cafe (Ballygunge), she looked like a woman in love. Over the course of a 30-minute adda, we found out how she had reunited with an old flame and how hard she has had to work for that. “I am in love with him,” she smiled. The lucky man? Himalaya. 

We heard you are going to the South Pole!

Yes! We are going in December… Antarctica. It is an all-women expedition of six, and two of us are from India. Three are from the UK and one is from Ireland. Jan Meek (‘adventurer, ocean rower, triple Guinness World Record holder’) from the UK is our leader. She is 74! We are going to Scotland in September for training. We will be there for a week. I am preparing for that. Meek interviewed us over phone. 

Wow! We didn’t know you had a love affair with the mountains...

I did my rock climbing course in 1999 when I was in school. After that I went for the basic mountaineering course in 2000, but I fell ill and was sent back midway. I gave it another try and took two years to prepare myself. In 2002, I went for the basic mountaineering course at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI, Darjeeling), where I got an A grading. 
In 2003, I went for the advance mountaineering course. This time, too, I got an A grading. There is this Method of Instruction course. If I passed that, I would become an instructor at HMI. I did it in 2003 and qualified as an instructor. I was in college then. In 2004, I applied for the post of a guest instructor at HMI and was selected. First I was an instructor in a couple of their adventure courses. I have also been an advance and basic course instructor. Then I won Sananda Tilottama in 2006 and with that my mountaineering chapter came to a halt.  

For almost a decade… 

Till 2014-15. I didn’t pursue it at all. Strangely, I never missed it. I feel a pull now. My husband (Bhupesh Gupta) is very big on adventure. We met in 2000 when we were NCC cadets. He never liked me sitting idle in the house. He wanted me to pursue modelling and also my passion, which was mountaineering. He said if I wanted to be with him, I had to embrace the life of an adventurer! He is from Kurseong and since he has grown up in the hills, he loves mountains. He has just completed his basic course in mountaineering, but even before all this he had trekked and also done summits where I couldn’t do it. 

In 2015, we went to Sandakphu to celebrate his birthday. My confidence level was really low! (Laughs) Confidence boosts your fitness. I had huge endurance problems. He kept motivating me. Even if he cannot go on trips due to his job (Air India ground staff), he encourages me to go. He says he’s always wanted a self-dependent and courageous wife and I am hopefully that! 

And the second chapter started… 

We went on back-to-back treks. In 2015, I went for four-five trekking trips. In 2016, we went to Ladakh for a month-long biking expedition. I can ride a bike, but I am not a good rider. Bhupesh taught me after our marriage (2014). In 2017, we went on a mountaineering expedition in Ladakh. I started feeling unwell at 19,000ft, but Bhupesh reached the summit. 

I hadn’t done mountain rescue training. That is the toughest training and usually very few girls go for it. I did it at the Search & Rescue Course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in Uttarkashi. It spanned 21 days. I scaled an unnamed peak… it was around 20,000ft… the highest I have been to. I was back at HMI as a guest instructor this year.
Bhupesh has helped me prepare to such an extent in the past three years that now I can dare to think of going back to my earlier form after such a long gap. 

How did you go about getting ready for this new you?

The most important thing is endurance. It doesn’t matter if you are fat or thin. Running and swimming are the best exercises. I train at Skulpt. I had never gymmed seriously before. I started right before marriage. I also do yoga for concentration. You have to cover long distances… 20-25km… and with heavy bags… 20-25kg on your back. You’ll have to be really focused. I run twice a day and swim a lot when I am in Siliguri (where Bhupesh is posted). I often go for altitude runs in Darjeeling. You’ll need to strengthen your muscles and legs. I eat everything. Altitude is a different ball game altogether. Let me also tell you that there is nothing called smooth or difficult. It all depends on your physical condition. 

I usually don’t listen to music because there is a chance of getting distracted. There are lots of wild animals. You can also often miss out on good pictures. I don’t carry a camera because I’ll lose it, but Bhupesh does. We do have a GoPro. That, too, stays with Bhupesh. 

You also run a travel company now… 

It was Bhupesh’s idea and I formed it last year. Travelmate Escapades. I am not that rich that I can roam around in the mountains all my life. If I have a company, I can go to the mountains as a trekking guide. 

Coming back to your South Pole trip, you must be filled with excitement and anticipation… 

I cannot believe it! Aami kothai ekta shohore boshey modelling korchhilam aar majhe majhe Himalaya ghurey berachhilam and now, I am going to Antarctica. A place I have only read about in books and seen on TV. It’ll be summer in South Pole then, but the minimum temperature is minus 35 degrees Celsius. I have to prepare myself for that. We’ve been sent a fitness chart. I have to complete it.    
            
 

Do you feel your fittest now?

I feel I have to get fitter. When I look around in my circuit, I feel I am the most unfit. When I look at people older than me running about at 10,000-12,000ft, I feel I am nothing. I have to give my husband credit for keeping me on my toes all the time. 

Has modelling taken a back seat?

I am still modelling, but mountains are my priority now. When I am 75, I want to see myself in the mountains. We are way more real up in the mountains. 

So, you have met more real people in the last few years than you have in your modelling career?

Absolutely. When I saw the Himalayas after so many years, I felt it was my home. I want to spend my last life in the lap of the Himalayas. We are nothing in front of it. When I come back to the plains, this city life seems so fake. I have breathing trouble here, but not in the mountains. I often feel suffocated here, and I feel I can really breathe in the mountains. 

Memorable trips

Kang Yatze (Ladakh): I have walked 25km with load. It is a dry area where it doesn’t rain. The temperatures are extreme. The people are real and pure. They can give away their meal to you. 

I loved the Nepal trek. When we went for the Annapurna Circuit, we found there were only three Indians… that was the three of us! The rest were all foreigners and they were literally running. 

We spent a lot of time in the Markha Valley, Ladakh. We couldn’t even communicate properly… but their smiles had us!