PUNE: Assistant police inspector Sambhaji Gurav, a resident of Sangli district and currently posted with the Navi Mumbai police, became the third policeman from Maharashtra to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain (8,848.86m from sea level), at 6.30am on May 23. Deputy commissioner of police Suhail Sharma, posted with the anti-terrorism squad (ATS), and naik Shaikh Rafique Taher, are the only other state policemen to have achieved the feat. Sharma, who was the first IPS officer to climb the mountain from the China side in 2016, congratulated Gurav for the latter’s achievement. “I climbed Mount Everest to pay tribute to my mother, who succumbed to a brain stroke in March 2018,” said Gurav after reaching the successful summit. Speaking to TOI over the phone from Kathmandu, Gurav said, “I couldn’t identify the symptoms of my mother’s illness at an early stage. I could have saved her, if I had identified them. On the day she passed away, I made up my mind to climb Everest to pay tribute to her.” Pasang Sherpa, chairman of Pioneer Adventure, told TOI over a call from Kathmandu, “Gurav successfully climbed Mount Everest on April 23 morning. We will submit all photographs and videos to the Nepal government to get his certificate of achievement. It will take at least three weeks to get the final certificate.” It was a tough journey for Gurav, as his physical fitness was poor due to his unscheduled duty at the police station over the years. To properly prepare himself, he joined the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Navi Mumbai commissionerate. He said, “When I started preparing, I couldn’t run more than 2km in one go. I diligently worked on my physical fitness. Within a few months, I could run a half-a-marathon (21 km) and subsequently a full marathon (42km). I would also go cycling for long distances for hours. This helped me improve my cardio fitness. I also practised yoga at home.” Initially, the Covid-19 pandemic hampered his preparations because he couldn’t practise mountaineering across the Himalayan ranges to get acquainted with the weather conditions and other aspects of climbing, he said. Gurav started his expedition on May 9 with five other climbers and sherpas of Nepal-based Pioneer Adventures. They could comfortably reach the first two base camps. But the journey between Base Camp 3 and Base Camp 4 was a tedious one. “We completed all four base camps as per schedule. But on May 20, the weather conditions took a turn for the worse, accompanied by high speed winds blowing at 40-50km per hour. We had to postpone our journey for the next two days. Even after that the condition didn’t improve much. We then collectively decided to continue with our journey amid the gusty winds at 8,000ft,” he said. “We could barely walk 100 metres in an hour. But this decision went in our favour, as we could climb the next few points without facing much difficulty,” said Gurav. On reaching the summit, Gurav pulled out his mother’s photograph and paid tribute to her. He also held the Indian flag and the Maharashtra police poster. “My sherpa and I spent a good 20 minutes at the summit amid the strong winds. I sang the national anthem and started my descent,” he said. His problems weren’t over just yet, as Gurav never realised that his oxygen support had got exhausted. “When we were just short 600m away from Base Camp 4, my sherpa alerted me. That’s when I started facing breathing issues for a while, but somehow managed to reach the camp where I got access to oxygen,” Gurav recalled. Gurav thanked his course mates in the police force and senior police officers, who supported him financially for the expedition. “Without their support, I wouldn’t have managed to bear the cost of the expedition,” he said. Additional Director General and former Navi Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Kumar told TOI, “It is a great achievement not only for him but for Navi Mumbaikars and the Maharashtra Police. The outcome was the result of his grit, dedication, commitment and sacrifice, along with support of his family and well wishers. I personally feel proud of his achievement.” Back home at Padvalwadi village in Sangli district, his wife Sujata, their six-year-old daughter, his father and brother (Shivaji) rejoiced on Monday. They were tense and worried till May 23 afternoon as they could not contact him in any way. Talking about his expedition preparations, Sujata said, “He has been dedicatedly preparing for this expedition for the past three years. To prepare scientifically, he had undertaken a three-week long mountaineering course from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports at Manali in Himachal Pradesh two years ago.” “Gurav was awarded with the President gallantry award in 2014 for his successful participation in several anti-naxal operations in Gadcharoli district between 2011 to 2013,” said a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named. Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of police of anti terrorist squad (ATS), Suhail Sharma — the first IPS officer to climb the mountain from the China side in 2016 — congratulated Gurav for his achievement. Sharma told TOI over the phone from Mumbai, “It’s a monumental achievement. It requires a lot of effort, courage, determination and several months for preparation — physically and mentally. I am sure his achievement would inspire many more in the Maharashtra Police and other civil employees in the state.” Veteran mountaineer Umesh Zirpe from Griripremi Mountaineering Club, Pune, said, “Gurav’s achievement is a proud moment for all of us. He is the third policeman from the Maharashtra Police to scale Mount Everest.”