Students of Indus International School, Bengaluru from Classes 8 to 10, along with a parent, two trainers, and expedition leader summited Mt Kinabalu in Malaysia recently. Leadership Trainer, Capt Mohit Tomar said, “Mountaineering is a ‘journey within’. By engaging in such audacious and courageous endeavors, students will develop a high level of mental toughness, emotional stability, physical endurance and spiritual resilience, which will enable them to deal with problems of different shapes and sizes in their life.” He started this initiative, Peak to Lead, to foster leadership and excellence among students.
The students prepared themselves physically and mentally by running long distances and doing squats for months before proceeding for the expedition. The expedition started from the city of Kota Kinabalu and moved to various stations on the way such as Timpohon Gate, Panalaban, and finally to the peak of Mt Kinabalu.
The highest peak of Malaysia, Mt Kinabalu is also the 20th most prominent mountain and as such poses a great challenge to the climbers. This magnificent mountain posed a perfect breeding ground for future leaders by providing an extreme environment in terms of weather, terrain, and altitude.
The students found the experience metamorphic and transforming wherein not only they realised their true potential but also developed a wide perspective of life. Relentless effort was required to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu.
“We had to draw deep into our physical and mental reserves to achieve it. And we did it. For all of us, the students who climbed for the first time and the experienced ones, it was a demonstration of what we can achieve with preparation, effort and will: pushing your boundaries, setting new benchmark,” said Etienne Vincent Jacques Huret, a parent who was part of the expedition.
“The adventure in the mountains helped us to see a different self. The real learning happened after I reflected on the extreme experience of climbing Mt Kinabalu. Now I have seen a more disciplined and positive person in me,” said Agustya Singh, a Class 9 student.
Indus International School is now aiming for higher peaks such as Seven Summits of each of the continent and Fourteen Peaks above 8,000m. “It is said that when you conquer the mountains, you conquer yourself, and rightly so, all the students have returned with rich experience in understanding their strengths and challenges. What better way to identify oneself in time of stress and fatigue. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going,” expressed Col Sathya Rao (Retd), director of Indus School of Leadership.