Mahesh Sharma
Jammu based young woman expeditionary Shawetica Khajuria has brought many laurels for Jammu in hiking expeditions. She shared the moments of her interests, ventures and successes to Mahesh Sharma in her free and frank talks for STATE TIMES, Jammu.
Following are the excerpts of her conversation:
Women power is asserting now and they are making distinct mark in every walk of the life. In this connection a notable example has recently been setup by Jammu based Shawetica Khajuria who performed rare feat by scaling 20,439 meters high peak of the Himalayan range mountain in Jammu and Kashmir State. Starting from famous K.L. Sehgal Hall of Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Jammu on 5th September, 2016, Shawetica under able guidance and leadership of most expert guide and senior trainer Ram Singh Salathia, reached the base camp on 10th September, 2016 and achieved success on 15th September by scaling the peak. It was her great achievement.
Earlier, Shawetica was unanimously elected as the first woman General Secretary of the Tawi Trekkers J&K replacing Ram Khajuria by dint of her distinguished work in the field. Ram Khajuria was the founder General Secretary of this club. He served the Club with great yearning and similarity for a long period of 32 years and brought good name for Jammu trekkers. His contributions are lot for the Club.
A Praiseworthy step:
The daring and the adventurous steps now being taken by Shawetica Khajuria are widely being praised by one and all in the State.
Scaling 20,439 meters, steep high mountain, becomes a very hard job, particularly by a girl expeditionary and is, therefore, praiseworthy. Making a mention of her this big achievement, Shawetica told in her exclusive chat for the STATE TIMES that she will continue her venture of scaling more and more high mountain peaks in the country in future also.
Displaying enthusiasm and joy in the hiking and sports ventures she said, “Right from my childhood I had the longing for going on the high mountains and then coming down on the bicycles and that gave me the much pleasure. I also had the desire of becoming one of the members of the team of the expeditionary groups to lead young expeditionaries. During my school days I got the opportunity of joining the team of the young Jammu trekkers for trekking in the picturesque mountains of Himachal Pradesh. My joy looked into the no bounds when my parents gladly accepted to become the part of this trekking team sponsored by the Tawi Trekkers”.
Inspiring Response:
On receiving encouragement, love and inspirations from her parents (Late Guddi Devi and late Ashwani Khajuria) she then did not look behind and went on rising the steps of the success of her pursuits. Now 30 years young Shawetica is a well qualified and expert national judge in sport climbing. As a sport climber she has represented the State in a number of the Zonal and National competitions and has won a number of medals at the Zonal level. Besides, she is a trained mountaineer who has participated and led many trekking expeditions independently. Post graduate in Sociology, Shawetica is presently also the Joint Secretary of the Mountaineering Association of J&K and is an executive member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation North Zone Committee, New Delhi.
Compliments:
“I owe lot of thanks and compliments to my most revered parents and guides with whose love and encouragement I have been able to achieve this status. She said, in the present era of the competition girls should come in more and more numbers to shape their bright future in different fields of the competitions.
They are shining in all spheres of the human struggle. There is lot of scope of their development in hiking and trekking tourism sector and they could take up this sector as their vocation. By adopting this as their venturous game womenfolk shall not only be able to see the hidden and virgin highland beauty but shall also be physically and mentally strong to meet the challenges of the fast developing world of competitions ahead of them. My special thanks are also due for Ram Khajuria for evincing his great interest and devotion in chiseling me as an expeditor.
