Mountain Man of ...Page 4 SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2020 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine Career in Human Resource ..Page 2 Mountaineer's Final Frontier

Satish Singh Lalotra Barrack Obama donated 50% of his Nobel peace prize to fund it and take it to its fruition. Not to be left behind ,the then Pak- 'Great things are done when men and mountains meet'- istan President General Parvez Musharaf made available his William Blake. (18th century English poet) personal helipad and a Vietnam era Alouette helicopter along with Brigadier Bhangoo one of the top most experienced high The above quote typifies a perfect personification of meet- altitude helicopter pilot of PAF on standby to ferry Greg ing of two different personas ,only to generate events which across the inhospitable terrain of Northern areas to scout humanity preserves for posterity. For centuries men have school sites. romanced with mountains only to be galvanized to under- Karakorum mountains derive their name from the 13th take tasks considered to be beyond the realm of reality. Climb- century capital of Mongol warrior king Ghengis khan and ing a mountain represents a chance to be briefly free oneself his successor son Ogodei Khan located in central Mongolia. of humdrum of our common lives ,strip off nonessentials and Karakorum forms the natural border between Pakistan/chi- come down to the basics of existence..Food , shelter and na/india . The 14 Eight (8) Thousander peaks in the world is friends ,these are the essentials plus faith &purpose & a deep a number that pushes climbers to the point of obsession ,its unrelenting determination. In Northern areas of Jammu and big enough that only the most ambitious consider it climbing Kasmir's Karakorum ,bristling across an area barely 100 miles all of them,but small enough that doing so over a life time still wide, more than 60 of the world's tallest mountains lord over seems possible . the first climber in the these severe alpine beauty over a witness less high altitude wilderness. Except for the occasional snow leopard and Ibex world for having scaled all 14 Eight thousanders explains the ,so few living creatures have passed through this area that dis- allure behind climbing-Its not the peak ,but the view from the covery of world famous Mt , , 1 top of the peak that suggests increased awareness. Of all the and Gasherbrum 2 was little more than a rumor to the world 14 Eight thousanders in the world, the ones which are locat- at large. A typical complex mass of peaks obtaining in gener- ed in the Northern areas of Pakistan i.e Mt K2, Broad peak, al area Hispar/Biafo/Baltoro glacier ,now part of Northern Gasherbrum-1/K5, Gasherbrum 2/K4 are the killer or savage areas of Pakistan creates the world's longest glacial system mountains owing to their remoteness . But again here the cake outside of the polar regions .These peaks form Part of 3 gla- goes to Mt K2 the 2nd highest mountain in the world in so far ciers which together having a length of 100 kms/62 miles con- as for its savageness and sheer topographical complexity. nect 2 ancient mountain kingdoms of erstwhile princely state Located astride Godwin Austin glacier , it is said that the sides of J&K ,Nagar ( immediately south of Hunza) in the west with of Mt K2 are so steep and pyramid in shape that fresh snow Baltistan in the east. hardly rests on its shoulders. Also known as Mt Godwin Austin The international and climbing federa- or Chhogri(Balti language-king of mountains) the name K2 tion or UIAA recognizes 8 Thousanders as those 14 peaks that was first used by Great Trigonometrical survey of British Mt K2 to caution the living and consecrate the dead moun- found a messiah who would change the world of their school are more than 8000 meters or 26,247 Ft high above the mean India. Thomas Montogomerie made the first survey of the taineers attempting the summit ,reminding themselves of going children for ever and deliver them from their unending sea level and are sufficiently independent from neighbouring Karakorum range way back in 1856. But imagine the beauty what they are getting into. On hot days at the memorial ,the woes. The world famous book, Three cups of Tea co-authored peaks. Out of these 14 tallest 8 thousanders ,4 are located in of this whole survey --- It was done 210 kms away from anoth- cairn stews with the scent of defrosting flesh. by him and Oliver Relin first published in 2006 is again a the Karakorum ranges in Northern areas of Pakistan ,3 in er prominent peak in the Kashmir valley ,the Mt Haramukh The last inhabited Pakistani/ Balti village near these peaks poignant reminder of the constant tussle for supremacy Nepal, and the remaining 7 situated on the Nepal -Tibet bor- in the south .Such dexterity that even today all survey com- is Askole ,which incidentally has turned into an interna- between man and the mountain ,often throwing fruits of der. The summits of all these 14 peaks are in the Death Zone. putations in that region are based on those findings. The tional cacophony with intermingling of various nationalities serendipity in the form of opening of 55 schools in general In the mountaineering parlance Death Zone refers to altitudes Great Trignometrical survey of British india decided to use of climbers making their way forward to the base camp . It area Korphe ,Askole ,Skardu ,Swat etc by CAI( Central Asian which are above a certain point where the amount of oxygen the local names for the mountains so identified ,and hence the also is the last and first point of human contact with the out- institute ) single handedly against threats from AlQuaida . The is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended period of name K-1 (K -standing for Karakorum and 1 for the 1st peak side world for the climbers on their way to and return from same zest for reaching out to the Balti people and locals as time. This point is generally tagged as 8000 meters .The term so identified) for example Masherbrum ( local Balti language) their expeditions to the 8 thousanders.The best climbing such in SWAT valley led Malala Yousafzai the famous Nobel being in vogue since 1953 and coined by a Swiss doctor means Masher (beautiful) and Brum means mountain. The season for these 8 thousanders is from June to September prize winner to put her life on the firing line going against the Edouard Duantana. This glacial area comprising savagery of Mt K2 can be gauged by the fact that till date only which requires lot of climbing permission,permits , arrang- diktats of the militants operating there. This act of supreme Hispar/Biafo/Baltoro used to be part of Gilgit /Baltistan of 300 climbers have been able to scale it ,with over 80 having ing of Liaison officers and deposit of climbing fees to the sacrifice by Greg was undertaken as a small gesture of repay- J&K before 1947 and was usurped by Pakistan using coercive perished in attempting to do it since the early 20th century, Pakistani govt. A few miles away from Askole is village Kor- ment of gratitude towards the people of Korphe for saving his methods immediately after independence. My interest in this with none having scaled the monster in winters up till now. phe which mistakenly Greg Mortensen reached after hav- life in 1993 on a failed mission toMt K2 . Scalded by his failed area was fuelled primarily by my stint in the Siachen glacier As opposed to this , Everest ,where appx 2700 climbers have ing drifted along river Braldu in a semi conscious state dur- experience at Mt K2 , and submerged in an ocean of love shown while in service in the mid 90s. An area close to the Eight thou- had the opportunity to step on the highest point of earth is ing his failed American expedition in 1993 to Mt K2 ,only to by one of the most deprived communities of the world ,Greg sanders which further got a fillip while viewing a movie Ver- comparatively tame . A first timer arriving at the base camp be rescued in the nic of time by his Balti porter Mouzafer Ali sold all his property at US ,met the high and mighty in Wash- tical limit, a Hollywood thriller directed by Martin campbell of Mt K2 has a sobering effect on viewing the Gilkey memo- to safety. The vital statistics of these four 8 thousanders start- ington only to raise CAI an entity which was solely his brain- ,starring Chris o Donnell and Bill Paxton etc. The film features rial erected in the memory of all those climbers who came from ing with Mt K2 are- child . With monetary help extended by the then US presi- a failed attempt on Mt K2 and a heroic rescue undertaken by all over the world to scale it ,only to meet an icy and forlorn Its generally said and believed that men and mountains dent Barrack Obama out of his Nobel peace prize money , Greg the expedition members in cohort with the PAF ( Pakistan air death in the depths of unending crevasses and avalanches. The have a symbiotic relationship between them,each constantly and his tireless team undertook tasks which should have force). My latest reason for evincing interest in this region Gilkey memorial is a grisly necessity because corpses rarely goading the other to cross the Rubicon to prove their suprema- been the sole preserve of the Pakistan govt as its sovereign was again a famous book Three cups of tea by Greg Mortensen make it down the mountain in one piece.For Everest losses cy over other. The latest race between man and mountain is duty in the northern areas. Never the less for common peo- , an accomplished American mountaineer cum philanthropist ,families sometimes send a recovery team ,which doesn't hap- that of Denis Urubko who was forced back at 7660 mts on 03 ple of northern areas of Gilgit /Baltistan CAI is no less than .Based again on a failed attempt on Mt K2 by Greg who was pen with K2 the killer mountain. This savage mountain Feb 2020 by heavily crevassed terrain at Broad peak and God incarnation .In addition to the above , mountaineers in propelled by a poignant personal tragedy ,the failure resulted devours all its victims during the long winters between the resumed his trek again on06th Feb 2020 after getting a break- particular from all over the world who come to testify their surprisingly in serendipity ,when Greg found his calling in life climbing sessions. It encases the torso in ice and decades lat- through in the weather .During one such crossing of Rubicon sojourn with the various 8 thousanders in Gilgit /Baltistan act and founded a maiden project CAI( Central Asian institute ) . er scattering limbs ,entrails among the avalanche debris. For by Greg Mortinsen , proved to be a blessing in disguise for as ambassadors of their countries ferrying the goodwill to and Such was the intensity and sincerity of cause behind estab- more than 50 years the Gilkey memorial has been at place at lishing CAI ,that a person no less than former US President the suffering humanity of Northern Pakistan .In his effort they fro from their climbing site .

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Cafe Culture in Jammu Jammu City. Where almost approximate grand total of 60- Jaskaran Singh Madaan 70 small and medium sized restaurants/Cafés function. The population in these and the neighbouring areas is lim- The restaurant era is at its peak and yet nobody tends to ited and will be in rotation when we talk about the aver- understand as why it's getting so hard for restaurant owners age sale per restaurant holding. Now the fun part, a term to earn their fair share in the trade. I have been working in the which we qoute as the Honeymoon period is enjoyed by a new restaurant/Cafe for the first 4-5 Months where the restaurant industry from past 5 years now. As a proprietor customers will keep your spirits high, average basket size and also as a restaurant consultant we understood the need to be as targeted and business holding will enjoy their fair for clients to know what this industry requires. share of attention and Sale. But this comes to a decline when the honeymoon period ends. As this industry There has always been a noted trend in our beloved City demands a decent share of investment and maintance, lack of Temples, such as when entrepreneurs thought Billiards of basic average sale mostly leads establishments to shut & Snooker parlours were the hep thing. All entrepreneurs down or leasing out. suddenly wanted to open the same trade over and over in The solution exists and it is actually quite simple. When every nukkad. Similarly, entrepreneurship got hit with we keep targeting a population of 10 people to eat at 10 what I call the Salon wave and suddenly you could find a restaurants in the same vicinity, we doom ourselves. There unisex salon in almost every corner of the city. So now, is are still so many unexplored areas in Jammu. When we the restaurant era and it has actually mushroomed itself move towards such areas, we firstly enhance our chances to exile. to impress the customer who will value your existence in Understanding the trade requires three things for a their locality, homogeneity of product will automatically Restaurant owner - the targeted customer segment, the be reduced and last but not the least is instead on bee hiv- cuisine he/she feels is what that locality requires and the ing one location, we choose to churn out from another. Sec- business model to base the framework upon. Now where, ondly, I have also noticed the decline in quality of food and- a desiring restauranteur is going so terribly wrong is the service after the business cycle reaches the maturity slab. flooded segment with homogeneity of products. An entre- A desiring restaurant entrepreneur should always keep in preneur needs to understand that our state lacks the out- mind that the food industry is ever growing so is the price station student crowd and working class couples. We still war market segment. Price skimming techniques don't have suburban setting with a very few enjoying the Apart- work in most of the times when dealing with B & C class ment culture. The internet which proved to be a boon at cities. one point and proved as a back bone revenue churner for Regular Competitor pricing updates is essential for a the restaurants, dhabas and Cafés is also in turmoil. Zoma- restauranteur to match the market speed and this prac- to and Swiggy when introduced helped a lot of restaurants tice needs to be followed religiously when opening a new to grow with steady 10-15 orders in a day and charging 15- project or running an existing one. ally analysed the trend of the past 4-5 years where we col- There are some staffing firms in Jammu who will help 18% commission on the sale. Their delivery channels alto- Thirdly, the staffing is one of the major problematic gether changed the face of the food segment. lected the average salaries data of the Indian/ Tandoor/ you creating a recruitment pool and choosing the right can- areas faced by almost every small and medium sized Chinese - 1st, 2nd & 3rd Commis chefs salary as per their didate. I think associating one with such a firm is benefi- But it was short lived as internet based restriction were restaurants/Cafés. The staff practices more unity in their experience has been exponentially increased by more than cial in the longer run. imposed on the new U.T and the food industry was again fraternity than we as owners do. We owners are so botched 40% in the past 5 years. A chef with no degree or qualifi- limited to the physical sale channels. We are still a long way to call us a developed UT and it up in competition, that unity is the last thing we see cation whatsoever and experience of 5-8 years working will probably take time for the same. The competition is Some places like ChanniHimmat and Trikutanagar between fellow Restauranteurs. This is where the staff under a chef reaches straight to the 3rd commis level from fierce and innovation is an essential ingredient to this have suddenly, come up as an emerging food localities in takes undue advantage and the salaries go high. We actu- the helper/UT level and demands a salary of INR 14 -16K. recipe of success.