64 and unstoppable: How former Delhi HC judge conquered 65-km trek to Everest base camp with ‘zero’ training

“I remember thinking, ‘how did this idea get into this man’s head?’ He was getting frantic as the trek date got closer. He was calling up his friends… eventually, only one person agreed to accompany him. I thought to myself if he can go at the age of 66, why can’t I? This was never ever on my bucket list. It was a totally spontaneous plan,” chuckles Bamba.

Her husband, Anil Bamba, is a former bureaucrat. He retired in 2019 as Chairperson, Land Ports Authority Of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. He has travelled to around 100 countries.

“He [my husband] planned and I accompanied him… we went as the river flows. We did it for joy, not to show off to anyone,” says the former judge.

“We’ve lost spontaneity. People plan too much. Spontaneity is my mantra,” she adds.

While Bamba usually walked 6 km every morning, besides hitting the gym last year, she admits that she didn’t prepare much for the trip. “… my friend told me you’re taking it very lightly,” she says. “I believe something like this has more to do with your mind and mental makeup.”

The group started the trek from Lukla in Nepal. For her gruelling expedition, Bamba carried a duffel bag with woolen socks, a jacket, anti-glare glasses, warm waterproof pants, four layers of inners, caps, nuts and toffees, a first aid kit, and heat tablets for the feet.

She says she faced multiple ordeals. “There was a beautiful unending forest. Crossing that was very challenging. I got scared at that time. But I said to myself — guide saath hai to le hi jaayega (the guide will take us),” she says.

Bamba, her husband and a friend who accompanied them had to get to lodges before it got dark. “In the mountains, the sun sets suddenly… out of nowhere,” she recalls.

Poonam Bamba and her husband Anil at the base camp.

She also says she found the true meaning of “bone-chilling” cold — a cold that seeped into the body despite layers of clothing. “We would order food but couldn’t eat anything. Mostly, we had warm soup and ginger honey tea. One doesn’t feel much hunger at such a high altitude,” Bamba says.

As the terrain got tougher, the trio slowed down. But they kept going. Bamba got the courage from a simple mantra: “One step at a time”.

Bamba went to school in Delhi and graduated from Hansraj College in 1980. She completed her LL.B in 1983 and LL.M in 1988 from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University. From 1983 to 1987, she practiced as an advocate in Delhi.

In December 2002, she joined the Delhi Higher Judicial Service. In a tenure spanning 19 years, she presided over various jurisdictions. She was also posted as a District & Sessions Judge in different districts for a period of about five years. In March 2022, she was elevated as a permanent judge of the Delhi HC and retired in August 2023.

Asked about one of her most memorable moments from the trek, Bamba says it was walking on a suspension bridge. “I halted to catch my breath. I just looked up and there was a beautiful glacier and the river Dudh Kosi flowing beneath… and in the moment of connection with myself, I started sobbing.”

“When you’re amidst nature, you truly realise that you’re not even a speck in this humongous universe. But conversely, you also feel expanded… as a part of it,” she adds.