She wouldn’t climb down Everest

Because everyone in this town had joined a door-to-door campaign to sponsor the gutsy woman’s shot at Everest. So they did what they thought best: they sent her a return e-mail, pleading with her to come down, telling her that she was more precious to them than Everest. And that no one in Muktsar would fault for not making it to the top just because the weather had dipped. Mother Tej Kaur, who dictated the mail, says: ‘‘I told her jaan hai to jahaan hai.’’

The plea worked. Late this evening, they received a one-line reply: Sukhi has climbed down.

Crazy but courageous. That’s how they describe Sukhi in the bylanes of Muktsar. Daughter of a carpenter, 34-year-old Sukhi, who scaled Mount Kamet in 1998, had set her sight on Everest. The entire town behind her, she was hell-bent on getting to the top. The weather came in the way but she continued to climb.

‘‘I only wish the weather had supported her,’’ sighs Jagat Singh, her father. Others in the town have no regrets. ‘‘She is tough. She was upset when she discovered that peak royalty ran into lakhs but she did not give in,’’ says Baldev Singh Bham, one of her many well-wishers who helped her gather funds .

Pammy, her partner in adventure, surfed the worldwide web and discovered Project Himalaya. ‘‘They were considerate enough to let us join them at a nominal fee of Rs 4.85 lakh,’’ recalls Pammy who decided to drop out. ‘‘I thought I should work on getting funds for her.’’

Harinder Kaka, who owns an Internet cafe, was among those who suggested she launch a door-to-door campaign for funds. It worked and, early this March, Sukhi flew to Kathmandu.

Pammy knows why Sukhi hung on for so long, risking her life in the bargain. ‘‘She must have thought that if I don’t make it now, I will never be able to do it again because there will be no more funding.’’

As for the town, she has done them proud already. ‘‘For us, she’s already conquered the Everest. What’s a few feet here and there anyway?’’