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Mandala artist and adventurer Madhu Sarda is aiming to scale Australia’s tallest mountain next month as part of her ‘Seven Summit Vision’, writes Mai Al-Khatib Camille.
The ‘Seven Summits’ are the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, with a varied list including Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Vinson, Mont Blanc and Australia’s Kosciuszko.
The mother-of-two had started her climbing journey from Kilimanjaro in Africa in June last year. In April, with the support of the Rashid Al Khalifa (RAK) Art Foundation’s $5,000 expedition pledge, she plans to summit the 2,228 metres (7,310ft) Mount Kosciuszko.
“My mission is to raise the Bahraini and Nepalese flags on the seven highest summits on seven continents and spread the message of the importance of fitness, yoga and meditation for healthy and stress-free living,” said the 45-year-old trekking mountaineer and yoga instructor from Barbar.
Aside from preparing for her feat, she recently launched her third book Moon Mountain, Trek to Kilimanjaro on International Women’s Day, at a ‘Woman Talk’ event at Ramee Grand Hotel and Spa.
“The summit of Kilimanjaro was indeed difficult but that’s the beauty of it,” she said. “It pushes us to a potential and an edge we didn’t know we had, until then. The exquisite natural wonder that Africa is; the people were amazing and their culture so rich and vibrant. The sense of contentment I had upon reaching the summit was exhilarating and gave me the confidence to go further in this journey of mine.
“Through my book, I hope to spread awareness of the rawness of life out there in the wilderness and how it helps you to reflect upon yourself, about what you can achieve when you step out of your comfort zone.
“You cannot climb mountains from the comforts of your sofa. It can be any kind of mountain, a project, a start-up, a painting or a marathon. Act on it before having second thoughts. Life is too short to not do what you love. If you do what you love, you love what you do.”
Madhu thanks her husband Sandip, a finance director, and her daughters Sejal and Sumedha, for all their encouragement and support. She also appreciates Meera Ravi, Nepalese Ambassador Tirth Raj Wagle, Bimala Mam from the Nepalese embassy in Bahrain, Jamuna Kafle and Mahdi T Al Jallawi for their efforts.
The ‘Woman Talk’ event was hosted by former GDN journalist Raji Unnikrishnan, who has also recently launched the cover of her first collection of micro poetry entitled Alwani, Life is Colourful.
For details on Madhu’s journey, follow @madhusarda.bh on Instagram.
