IIM-A swells with pride as 9 students out on leadership expedition climb Mt Everest

As much as companies seek leadership skills from young graduates, it cannot come by sitting in the confines of an A-grade B-school and reading books on leadership.

One needs to get a taste of what leadership means to see how fit you are to get into such roles. For the same reason, nine IIM-A students decided to throw themselves in a rather tricky situation to see if they had it in them.

During exam breaks between March 5 and 19, they decided to take a difficult trek up to the Mt Everest Base Camp.

"It took them from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,860 m) and gradually up to Gorakshep (5,164 m). From there they took a short trip to the Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) where currently tents are being pitched for the upcoming climbing season. They also went to Kala Pathar (5,644 m), which gives a great view of the peak of Mount Everest. It was Everest Base Camp Leadership Expedition they were on," read a release from IIM Ahmedabad.

You may think what is a trek to do with leadership skills. Here's your answer:

Anurag Kataria, one of the students who was a part of this expedition, recounts his experience - "Countless nights were spent trying to recollect the exact moment I accepted the idea. My trip was not one of luxury or good food, and yet it was the most satisfying things I have done. From blistered feet, ruptured knees, aching back, bruised shoulders, to a patched jaw, I lost 4 kg weight through feverish nights of biting cold, and the excruciating 130-km trek."

"When we were trekking ahead, snowfall was still on. From the very first day, the temperature was below zero and at Gorakshep, the temperature was minus 25 degree celsius. Our guide was very apprehensive and he did not want us to continue. So we had to sign a liability form on the seventh day of our trip stating that if anything happens to us he would not be held responsible," Kataria added.

Second year IIMA students Ankit Sinha, Nikhil Menon, Siddharth Biswas, Pallavi Awasthi, Preet Deep Singh, Suresh Anand, Neha Manglik and Aravindh PG, scaled the strenuous range along with Anurag.

Treks, especially to the Everest, is full of obstacles. It's no child's play braving the chill and climbing up despite physical exhaustion and other hurdles that Kataria speaks about. The fact that these students tested waters and reached their success point shows that if they were to become the leaders of tomorrow, they will survive and meet goals despite all odds and challenges thrown at them.

This trek is part of a series of treks that was organized by Prateek Mohan, an Ahmedabad native who is also a student of XLRI Jamshedpur currently.

Interestingly, he has motivated more than 200 students from A-league institutions across India to sign up for this adventure.