“What’s Your Everest?” – Book review by Dr. Veena Joshi

A Book That Found Me – Review By Dr. Veena Joshi

Books sometimes enter our lives in the most unexpected ways. For me, What’s Your Everest did not come from a deliberate choice but through a beautiful coincidence of friendship and affection.

Samir Patham—whom we know as Sam, one of the authors—is a dear friend of my daughter Maitreyee.

On 2nd August, our wedding anniversary, we planned a family lunch at a restaurant. But Maitru (Maitreyee) asked us to collect her from a book library where she was attending the book release of Sam and Sauraj’s book.

I entered just as the ceremony ended and guests mingled in chats, sipping coffee. There stood Sam with his wife Kay. Then came smiles, hugs, congratulations, photo shoots, and Sam graciously handed me a copy of the book!

At that time, I smiled, thanked them, and carried it home like any other book. I had no idea it would soon transform me! I never imagined it would move and touch me so deeply.

About Me

I am Dr. Veena Joshi, former Professor and Head of the Department of Geography at the University of Pune. As a geomorphologist, I studied landforms for decades. I am also a trekking enthusiast. I have always found joy in venturing into the mountains, rivers, canyons, ravines, deserts, or forests.

Countless times, I led my students into the field, teaching them to talk to the Earth—its slopes, valleys, rivers, and ridges. And yet, when it came to books, movies, or TV shows, I never enjoyed documentaries and real-life accounts. Fiction always gripped me more—thrillers, crime stories, mysteries that kept me awake at night.

I would never have chosen a book like What’s Your Everest—a true adventure account. But I feel so grateful that it chose me.

Walking Beside the Authors

From the very first page, I no longer read as a distant spectator sitting comfortably in Pune; I walked alongside Samir and Sauraj. Their journey began in the hostels of Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, where two ordinary young men dared to dream an extraordinary dream—climbing Everest.

They did not write their story in a dry, documentary style. It flowed with humor, warmth, raw honesty, and immense vulnerability.

Laughter, Recognition, and Personal Connections

Some moments made me laugh out loud, like the anecdote of Samir’s brother Satyen asking roommate Karan, “Dude, what are you rolling? Can I have a puff?”, mistaking a pooja incense stick for a joint! These light-hearted hostel stories balanced the intensity of their larger mission.

Other moments brought an unexpected smile of recognition—like their turning point with Advocate Prof. Shekhar Bhonagiri, a name that instantly struck a chord with me because I know him personally as the father of Maitreyee’s best St. Joseph’s School friend, Damini.

I have met Shekhar and his wife Leena on several occasions. Suddenly, the story felt even more personal, as if I were reading about familiar people stepping into extraordinary roles.

Building the Dream

The heart of this book lies in the Everest attempts. The conception of it began long before the actual first attempt in 2015. They built their dream brick by brick—leaving corporate jobs, creating an alumni network, forming a nature club, and finally giving birth to Adventure Pulse, now one of the leading mountaineering and trekking institutes in India.

Their first Everest summit expedition came in 2015, after several successful base camps and other expeditions in the Himalayas and beyond. They prepared with networking, physical training, fundraising… but heartbreak struck when a devastating 7.8 earthquake triggered a killer avalanche. It forced them to turn back from just under 7000 meters.

The way they described that experience felt gut-wrenching—not just about danger, but about facing helplessness in the fury of nature.

The Second Attempt

Their second attempt in 2017 proved equally dramatic. They had to start all over again amidst countless uncertainties. Samir and Sauraj described with raw honesty what it takes to climb Everest. Every moment breathed determination, fear, and passion. But they had to overcome the massive hurdle of resources before they could succeed.

The narrative of reaching the “Death Zone” at 8000 m—crossing the Khumbu Icefall, Lhotse Wall, and Geneva Spur—read like a thriller. To climb beyond 8000 meters, see the summit just 800 meters away, and then be forced back by a violent storm was almost unbearable.

Vikas, their third companion, decided to turn back. Sam, heartbroken, reluctantly followed Sherpa beliefs that survival meant another chance in the future. But Sauraj could not accept the harsh reality. Neither could I. I found myself whispering, “No, no, no, don’t turn back. Maybe the storm will clear.” But you cannot conquer the Mountain. It allows you to pass only when it wills. That day, it did not. They turned back thoroughly crushed—in body, mind, and spirit.

Triumph in 2018

Then came 2018. The climbers and their families spent the longest year of their lives. They could not rest until they reached the point of, “Do it or die trying.” Against all odds—selling property, drawing on personal resources, and putting everything at stake—they dared one more time.

On 18th May 2018, exactly one year later, they stood at the top of the world. They described the summit with breathtaking detail—falling out with team leader Sherpa Mingma, patching up later, fighting exhaustion, navigating treacherous ice, respecting the moods of the mountain, and bowing before unpredictable weather. Five steps before the summit, they knelt and sobbed, surrendering to the magnificent mountain, releasing emotions bottled up for four years—grateful, humbled, ecstatic.

They placed the tri-color on the highest point on the globe on 18th May 2018.

That moment brought tears to my eyes. The summit was not just a physical destination; it was the culmination of years of single-minded effort and faith.

The Descent and Its Dangers

The descent terrified me. I already knew that most fatalities occur after summiting. In 2023, I witnessed the peril when a Singapore-based Indian mountaineer, Srinivas Saini, went missing during his descent. His wife’s friend called me frantically to connect with Pune mountaineers. As an active member of Giripremi Adventure Group in Pune, I contacted the leaders, who were also on Everest then. Everyone tried. The tragedy devastated us.

Adventure Pulse, however, returned home safely.

Beyond Success

What I truly appreciated was their honesty about what came after. Success did not guarantee bliss. Samir’s candid words about the emptiness and depression he felt after summiting refreshed me with their truthfulness. So often, stories end at the climax of success—“happily ever after.” This book dares to speak of what follows, reminding us that victories carry emotional burdens too.

Quotes and Inspiration

The photos in the book are breathtaking. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter shine like guiding lights. Dostoevsky’s words, “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for,” stayed with me long after I closed the book.

Another line from Dale Partridge—“Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will”—echoed in my mind again and again.

What’s Your Everest?

The title itself—What’s Your Everest—is not just a question but a challenge. For Samir and Sauraj, it meant climbing Everest. For the rest of us, it may mean a personal dream, a professional ambition, or a quiet goal hidden in the heart. The message is clear: your Everest is not out of reach if you pursue it with determination.

When I finished the last page, I wept—not because it was sad, but because it was so deeply human. I asked myself: at 64, can I still fulfill my long-cherished dream of trekking to Everest Base Camp? The book made me believe the answer is, “Yes, why not?”

A Book for Everyone

I hesitated to write this review, knowing great personalities like Anupam Kher, Peter Hillary, K. Srikkanth, and Mingma Tenji Sherpa had already praised the book. What more could I add? But that is the beauty of What’s Your Everest. It speaks not just to legends and achievers, but also to ordinary readers like me. If it can inspire someone who once believed fiction was more exciting than real events, then it has already succeeded beyond measure.

This book is not just a travelogue or adventure story—it is a life lesson. It reminds us that no matter where we are in life, we each have an Everest to climb. And sometimes, just reading about someone else’s summit gives us the courage to begin our own journey.

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