“Take this challenge as a small contribution to the life of others, as this is the least we can do. This not only gives you a break from your regular life, but also helps you appreciate your life and the life of your loved ones.”
Meet Inderpal, one of the first men to take the Imran Khan Cancer Appeal to the base of Mount Everest. Inderpal is a 43 year-old, British Indian with a serious addiction for adrenaline filled adventures and challenges that push him to the physical limits. Known to his family, friends and us at IKCA as ‘Indi’, here is a man whose middle name should have been ‘perseverance’. We first met Indi back in 2012, when he drove from Glasgow to Goa to raise funds for cancer care, covering a total of 32 countries all by himself. When Indi isn’t out conquering a mountain somewhere, he’s back at home in Leicester with his lovely wife and two kids, where he works as an IT Consultant.
Indi became one of the first men to take Imran Khan’s cancer appeal to the base of the tallest mountain on earth. He began training for the big challenge in October 2018 and has taken part in the IKCA’s 2018 3 Peaks Challenge.
“I admire IKCA as a charity doing wonderful work in Pakistan,” Indi says, when asked why he chose to support IKCA. “Back when I did my road-trip from the UK to India in aid of cancer care, I visited Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore. I have also done the IKCA 3 Peaks challenge in 2014 and am doing it again this year with my wife and two children. I will keep raising money for the charity for as long as I can.”
“From driving through 32 countries to 10K runs and mountain climbs throughout the UK and Asia, I have done many challenges,” explains Indi, “but this time I want to take the challenge up a notch –as cancer is on the rise and patients suffer so much. This is the least I can do as a human being.”
Indi recalls some of his earlier charity efforts, and what he’s been doing since his epic Glasgow to Goa journey put him on the map as an active member of the IKCA volunteer community. “I’ve climbed Mount Kinabalu in Sabah Malaysia –which at 13,435 feet is the fourth highest peak in Southeast Asia. I’ve also climbed Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis here in the UK as part of IKCA’s 3 Peaks Challenge. Aside from those I’ve done 10k runs in Glasgow and London in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
When asked if he could tell us a thing or two about the most difficult challenge he’s taken part in so far, Indi starts recounting his journey from Glasgow to Goa.
“Glasgow to Goa was the most difficult challenge for me so far, not only for geographic issues but also political boundaries. On that journey I survived a deadly attack by Al Qaeda on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. I suffered a broken nose and split upper lip, which later required an operation. I encountered a huge sand storm, which I had to wait out in my car for 8 hours till it passed. I survived two landslides and had to drive through a river because the bridge was broken. And I experienced a rude shock when Indian border guards asked me to remove all flags stuck to my car except for the Indian one, after I had travelled all that distance with the British, Pakistani and Indian flags on my car without problems! But it wasn’t all bad. I slept in people’s homes and attended weddings and funerals and made over 100 friends. You can read more about my journey on my Glasgow to Goa Website.”
Now training for Everest Base Camp, Indi has started working out at the gym and doing long walks, daily. he’ll also be completing a 10k run this summer, and is also taking part in the IKCA 3 Peaks Challenge. And what advice does Indi have for anyone thinking about taking part in the Everest Base Camp challenge?
“Take this challenge as a small contribution to the life of others,” he says. “As this is the least we can do. This not only gives you a break from your regular life, but also helps you appreciate your life and the life of your loved ones. It also helps you lead by example to teach good values to your kids. This is so much better than sending Whatsapp messages to change the world. Finally this is also your body’s MOT for a long and beautiful life!”
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