Not all paths lead to the same destination. Some take you to the goal that you set for yourself. An IIT Bombay graduate, Hemant Gupta realized that he did not belong to the cubicle world and an adventure club activity during his IIT Bombay days, changed something in him completely. From a 26 days mountaineering course to getting a job at Tata Steel from campus and enrolling at TSAF, Hemant’s life changed in the direction that he had never thought of, including climbing the mighty Everest.
We spoke to Hemant about his journey at Tata Steel and how he is getting ready for his next big role; heading the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. Here are the excerpts:
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- An IIT Bombay engineer goes to a 26 days mountaineering course. What changed for Hemant in those 26 days?
Born in Rajasthan and brought up in Kota (educational hub) mountaineering was never on the radar.
I went to attend 26 days Basic Mountaineering course at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali after the second year at IIT Bombay in July 2009. We had our adventure club on campus which used to facilitate these activities. Before the course I had no idea about skills required for mountaineering and my fitness level was not up to the mark. Alpine meadows, pine forests, rivers, glacier, thin and cold air: everything was new to me.
I never knew this mountaineering course will become a stepping stone in the next 3-4 years for something big.
- Define placements in an engineering college like IIT Bombay. What were your thoughts during the placement process and how did Tata Steel happen to you?
My profile was not very appealing for consulting (7 pointer, no major POR (position of responsibility) taken, or great extracurriculars). My finance knowledge was average for any investment banking stint too. And, I was clear that I didn’t want to go for a 24 x 7 desk job (analytics or IT). I applied to many companies and somehow got shortlisted in a few. In the first 6 days, I went through 6 interviews and got rejected in all 6 and there were no new interviews lined up for the next 3 – 4 days. I was shattered, all my good friends were getting placed and flocking to the bars in the evening. And, I was browsing through the placement blog with empty eyes.
And then Tata Steel happened for me on the 11th day. It was a bittersweet feeling of having the job finally.
- During your stint as a project manager, your life took a major turn. Tell us about the experiences you have had during this time?
I joined Tata Steel as Management trainee technical in 2011and it felt like an extended college life with salary. The yearlong training includes technical classes, plant training, project, industrial and mines visit, and the most amazing thing: 10 days adventure-based leadership course in the Himalayas by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF).
TSAF was founded and headed by the legendary Bachendri Pal (1st Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest in 1984). I got to know about TSAF activities and the high-altitude expeditions. After the MTT training was over, I opted for a greenfield project at Kalinganagar (KPO) to gain the experience of building a steel plant from scratch and the project management. While I was in KPO I went for two 6000 m peaks in Ladakh and Nepal.
- At that point in your life, were you apprehensive about pursuing your dream of mountaineering and what exactly gave you the motivation to take it up to your seniors at Tata Steel?
During the climb in Ladakh, I got a chance to interact with Bachendri Ma’am. It was inspiring to listen to her stories and I was mesmerized by the life in the mountains. The calling of the mountains was getting stronger and I was immersed in reading books by the mountain heroes like Maurice Herzog and Anatoli Boukreev.
Life in KPO was getting monotonous, some colleagues were fully involved in the project and some were preparing for UPSC, CAT, and GRE. Life at subzero temperature was appealing more than life in front of the blast furnace at 1600°C.I spoke to the seniors at Tata Steel and they suggested that I try my luck at TSAF. I spoke to Bachendri Ma'am and to the management at Tata Steel. Few were surprised initially as no one in Tata Steel had opted for this path earlier, switching to adventure foundation from a technical background. With the support and encouragement of Bachendri Ma’am, I finally joined TSAF in Aug 2013.
- You joined TSAF as a manager in 2013 and for a few years, you trained under Bachendri Pal. Take us through your journey over the years that got you stronger to reach new heights.
After joining TSAF, there was no looking back. Bachendri Ma’am’s vision was to build TSAF as an institute to develop leadership skills through the medium of outdoors. I was supported by the company to get my Diploma in Outdoor Education from National Outdoor Leadership School, USA (Rocky Mountains).
I was applying the skills learned on the shop floor to make our courses more impactful for the business leaders. Meanwhile, I was working on my physical and mental fitness and gaining outdoor experience by climbing peaks in the Himalayas.
Looking at my performance one-day Bachendri Ma’am asked me “do you want to go to Mt. Everest”? I couldn’t believe what I heard.
To get success in the mountains, you must plan, prioritize, and go into minute details. You can’t say sorry once you are on a mountain slope. I learnt all of that under Bachendri Ma’am.
- After a failed attempt, you finally scaled the mighty Everest in 2017. Take us through to the moment and how you felt about it?
I attempted Mt. Everest for the first time in 2015, however, due to an earthquake in Nepal on 25th Apr, we had to abandon our climb midway. The whole experience was terrifying, as many people lost their lives in the base camp due to an avalanche.
After the setback in 2015, it was difficult again to convince my mother to go back to Everest but with some persuasion, I could finally convince her.
On D Day, I was hallucinating because of a lack of sleep, low oxygen, and extreme exhaustion in a -40 degree temperature. My body was on the verge of giving up. But, my mind took over, recalling the lines of Bachendri Ma’am “When you are extremely tired and can’t climb further, focus on the next 3 steps, once you climb them, repeat.” At 6:15 am, I was standing on top, feeling literally on top of the world!
- Failures and challenges are a constant when you are working in a day job for any corporate or your own startup. How did mountaineering motivate you to keep going ahead in your professional life?
I have failed more often than I have succeeded. Be it the mountaineering course, first expedition, or running a first marathon, and the ability to bounce back from these failures shape your character.
There are so many hurdles we encounter in mountaineering, sometimes we pass through the hurdles, sometimes we don’t. Reflecting on the experience, implementing the next act and inculcating a “can do spirit” helps me in navigating through the maze of life.
- Sport Climbing has been incorporated as an Olympic sport recently and with Tata Steel and TSAF we are hoping for a medal in this sporting event. How is Hemant Gupta preparing the younger generation for this?
Sport Climbing originated from mountaineering has now become a competitive high-performance sport. While the mighty Himalaya belongs to our country, unfortunately, we don’t have the best climbers in the world. Poor governance, infrastructure, and a knowledge gap in coaching are some of the main reasons for underperformance of our athletes.
At Tata Steel, sport is a way of life and is home to the best academies in the country. After joining TSAF, one of my key initiatives was developing sport climbing in Jamshedpur. The journey was challenging in the beginning, as there was little awareness about the sport. With a lot of outreach programs, children started to show interest in the sport. With a scientific and focused approach, we started to get encouraging results with our 1st medal at the National level by Talim Ansari in 2016. The initial success helped in the promotion and more and more parents were willing to enroll their child in the training center. 2017 was even better with 4 National medals.
2019 was a landmark year for us when we won the National trophy in the history of 25 years for the first time. Anisha Verma, 15 years old, set a national record in speed climbing in the female category and won 11 out of 11 Gold medals in the competition circuit.
- You rose in ranks at TSAF and you are filling the big shoes left by Bachendri Pal to head the TSAF. How excited are you about this role and tell us about the plans that you have for growing mountaineering in India?When I joined TSAF, I never thought I'd be the one who would be chosen to lead TSAF after the glorious journey of Bachendri Pal. It’s a great honor to take the baton ahead. It is an empowering feeling and with the support of Tata Steel and Bachendri Ma'am still playing the role of a mentor, I hope to make a better impact in shaping a better tomorrow for our community & outdoors.
We are developing the “School of Outdoor Leadership” to provide learning opportunities for school and college students as well as the corporates in an outdoor environment with a sense of adventure.
Covid 19 outbreak has prevented people from traveling and venturing outside. Once the situation improves, we intend to re-introduce the people outdoors in a responsible way. It is a very big responsibility & opportunity to create an impact for the betterment of everyone involved. It would be fair to say, I am as excited as I'm aware of the uncertainty which lies ahead.
- From solving tough equations at IIT you found and pursued your passion for mountaineering on your job at Tata Steel. What do you want to convey to more Hemants like you who are torn between these choices?
In life, we mostly deal with two situations: things which are in our control and those which are not. In hindsight, connecting the dots, I feel I was lucky to get the job at Tata Steel (it was not in my control) and how I shaped my career from it (something that was in my control).
There were definite moments of doubt and uncertainty. While colleagues and friends were getting promotions and climbing the corporate ladder, I was still learning the knots to climb mountains. To take a leap, you need to take a step back and then jump.
Life is a continuous process of making decisions, in some we succeed, in some we do not.
Here's what we recommend to you:
1) My Delivery Date Was Due In 4 Days From Writing My B-school Entrance Exam, Ft. Sanchita Gupta, Tata Steel HRBP
2) Don’t Compare Yourself With Others When You Start Your Corporate Career, Ft. Arushi Sood, Tata Steel
3) A Gateway To Learning - Tata Steel's Management Trainee Program - Chandra Sekhar Gandroju, IIM Shillong
