Thrity Birdy

(1945-1979)

THRITY and I were together in the University for six yearn but I hardly remember her except as ‘just another’ girl in my class, But in 1969 she was introduced to the mountain:, and after a quiet start with training courses at Darjeeling, she took the climbing world by storm. In 1972, we trekked together to Kalla Pathar and the Everest Base Camp. In 1974, she led an expedition to Deo Tibba and climbed her first Himalayan peak; Norbu Peak (17,150 ft). In 1976 she joined a Delhi based expedi¬tion to climb the difficult peak of Mukarbeh (19,910 ft). Her recent climbs included Abi Gamin (24,130 ft) and Kamet (25,447 ft) with national expeditions. The last was the altitude record for the Indian ladies which still stands and which established her as a leading lady mountaineer of India.

We shared many happy climbing days whether rock-climbing at Pachmarhi, trekking in the local hills or just being with nature. She loved the outdoors and had mastered the difficult art of being happy in any situation. I have never seen her ruffled by any trivialities. In the publication of a book on local climbing, she had done a lot of reviewing behind the scenes.

She refused to be named as co-author, just as she had refused to be leader of a national expedition. She had a dislike for organisational work, and with her modesty was a way of life.

Thrity had strong determination and was challenging both as a mountaineer and as a person. Perhaps because of this, she remained aloof, but once the barrier was broken, she was as much a true friend as one can ask for. It will be indeed difficult for all of us to forget her grace and strength as a climber, those conversations and quarrels and happy days roaming in the hills.

It is said that those whom the gods love die young. Fate has taken away one of the brightest jewels from our family of mountaineers and the loss is certainly immense.

HARISH KAPADIA

THRITY BIRDY’s love for the mountains goes back several years. I first met her at the Climbers Club in Bombay and was impressed by her shy, soft-spoken manner and her ability. Her cool temperament and exceptional stamina were well suited to the larger mountains and her Himalayan achievements over the past few years speak for themselves. She had her earlier training in rock-climbing at Bombay and later trained at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. Her climbing prowess and skill were obvious. She had also trekked extensively in the Sahyadris (Western Ghats) around Bombay and in the Himalaya.

We climbed together in 1976 for the first time while climbing; with the Indo-Japanese Ladies Expedition in the Garhwal Himalaya. She was one of the successful summiters and climbed Abi Gamin (24,130 ft) on that occasion. The following year, 1977, we were back in the Garhwal Himalaya, very happy to be climbing together once again. This time, it was with the Ladies Kamet Expedition and she reached the summit of Kamet (25,447 ft) almost effortlessly.
Thrity was a steady, experienced and reliable climber and her sudden and unexpected demise is a great loss to the climbing world. She had the potential and the ability to have climbed even greater heights in the future and she will be sadly missed by one and all in the Indian climbing fraternity.

For me personally, it is the loss of one of my special group of companions with whom I have spent some of my happiest and most memorable days in the hills and the mountains,

MEENA AGARWAL