Travelling to Spread a Message

Robert Swan dreamt of becoming an explorer since he was 11. Today, half a century later, he is known as the first human to have walked to the North Pole as well as the South Pole. He had to walk for 70 days covering 1,448 km to reach the South Pole, while it took him 54 days to walk 1,126 km to the North Pole. Having achieved his dream of becoming a polar traveler, he continued his endeavours to spread the message of climate change, rousing people everywhere he went to take action now. In India, he rode 7,000 km across the country on a bicycle to ensure his warning was heard. From a trip that he says was filled with wondrous sights, he also remembers the saddening one of the retreating Gangotri Glacier.  

Another such inspiring story is of the twins Tashi and Nungshi. Born on 21 June 1991, they are the first siblings and twins to climb the Seven Summits, reach the North and South Poles, and complete both the Adventurers Grand Slam and Three Poles Challenge. They are also the first twins to reach the North and South Pole on skis. Tashi and Nungshi were conferred India’s highest adventure honour, the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’ in 2015. They have also received the 2016 ‘Leif Erikson Young Explorer Award’ from the President of Iceland. These accomplished girls have now taken on a very important challenge; to reach out to the youth of our country and convince them to start acting now to combat climate change.  

It was this very message that all three explorers shared with spellbound audiences during the summit.