Satyabrata Dam-Pursuing Mgmt studies at IIM-A after 22 years of a Fab Career

Hello Folks..Hope you all are doing great…We’re digging out the best of people to be featured here in the “Contrasting Careers” section..Here comes our next Featured Personality

“Cmdr. Satyabrata Dam“

His Career Profile

• A mountaineer, skier and sailor; Satyabrata is the only Indian to accomplish one of the rarest feats in the adventure world – ‘The Three Poles’ – Mt Everest (2004), South Pole (2006) and North Pole (2008) and the ‘Seven Summits’ (climbing the highest peaks in all the seven continents). He is the first person in the world to have led successful expeditions to all the ‘Three Poles’

• A serving Commander in the Indian Navy, Satyabrata Dam hails from the Submarine Arm. Has served for more than 20 years and has commanded German made HDW submarines. He is a specialist in underwater navigation and super-specialist in submarine tactics and weapon control. Currently Cdr Dam is the Founder Director (Mountaineering) in the Directorate of Adventure and Sports of the Indian Navy and Captain of the Indian Navy Winter Games Team.

• He was a national champion in yachting and has represented the country in yachting, windsurfing and water skiing.

• He is an ardent speleologist and ice caver. He has done caving in some of the largest cave systems in the world in France, South Africa, Wales and USA and has done ice caving in Alaska, Greenland and Spitsbergen (Norway).

• Satya is a member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation’s Scientific Exploration Committee and is currently working with TERI (The Energy Resources Institute) Glacier Project Team and collaborating with Icelandic Glacier Studies on climate change and effects of global warming.

• He is featured regularly in some of India’s leading national journals and dailies like; Hindustan Times, TOI, Business Times, Economic Times, India Today, Statesman, Hindu, The Week, etc in print and net and has often been interviewed on leading TV channels.

• And After 22 years in Navy he is currently pursuing  his management studies at IIM-A.

Source : (TED.com)

As a part of the TED Fellows Project , Kiruba Shankar(CEO of Business Blogging Pvt Ltd)  has done an insightful  interview with Satyabrata Dam and put it articulately in his blog. I would want to present the interview here.

Q .)Reaching the two poles and climbing Mt.Everest (what you refer as the 3 poles) are great achievements. One is vertical and other is horizontal. Both gruelingly challenging. I know its unfair to compare but talk to us how one complements the other.

A.)Like you said, one is in the horizontal plane and the other is in the vertical plane so each has its own peculiarities and also similarities. If we compare the two then the following emerges:
(a) Skiing to poles do not involve any high altitude related problems, like rarefied atmosphere, lack of pressure
(b) While in the Poles the constant temperature is less than -30 C (average) on Everest the temperature is not so constant and we only reach such extreme low temperatures above 22000 ft and not lower
(c) Both are equally grueling, life threatening and exhausting
(d) Though some of the clothing, equipment are similar, the stuff used for skiing is vastly different from those used for climbing
(e) The entire logistics and execution of the two are also totally different and can’t be compared at any level
(f) Both happen in extremely harsh and unforgiving weather conditions where it can change rapidly without warning and it is weather that often decides the outcome of the expedition
(g) Being different kind of activities, the food planning is different for each, though there are similarities
(h) The particular body muscle groups required for the two are different, therefore it also needs different kind of specialized training and pre expedition preparations
(i) The mental focus and attitude needed is also different for the two to a large extent
there are many more ways (the major ones are listed above) of comparing the two. But to summarize the above, I can say that climbing Everest was the most difficult in all possible ways (physically exhausting, fatal, etc), then North Pole and then South Pole in the order of difficulty

Q.)What has been your most challenging climb so far?
A.)If by climb you mean reaching the summit of a peak, then I guess, I would put three climbs on the top side by side: Cerro Tore in South Patagonias, Argentina and GrandesJorasses North Face in Chamonix France and the winter ascent of Khan Tengri North Face in Kazakhstan, closely followed by my attempt on Eigar North face, Switzerland and climb of Mt Thor in Arctic Canada.

Q.)Extreme mountaineering is a dangerous sport. You yourself said 70% of your friends in the climbing world are dead. What is it that makes you want to go back?
A.)By the way, two more of my friends died just two days ago, I got the news today. Well, for me the mountains are my life, my passion and my addiction. I know sooner or later they will kill me but I cannot escape their fatal charm. I do it because only when I face death eye to eye do I feel really alive. When I hold my own life in my own hands and my skills and there is nothing else who is responsible or attributable to my situation only then I start feeling really in my elements. It’s a strange addiction

Q.)Tell us about your biggest achievements in life that you look back with pride.
A.)I would sight three biggest achievements: (a) Learning to climb mountains when I was 10 (b) Carrying the naval flag on top of Everest in 2004 with a team of novices and returning without any casualties or major mishaps (c) Adopting a child and seeing her grow and ensuring that she got a good family to live in

Q.)What has been your biggest mistake and what lessons did you learn from it?
A.)I must have made million mistakes, but to sight one, or a few, whenever someone died in my expeditions due to the consequences of my decisions I have found that mistake as unforgiving. Each of their deaths lie very heavily on my conscience and will do so I guess till I live. But what I learnt out of them was that though we can shape our fate we cannot change our destiny and that to achieve anything in life, one must first begin with acceptance of certain fundamental facts

Q.)After 22 years at the Navy, you’ve decided to pursue management studies at IIMA. Explain.
A.)Well, academically I have no achievements so to speak (this has been a sore point with me all my life, since I admire people with academic excellence) and since I was on the verge of leaving the Navy and it offered me this course from IIM, A, I decided to do it so that I have a respectable degree. This is a special scheme for defense officers on the verge of retirement. And since I am still on Navy’s pay this is a good way to do a course. Once out I don’t think I would really have the drive to do a course of this stature. To tell you a secret, though it is extremely difficult to get into IIM A through normal selection process, for us, there is no such thing. And what really clinched the deal was that during these 24 weeks of the course I did not have any major expeditions planned. So I will end up with a decent degree, some amount of new knowledge and a great amount of self-satisfaction.

A.)Name one person you admire most and why?
I have always admired Swami Vivekananda… need I say more. His photo stands next to Lord Shiva on my study table

Q.)Talk to us about your other interests that you are passionate about.
A.)I am passionate about traveling and exploring places that are not on the map, all sorts of extreme sports (more life threatening the better) acquiring all sorts of diverse knowledge in an autodidactic fashion, writing, putting a smile on every face, magic, music and dreaming.

(Interview Courtesy : www.kiruba.com)

You can keep in touch with  Satyabarata Dam on his blog - http://satyabratadam.blogspot.com/