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HAPPENINGS

By Sumera Mumtaz
Fri, 10, 16

Being a medical student, my mundane routine doesn’t allow me to actively participate in co-curricular activities. However, Markhor transformed me; I am no longer a ‘kitab ka keerha’.

Living on the edge

Being a medical student, my mundane routine doesn’t allow me to actively participate in co-curricular activities. However, Markhor transformed me; I am no longer a ‘kitab ka keerha’.

What is Markhor

Pakistan’s premium wilderness based youth leadership conference, this unique gathering uses wilderness as a catalyst to prepare the youth for taking leadership roles in their communities and personal lives. The entire theme is based on the exemplary behaviour of the animal, markhor. The animal symbolises nobility and pride as it survives weather conditions and adapts accordingly by taking responsibilities.

HAPPENINGS

Each year, thousands of individuals between 17-25 years of age, who have not started their professional career, apply for this conference. This year, only 86 out of       3500 delegates speaking 16 different languages were selected from over 52 different institutions and 42 different cities. They were grouped into 10 tribes with a ‘shepherd’ as their group leader. Those tribes were named after the following attributes: selflessness, empathy, responsibility, positivity, forgiveness, giving, altruism, compassion, impact and creativity.

24th September

Imagine yourself lost in a place where leopards are a common sight. How would you react? That’s my first memory of Markhor ‘16. Having travelled from the Ibex Club, Islamabad, to Donga Gali, keeping up with security checks, registrations and orientations with our respective leaders, this is what the CEO of youth impact, Mr. Samad, told the group as they began hiking for the two-day overnight camping. We were petrified, but more than that we were high on adrenaline, excited to prove our mettle! Nothing could dampen our spirits, not even the rain which followed us all the way to the Mushkpuri Peak (9240 ft.)!

Luckily, I had joined a gym around 10 days before coming to Markhor. One of our tribe members, Ruhma, gave up. A horse was arranged for her and she joined us at the peak. Up there, everything was a surprise for us. As the first day came to an end, we sat around a bonfire and shared stories.

25th September

I was up just in time to watch dawn break over the horizon. Breakfast was followed by flag hoisting and singing Iqbal’s ‘lab pay aati hai dua ban kay tamanna meri’. You know early morning exercise is so old-fashioned when you can play games instead to feel fresh and energised. Winning the Snake Wall game taught my tribe that ‘hurdles never come in a particular order in life’, that we have to ‘stretch our boundaries as great things exist out of comfort zone’ and that ‘planning matters a lot’.

Then we cleaned the hills by picking up garbage to maintain the natural beauty of the place. The Markhor ‘16 had brought along motivational speakers, professionals, philanthropists and outdoor experts who discussed and debated the challenges we are facing. All this left us little time to prepare our skits for the Dewan session. No wonder that we couldn’t remember our scripts and perform spontaneously.  Yet, it was a great experience: there was an extraordinary outburst of talent at the session; all tribes had awesome ideas. Never in my life had I experienced such diversity.

HAPPENINGS

And, guess what? We had a visitor that night. A roaring voice woke us up, but before we had a chance to take a sneak peak at it, the security guards - always alert at their positions - shooed it away :)

26th September

We set off for Mushkpuri Peak-2 in a single file. We sat on the peak, eyes closed, listening intently to the sounds from far-off valleys, feeling the cool breeze on our hot brows. Nature was our teacher there. There were no boundaries, neither physical nor mental.

There were different stations - 2016, 2026, 2036, 2046 and 2056 - where we pondered over different questions. This session meant a lot to me. My plan is to pursue FCPS after MBBS; but, what next? How would I impact people? What would I be remembered for?

While moving from 2046 to 2056, I got lost. I could still see the peak where we were supposed to report. The hill was steep, and I was breathless and all sweaty. I stopped, unzipped my jacket and sweater, sat on a rock. I took a sip of water and had a bite of chocolate to maintain my sugar level, and I prayed ‘Ay Allah! Agar main yahan bhataktee hui mar jaoun tou meri dead body ghar walon ko mil jaye’ (Oh God, if I die here lost, may my family get my dead body). I took long breaths and started hiking again. It took me 10 minutes straight when I saw a silhouette ahead. When I told them my ordeal, Mushkpuri-2 Peak echoed with laughter.

We hiked down to Mushkpuri hotel. Unfortunately, I got sick and was advised to take rest.

27th September

I woke up on the last day with a mixed bag of emotions. As I packed my bag, I silently cursed myself for not having a camera to capture the splendid beauty around me. Today was special; we received awards for our participation and for the completion of our respective tasks. Altruism won the ‘Best Tribe’ honour; ‘Marklhor Icon’ was given to Maria, Aimen, Hassan, Salman and me. ‘Facebook Award’ went to Samina whereas Mahjabeen took home the ‘Connector Award.’

HAPPENINGS

Eventually the conference came to an end and we had to leave the glory of Mother Nature to return to our worlds jahan (humein) hazaron shamm’aein jalani hain (where we have to light thousands of candles).

In conclusion

This wilderness in alpine environment made us rethink life and through companionship we fostered deep connection with people of our age from all over Pakistan. What are we doing beyond ourselves to sustain our surroundings and how can we empower the weak and look up for solution to problems are two things Markhor helped us find answers to.

After connecting to nature, I felt more confident. I have become a part of various surveys, joined some non-profit welfare organisations to play my role effectively in society. Markhor made me challenge stereotypical mindsets. It was also the platform where I got a chance to make friends. We learned that team work is the name of the game; there is no ‘I’ in the team. Last but not the least, this conference inculcated in me the respect for diversity including regional, ethnic, religious, gender and social differences.

Thank you Markhor for giving me a new perspective and company of great people for life!