I am the first one to paddle in Nubra Valley, near Khardung La, says Chennaiite

M Kumaran, an eco conservationist and stand-up paddler from Chennai has added another feather to his cap after he paddled in Tsoltak Lake in Leh which is at a height of 16,618 feet from the sea level. But that was not all — he immediately followed it up with another paddling attempt in Nubra Valley, which is near to Khardung La Pass, one of the highest motorable roads in the world.Kumaran is already a three-time Limca Book of Records holder in stand-up paddling and he says that all his efforts are to promote the sport and also sensitise people about our water bodies.
Kumaran, who currently works in Gurgaon, started off from Delhi to Leh via Manali by road early this month. “The first challenge was to fight the altitude sickness leaving me with headache and shortness of breath. First, I got acclimatized to the conditions at Leh for a few days before I went on to do stand-up paddling in Tsoltak Lake. A few days later, I paddled for about 45 minutes and thus became the first person to paddle in Tsoltak Lake,” says Kumaran, who is now in Chennai.
The successful attempt in Tsoltak Lake gave him confidence to try out paddling in Nubra Valley. It is where the Shyok River meets the Nubra River. He says, “From the valley, I paddled 5km downstream in Shyok River, which originates from the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. From the origin, the river flows towards south east. But at one point it kind of takes a U-turn and flows to north west and goes to Pakistan.”
The Shyok River is also called the river of death because of treacherous currents. “There were rapids and that was really challenging. This apart, the temperature of the water always remains very low as the river originates from a glacier. That keeps the water extremely cold and a fall in the water would result in hypothermia, a dangerous drop in body temperature. But my experience paddling in choppy sea waters helped me maintain balance and ensured that I didn’t fall off the paddle board. This is again a first-time attempt by anyone in Shyok River. I have documented both the attempts and I will be soon applying for Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Records,” says Kumaran.
So, what’s next? “I am going for a continuous 75-day expedition from Devprayag to the mouth of Ganges. I will be paddling with an international team and the expedition will start on October 16. Of course, we’re trying to create a record, but more than that we’re looking to create awareness about the need to save Ganges from pollution,” concludes Kumaran.