TNN BENGALURU: Coming from a family that was in the timber business in Assam, Bhavjot Kaur spent a lot of time living in jungle cabins in the lush hills of the North East. Her love for the outdoors started right then, says the 29-year-old cofounder of Clinikk Heathcare, a Bengalurubased startup.
A trained geoscientist from IIT Roorkee, this 29-year-old began her career as an operations and production geoscientist with Royal Dutch Shell. That gave her the opportunity to travel across West Asia, Europe, USA and even war-torn Iraq. But it was her "soul-stirring experience" in the land caves in Nerja, Spain, that introduced her to spelunking, the hobby of exploring cave systems. "When I first saw the caves in Nerja, I was blown away. I knew I had to see more such around the world," says Kaur.
Exploring land caves and underground ones are two different experiences. "In a land cave, you trek or walk. But to explore underground caves, you need be a good swimmer," she says. It was then that Kaur had to conquer her fear of water.
"I travelled to Mexico, known for its huge network of underground caves. I realised that to explore them, I needed to be a certified diver," she says. Kaur then took lessons from expert divers to become a certified cavern diver and went ahead to explore underground caves in Mexico and Malaysia. Next on her bucket list is exploring shipwrecks in Lakshadweep.
Though cavern diving is extremely exciting, it's not for everyone, Kaur says. Being a dangerous sport, taking unnecessary risks could mean death. Following instructions, negotiating narrow pathways and stalactite formations with caution, having proper diving gear and a very good diving instructor are a must.
"There's an entire process including detailed dive plans, informing buddies if rescue is needed, among other procedures," she says. The risk in cave-diving is compounded by the fact that a diver cannot swim vertically to the surface due to the cave's ceilings but has to swim till the cave's mouth in order to get out.Other hazards include getting lost, high silt content that impedes visibility and strong water currents.
Kaur's hobby , she says, has helped her develop courage and determination, not to mention an understanding of 'measured risk', which have helped her negotiate her startup career. “It's how I have learnt to trust my gut feeling,“ she says.
A trained geoscientist from IIT Roorkee, this 29-year-old began her career as an operations and production geoscientist with Royal Dutch Shell. That gave her the opportunity to travel across West Asia, Europe, USA and even war-torn Iraq. But it was her "soul-stirring experience" in the land caves in Nerja, Spain, that introduced her to spelunking, the hobby of exploring cave systems. "When I first saw the caves in Nerja, I was blown away. I knew I had to see more such around the world," says Kaur.
Exploring land caves and underground ones are two different experiences. "In a land cave, you trek or walk. But to explore underground caves, you need be a good swimmer," she says. It was then that Kaur had to conquer her fear of water.
"I travelled to Mexico, known for its huge network of underground caves. I realised that to explore them, I needed to be a certified diver," she says. Kaur then took lessons from expert divers to become a certified cavern diver and went ahead to explore underground caves in Mexico and Malaysia. Next on her bucket list is exploring shipwrecks in Lakshadweep.
Though cavern diving is extremely exciting, it's not for everyone, Kaur says. Being a dangerous sport, taking unnecessary risks could mean death. Following instructions, negotiating narrow pathways and stalactite formations with caution, having proper diving gear and a very good diving instructor are a must.
"There's an entire process including detailed dive plans, informing buddies if rescue is needed, among other procedures," she says. The risk in cave-diving is compounded by the fact that a diver cannot swim vertically to the surface due to the cave's ceilings but has to swim till the cave's mouth in order to get out.Other hazards include getting lost, high silt content that impedes visibility and strong water currents.
Kaur's hobby , she says, has helped her develop courage and determination, not to mention an understanding of 'measured risk', which have helped her negotiate her startup career. “It's how I have learnt to trust my gut feeling,“ she says.
