​26 year old Mountaineer and Cyclist Debarshi Sinha believes strengthening one’s mind is essential in adventure sports.

As a kid, Debarshi Sinha was diagnosed with a heart ailment that hindered her from participating in any kind of sport. Even running short distances exhausted her completely. "As I grew up, I sensed an urge to come out of the cocoon and signed up for a rock climbing course in Jadavpur University," recalls the gritty 26-year-old.

There has been no looking back since. Physical constraints not withstanding, the spirited climber happily trots on lesser travelled mountain trails and paddles around the country like a pro. A trainee of the esteemed Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, she has climbed three peaks- Mt. Menthosa (6440 mts), Mt. Yunum (6111 mts) and Mt. Rhenock (5030 mts) so far. But her quest for adventure doesn't end with mountains alone. Inspired by Kolkata based veteran cyclist Lipika Biswas, she recently ventured out on a 500 km journey from Siliguri to Guwahati via Bongaigaon-Goalpara on her Trek DS 3. Debarshi hopes to take up longer routes in the near future.

We caught up with the adventure enthusiast from Chandennagore on the occasion of International Women’s Day

What are some of the gender specific challenges that you have to face?

Physically, safety and sanitation are some of the major impediments that come in our way. As a woman, I look forward to a day when I’ll be commended for the distances I have covered and not judged on the basis of my cycling attire.

I have been asked often if I feel scared. On the contrary, my activities act as a major confidence booster as I do it for my own self, and try to keep away from other perspectives as much as I can.

Are more women taking up mountaineering and cycling professionally?

There still prevails some stigma around women pursuing adventure sports. I have seen women signing up for a course and then backing out due to more reasons than one. Many succumb to societal pressure and negative comments. There exists no such woman specific association for cyclists and mountaineers. It is a fact that females have lesser physical sustenance as compared to males, but the differences fade when you venture out and take up a new challenge.