Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (MS)

Kundapur, Jun 7: Out of the nine trekkers who lost their lives while trekking at Sahasthra Taal (Lake) in Uttarakhand, Padmanabha Bhat (50), a resident of Bengaluru, hails from Kumbashi in Kundapur taluk.

Padmanabha Bhat, the son of Krishnamurthy Bhat and Satyavati, is survived by his wife, son, and daughter. The ancestral house of the deceased Padmanabha Bhat is Sri Harihara Nilaya on Koravadi Road in Kumbashi, where his uncle now resides.

Padmanabha pursued his education in Bengaluru. After completing his CA, he joined a private company and was sent to the USA by the company, where he completed his CPA. Upon returning from the USA, he continued his service with the same private company in Bengaluru.

Padmanabha had a passion for travel and trekking, often embarking on tours with his colleagues. On May 29, he went trekking in the mountains of Uttara Kashi in Uttarakhand state with a team of 22 people.

The team successfully completed the trek but while descending from a height of 15,000 feet on June 4, they encountered sudden cold breeze blowing at a speed of 100 km/hour. The wind tore apart the jerkins worn by the team members, making it impossible for them to hold onto any grip to survive the high-velocity cold wave. The four-hour-long cold wave devastated the situation, resulting in the loss of nine lives, while some managed to survive.

Padmanabha Bhat had a deep attachment to Kumbashi, his native place, and contributed to the development of the Kumbashi Sri Harihara temple, where his family members offered pooja. He also offered a bronze facial cover to Maladi Sri Nandikeshwara Daiva near Tekkatte. He intended to hold a big programme in memory of his father in December 2024.

The team also included two women who had scaled the mountain 34 times but unfortunately perished in the cold wave. If the cold wave had struck an hour later, all would have survived.

The Uttarakhand administration and the Indian Army carried out the operation to retrieve the mortal remains from the mountain. The Karnataka government has also made arrangements to bring back its tourists from Uttarakhand.