Under a starlit African sky, Dungar Singh Rathore tightened his boots for the final push up Kilimanjaro. “The wind sliced through the darkness, my breath hung like mist in the frozen air, and every step felt heavier than the last,” he recalls. Yet, with the national flag and a Rotary flag tucked safely in his backpack and grit in his heart, he pressed upward with his guide and five other Indian climbers. Hours later, at 19,341ft, Africa’s highest peak lay beneath him.
Trekking has been a lifelong passion for Rathore, secretary of RC Jodhpur Midtown, RID 3053. But Kilimanjaro was more than another adventure, “it was my boldest challenge yet,” he says. Battling altitude sickness, numbing cold and punishing climbs, he embodied what he calls “the Rotary rhythm — discipline, consistency and the courage to keep moving forward.”
In 2022, he reached the Everest Base Camp at 17,598ft, and Rathore pushed himself even further this year, conquering Kilimanjaro’s Uhuru Peak at 19,341ft, nearly 1,800ft higher. “Kilimanjaro was not just about stamina. It was about believing in myself, and in the values of perseverance, fellowship and positivity that Rotary has taught me,” he reflects.
Back home in Jodhpur, dawn begins with the footsteps of a small Rotary walking group. PDG Priyesh Bhandari, AG Saurabh Rathi, club president Rajesh Narula, club members Lalit Garg and Sushil Nahar gather with Rathore every morning for a brisk walk, laughter, and camaraderie. On the mountain, when exhaustion threatened to stop him, “it was their invisible presence that kept me going. I could almost hear their voices, encouraging me and keeping the rhythm alive. The energy we shared every morning was what carried me to the summit.”
The hardest part of the climb came in the final stretch, “a midnight start in biting sub-zero cold, trekking in pitch darkness towards Stella Point. Every step was a battle with fatigue and thin air.” Finally Rathore found himself on Uhuru Peak, overwhelmed by “a mix of exhaustion, gratitude and quiet joy.” He unfurled the National flag and then the Rotary flag.
For his club, the ascent was more than a personal victory. “Rathore has done something extraordinary, not just scaling a mountain, but proving that the Rotary motto Service Above Self also extends to self-mastery,” says Rajesh Narula. “He is a true inspiration to us all. His achievement has sparked conversations among Rotaractors and young members in Jodhpur about fitness, resilience and pushing boundaries.”
Like many trekkers, Rathore’s eyes are on Mount Everest now. “The lesson is not just about chasing peaks. When you stand at the top, looking at the horizon, you realise every mountain, whether on the earth or in life, is climbed the same way. One determined step at a time, and when those steps are supported by your Rotary family, even the impossible becomes possible,” he smiles.