Habs Jain Committee welcomes Kuntal Joisher via Zoom

On Thursday 10 February 2022, Habs Jain Assembly were delighted to welcome Kuntal Joisher to speak to a hall full of inspired students and teachers, all the way from Mumbai via Zoom.

Kuntal is the world’s first vegan to climb Mount Everest. He combines the distinction of being an accomplished mountaineer, a high-end computer science professional as well as a nutrition and fitness coach. His insatiable passion for mountaineering has led him to climb mountain ranges across the world, including the Western Ghats near Mumbai, the Northern Ice cap in Chile, and the Himalayas.

Kuntal has climbed to the top of Mt. Everest not once but twice, from both the Nepal side (in 2016), and the China side (in 2019). He regularly travels across the world to speak about his life-transforming journey of climbing Mt. Everest hoping to inspire everyone to pursue their dreams and passions. He certainly managed to stir curiosity, awe and inspiration amongst all students and teachers present in the assembly!

Kuntal described his motivation to climb Mount Everest, as well as the challenges he faced at each stage of the journey. He explained how the fundamental tenets of Jainism, including Ahimsa (non-violence) and Jivdaya (compassion to all living beings) inspired him to become a passionate vegan, which he has been following for over 19 years. Through his mountaineering feats, Kuntal creates awareness about the cruelty within the dairy and leather industry, and dispels the misconception of Vegan diet and lifestyle.

Finally, Kuntal’s message to Habs students was that each and everyone can find their own Everest by pursuing their own dreams and ambitions.

After the assembly, many students conveyed their compliments for the brilliant assembly, and said they were able to connect very well with Kuntal’s presentation. In fact, one student mentioned that it was the best faith assembly he had attended throughout his school life.

On behalf of the Habs Jain Assembly, I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to Kuntal Joisher for accepting our invitation and delivering his inspirational and uplifting talk. We really appreciate Kuntal sharing his personal journey on becoming the first vegan to climb Mount Everest.  

By Yash Shah (Head of the Habs Jain Committee)  

Watch the Habs Jain Assembly by clicking here.