At the beginning of the year 2003, I set a goal to complete five pinnacles that year. Fortunately, I was able to attempt all five and successfully completed four of them. The one I couldn't complete was due to a natural calamity—an attack by honey bees. As far as Bhramanti's attempt is concerned, we had tried to scale Hadbichi Shendi during Dussehra, but the attempt failed due to a shortage of equipment. This time, we were determined to succeed—barring any natural hazards.

On 24th December 2003, we gathered all the necessary equipment and reached CST (Mumbai) to catch the Mahanagari Express. It was truly a nightmare for all of us to board the train. One could witness a chain of money-making activities at the station, involving: Coolies (porters), Railway police, Hijras (transgender individuals soliciting money). Although we tried our best to get into the train by any means possible to get some rest before the climb, unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

We finally departed from CST at 12:15 AM on 25th December 2003 and reached Manmad Station at 5:15 AM. We rested at the station for a while, had tea and breakfast, and then continued. From Manmad East, following the Manmad–Daund railway direction, we took an auto-rickshaw to the base of the Hadbichi Shendi Pinnacle. Locally, it is famously known as “Thumbs Up!” The pinnacle resembles a samurai—its shape is truly unique. It took us 25 minutes to reach the base..

After some rest and route analysis by Deepak (our Climbing Manager), we began the climb at 9:30 AM. I was the lead climber, Kiran was the second, and Deepak was the third. There were pitons in decent condition along the entire route.

In the first phase, there’s a tree that can be used for anchoring, along with two pitons. After that, you need to climb another 15 feet, where you’ll encounter three loosely stacked rocks. You must stand on these loose rocks and perform a pull-up to tackle an 8-foot boulder. A good piton is available at that point.

Next is a straightforward 15-foot climb, where a bolt can be found for anchoring. Upon reaching this spot, you have two options: carefully tackle an overhang on the left or stretch and pull yourself up from the right side of the ledge. I chose a slightly different route—I first moved to the right, placed a piton, and then traversed left to navigate around the overhang. I consider this one of the most satisfying moves of the climb, as the exposure on both sides added a bit of psychological pressure.

The final section was a tabletop move. I reached the summit at 2:55 PM. A sturdy peg was already fixed horizontally in the rock. Within the next 30 minutes, the rest of the team had also reached the top. We had a photo session followed by a short food break.

From the top—and even from the base of the pinnacle—one can see several forts, such as Ankai and Tankai, in the southeast direction.

We returned to the base by 4:30 PM, packed up all our equipment, had lunch, and then descended to the roadside. We walked for about an hour until we reached the railway crossing; by then, it was already dark. Fortunately, we managed to get an auto-rickshaw from the crossing to Manmad Station.

We also caught one of the late trains—Kamayani Express—at 8:00 PM. Within five minutes, we were all fast asleep and woke up at Kalyan. From there, we reached home early the next morning.


From the top—and even from the base of the pinnacle—one can see several forts, such as Ankai and Tankai, in the southeastern direction.

We returned to the base by 4:30 PM, packed up all our equipment, had lunch, and then descended to the roadside. We walked for about an hour until we reached the railway crossing; by then, it was already dark. Fortunately, we managed to get an auto-rickshaw from the crossing to Manmad Station.

We caught one of the late trains—the Kamayani Express—at 8:00 PM. Within five minutes, we were all fast asleep and woke up at Kalyan. From there, we reached home early the next morning.