“I have a phobia of heights and reptiles, and I want to overcome my phobias; I believe that if you think there is something you can’t do, then you should absolutely do it. So, I signed up for the Commando training programme,” says Mala Mansukhani, 62 years young, winner of the Mrs. Courageous title in the Mrs. Gladrags 2006 contest. A well-deserved title. Her description of the valley-crossing during the commando training program would make a teenager shiver with fright. “The terrain was uneven, the wind was lashing at us, we were cold, but I did it,” she says proudly. Mala believes that women should be mentally, physically and spiritually strong, but at the same time “we should keep challenging ourselves to know our true potential and our powers.”

“We are more powerful than we know…I first conquered my fear of heights when I did the Kalsubai Mountain range in Maharashtra at the age of 57; it is the highest range in Maharashtra. I have been running Marathons since I was 47, I have done cross-fitness, yoga….” she informs. But that was not enough for her. So, she signed up for the 5-day camp, which is about 12 kms from Della. She preferred minimum information about the camp. “When we have too much information, we think and analyze too much, and I don’t like that.” She was prepared to be surprised. And the worst surprise, funnily enough, was sleep deprivation. “I can give up everything except my night’s sleep,” she laughs. “We slept at 11 pm and we were woken up at 2 am. They don’t inform you of the plans beforehand; everything is last minute and you can’t protest or argue; if you do you are penalized if you are even a few seconds late—10 pushups if you argue and 20 if you continue arguing. And I didn’t have my glasses—I have a minor vision problem…. And we had to climb up a mountain. But, well, I did it.”

The advantage of the night trek was you get to learn to figure out directions by looking at the night sky. “If you are in a terrorist attack, and if you are in the middle of the forest, how are you going to find your way out? The stars and the moon help you…” Mala also bathed with stinging cold water, went rappelling. “With one hand; in your other hand you are supposed to be holding a gun….” she states. But her mania for fitness and her years of training kept her going. And rappelling, valley crossing and rock-climbing helped her conquer her fear of heights.

Mala highly recommends the programme. “You learn to find or make water if there is none, you learn to start a fire, you learn to live in rough conditions, you eat on the ground, you learnt to make different kinds of knots with ropes, we learnt some self-defense techniques. and I also got over my fear of reptiles,” she adds. “I held a snake in my hands, a small one, but it was a big step for me….”

Mala believes in stepping out of the comfort zone. “You just have to make the new thing you are attempting a part of y our life, and then you get used to it.” At 62, she was the oldest young person in a group of 14 whose ages ranged from 19 to 45. “It was an honour for me to receive appreciation from Lt Col Sohan Roy, who is a legendary motorcyclist, and winning hero of the batch title.” As a bonus she also got over her fear of dogs. “There was this dog who escorted us throughout, even when we trekked at 2 am….. At the end of the programme, I was feeding her, petting her; we became friends.”

Overcoming fears, taking on new challenges at 62 is rare. “But age is only a number,” Mala concludes, “it’s all in your mind.”

About Mala Mansukhani:

Mala Mansukhani is a fashion designer, a philanthropist, an ACSM certified marathon trainer and the founder of a unique organization called, “Grow Younger”. Grow Younger is Mala’s most proud endeavour and it’s focused towards promoting fitness and good health among women above the age of 50 years.

In a short time her Grow Younger has touched the lives of thousands of women across the country. Her outstanding initiative has been featured in prominent newspapers, magazines and in radio channels. Now at the age of 60 years, she continues to walk the ramp to promote fitness among women of her age group, she runs marathon and recently even climbed the highest peak in Maharashtra. Being an absolute inspiration she is the chairperson of the Women Empowerment Welfare Committee (RGAA), an GIAA 2018 awardee and is recognized as a fitness icon and a woman of substance by the Mind Body and Soul foundation.