It’s that time of the year when people look forward to celebrate the season of joy. But this is not without undergoing the lengthy and arduous task of cleaning up the years’ mess inside and outside homes.
The lengthiest of the clean-up task is cleaning the windows. The job is tough, especially when one has to include working at heights and cross into risky territory. After all, climbing a ladder with a bucket of water is neither easy nor advisable as it poses a slip-and-fall hazard.
Window cleaning is an incredibly dangerous job, requiring specialised skills, equipment, and safety procedures, which only trained climbers could do with ease.
Observing these challenges, general secretary of the Meghalaya Sport Climbing and Mountaineering Association (MeSCMA), Wallambok Lyngdoh found a way to ease residents of the city by setting up an agency to clean windows of tall set ups and residential houses.
Wallambok told Highland Post that the idea to set up an agency was of his brother, Late Lakitbok Lyngdoh who was national sport climber and a certified rescue trainer.
Taking his brother’s dream forward he founded the agency in 2007, five years after the association was formed in 2002. With trained members it made it a lot easier for Wallambok to carry the work further and to support the climbers in terms of finance and training. Most of the window cleaners are certified mountaineers, national judges, route setters and belayers.
“It is my personal agency to support my living and also support my students in times of need, especially getting them trained to use equipment and techniques of cleaning,” Wallambok said.
With the skill and experience, these trained climbers have been engaged to clean windows of big institutions such as NEIGRIHMS, PHE and many other private buildings.
“Most climbers who participated in competitions and completed mountaineering courses get to clean windows when there are no events. In this way our climbers get the opportunity to train themselves physically,” Lyngdoh said, adding that only climbers who have participated in the competitions and completed mountaineering courses are engaged to clean windows after extra training.
With only the artificial climbing wall at the Assam Regimental Centre that the association could utilise when in need, scaling heights of buildings is what keeps these climbers physically fit, find resilience, endurance, flexibility and balance.
Established in 2002, MeSCMA has about 60 members actively supported by the Indian Army in terms of providing them with the infrastructure for training and preparations to participate in climbing events.
Wallambok said the association utilises government grants and contributions of members as yearly subscription or donations to fund climbers to take part in climbing expeditions and events. “We are confident that the State can produce world class climbers should our association be granted our own climbing wall of international standard and seek government assistance in helping us to achieve our goals and promote sport climbing amongst our youths,” he said.
As a seasoned climber, Wallambok sees potential in the youths of the hilly State. He said the youth of Meghalaya have the natural strength and talent and the association aims to generate interest and guide them to become good sportsmen, explorers and adventurers.
