New Delhi, May 2 -- In 1984, Siddharth Kak landed a ringside view into an expedition to Mount Everest as part of a film crew-at the heart of all the action, yet at a safe distance from it. Or so he thought.

India was looking to put the first woman on the summit. The newspaper advert that Kak, then 36, stumbled upon seemed too good to be true. A guided trip to the highest mountain in the world and an opportunity to find his feet in the world of filmmaking. Kak knew he had to go, ready or not.

Kak revisits all the drama that ensued, both on and off the mountain, in his new book, A Fire Over Mount Everest. "Forty years ago, Everest was dangerous and nothing like the assisted climbing of today. Not more than 200 people had set foot on the m...