A teenage all-rounder on ‘Mission Sahas’
Fourteen-year-old Kaamya Karthikeyan is the recipient of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar in 2021. Daughter of Indian Navy Commander S Karthikeyan and Lavanya Karthikeyan, Kaamya’s tryst with the mountains started when her mum made an unplanned trek to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu owing to a sudden highway block within the Jammu–Srinagar route.
In actual fact, Kaamya, who has not too long ago been honoured with a commendation by the Director Common, Nationwide Cadet Corps (NCC), has launched into the last word mountaineering problem — ‘The Explorers Grand Slam’ or ‘Mission Sahas’ — to change into the youngest on the earth to summit the very best peak in each continent and ski to the North and South poles.
As a part of Mission Sahas, Kaamya has already summited the very best peaks in South America (Mt. Aconcagua; 22,837 ft.), Africa (Mt. Kilimanjaro; 18,652 ft.), Europe (Mt. Elbrus; 18.510 ft.) and Australia (Mt. Kosciusko; 7,310 ft.). Endeavouring to finish the problem by 2023, Kaamya hopes to change into the world’s youngest to realize the feat at simply 15 years of age.
Apart from the above, Kaamya has achieved a number of unprecedented mountaineering feats, together with three world data. In August 2017 she turned the youngest lady to summit a peak about 20,000 ft. (6,000 m) by climbing the 20,187-ft. tall Mt. Stok Kangri. Making it appear to be a stroll within the park, this teenager, who summited Mt. Aconcagua in South America, has additionally skied down from the summit of Mt. Elbrus in Europe.
“Impressed by my father’s mountaineering actions, I began trekking the Sahyadris from the age of three. Mom additionally accompanies me on some expeditions. My Himalayan odyssey began at seven, with a excessive altitude trek to the Chandrashila Peak (12,000 ft.) in 2015,” says Kaamya.
Since then, she has graduated to tougher and better treks and peaks like Har-ki Dun, Kedarkantha, Brighu Lake, Sar Move and Roopkund Lake, and Mt. Mentok Kangri II in Ladakh. In Might 2017, Kaamya trekked to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal at 17,600 ft., to change into the second youngest lady on the earth to perform the feat. As not too long ago as September 2021, she launched into a daring climb of Mt. Trishul-I (23,359 ft.), a peak well-known for its rigours and risks.
“Sadly, the climb needed to be aborted at 19,000 ft. attributable to excessive unhealthy climate. However I’ve promised the mountains that I’ll come again and full the climb,” quips Kaamya.
In June 2022, Kaamya makes an attempt to summit Mt. Denali in Alaska, the very best peak of North America. She even goals to journey to Antarctica, and ski to the South Pole and North Pole. Mt. Everest, the last word problem within the ‘Explorers Grand Slam’, is slated to be achieved in Might 2023.
In preparation for the climbs forward, Kaamya undertook 45 days of rigorous coaching at Excessive Altitude Warfare College of the Indian Military at Gulmarg on 21 January. After enterprise a primary mountaineering course in Arunachal Pradesh, she plans to endure the superior course and coaching at Siachen base camp in February 2022.
An academically vibrant scholar, Kaamya has additionally been indulging in effective arts by studying to play the piano, guitar, Western and Carnatic vocals and giving on-stage performances of Bharatanatyam.
Summing up her motivating message in a single line, “If I can, you may,” Kaamya goes on so as to add a message for the Worldwide Mountain Day: “I see enormous prospects within the mountain journey tourism sector, bringing extra individuals to the mountains and visual enchancment within the lives of the straightforward individuals within the area. However as a accountable mountaineer, I strongly really feel that we have to lay equal give attention to sustainable mountain tourism, to make sure that within the pursuit for development, we don’t destroy the delicate mountain ecosystems and biodiversity. I need to see India and Indians set their mark within the mountaineering world.”
Defeated bronchial asthma to set world file
It didn’t happen to me, even in my wildest creativeness, that in the future I’ll climb the very best mountains and volcanoes all the world over or ski to the poles,” says 38-year-old Satyarup Siddhanta. “In spite of everything, how wild can a dream get for somebody who was asthmatic until his faculty days, somebody who couldn’t even run a 100-metre with out an inhaler?”
However seeds of journey germinated within the teenager throughout a trek in Tamil Nadu’s Parvathamalai. Quickly, he was exploring the Western Ghats the place he says greater desires of Everest have been conceived. And two and half years later, Satyarup was on the Everest Base Camp.
After quite a lot of ups and downs, failures and setbacks, Satyarup in the present day holds the Guinness Ebook of World Information for being the youngest conqueror of the world’s seven highest mountain peaks and 7 volcanic peaks throughout seven continents between 2012–2019, together with the Mount Everest, Mont Blanc and the Carstensz pyramid. He has additionally skied the final diploma to the South Pole and is making ready for the final diploma snowboarding for the North Pole in April.
Sharing his message on Worldwide Mountain Day, Satyarup says, “Mountains have made a greater human being out of me. Nonetheless, speedy urbanisation and exponentially rising unplanned tourism is placing quite a lot of strain on the security, safety and livelihood of native mountain individuals. Large deforestation with out replenishment is inflicting unprecedented landslides, retreating glaciers, frequent avalanches and local weather change. Sustainable mountain tourism have to be developed however not at the price of the ecology, wildlife and sanctity of the place. On this Worldwide Mountain Day, allow us to pledge to avoid wasting the treasure — our mountains.”
The vegan techie who scaled Mt Everest
A 40-year-old pc science skilled, Kuntal Joisher is an achieved mountaineer who has climbed Mt. Everest from each Nepal aspect (Might 2016) and China aspect (Might 2019). Aside from this, Kuntal has additionally scaled Mt. Lhotse in 2018 (the 4th highest mountain on the earth) and Mt. Manaslu (the eighth highest mountain on the earth).
Apart from mountaineering, Kuntal is obsessed with three causes — elevating consciousness about Dementia, spreading the message of veganism and schooling of the underprivileged in Nepal.
What stands out about him is that even the jacket he wore throughout his Everest expedition was 100% animal-free and partially produced from recycled supplies. Furthermore, he goals to climb the world’s seven highest summits on a totally vegan weight loss program.
“It’s popularly believed that one wants animal protein and milk merchandise for rigorous bodily actions like mountaineering. However I may practice, summit and maintain at excessive altitude with cruelty-free vegan weight loss program that usually contains vegetable stews and soups, fruits, lentils, wheat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles, dry fruits, nuts, diet bars, electrolytes and power powders, soy, oatmeal cookies and some native snacks,” says Kuntal.
The multitalented Kuntal can be a photographer whose works have featured within the Nationwide Geographic, BBC Earth and Himalayan Journal amongst others. He has additionally been named one in all India’s prime 30 health influencers.
“Throughout my journey of trekking and climbing, which spans over a decade, the mountains have been an incredible mentor to me and have reworked me. I request all the kids aspiring to climb the world’s hardest and tallest peaks to coach arduous, keep humble and above all respect the mountains, climb safely and revel in being with nature,” he says.
Solo at Mt. Manaslu, sans supplementary oxygen
Anurag Nallavelli, a 29-year-old techie from Hyderabad who works within the US, first took to the mountains when he received caught in a farm in the course of the pandemic-induced lockdown in March 2020. The mountains induced an enormous metamorphosis in his life-style. On 28 September 2021, Anurag turned India’s first mountaineer to summit Mt. Manaslu (the eighth highest mountain on the earth at 8,163 meters or 26,781 ft. above sea stage) solo, and not using a Sherpa information and even supplemental oxygen.
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