Twenty-four youngsters, mostly from underprivileged families in the State, returned to the city after finishing the third level of ‘Mission Mt. Everest’ with their confidence levels boosted as they can now be called mountaineers.
The team, including women, also became the first group with the highest number of members from south India to ascend the B.C. Roy peak (18,000 ft) in West Bengal on December 9.
After descending the mountain on December 14, each of them was officially declared a mountaineer in the graduation ceremony.
Sharing her experience at a press conference, Pravathi from Nellore district said: “To start with, the first-ever flight journey to Darjeeling itself gave me a great feel. At the training institute, we first struggled to get used to the low temperature and the mountaineering course but were able to cope with it. I am proud to be a part of the team.”
Another participant, Ramana from Vizianagaram, said: “Most of us had faced the high altitude problems such as severe headache, vomiting and others. But later we were able to trek the B.C. Roy peak for five days and finally reached the top on the sixth day which was an unforgettable experience. I have been dreaming of climbing the Mt. Everest since 2012 but found no way to realise it. Now, though I may get the chance to do it or not I am happy to be part of this.”
G. Komal Kishore, Special Commissioner, Youth Services, said to instil a sense of confidence and achievement in the youth, especially from the underprivileged section, the department had selected 121 youths from all districts after initial scrutiny.
“All of them were trained at Kondapally and 25 of them were selected for training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. At the end of the course, they climbed the B.C. Roy peak successfully,” she said.
In the next phase, nine of the 25 would be selected and trained in extreme weather and mountain conditions apart from physical endurance training.
Of the nine, five would be selected for the final trek to reach the Mt. Everest which would be between April and May next year, she said.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awardee and head of Transcend Adventures B. Shekhar Babu, who is heading the mission, said the candidates underwent the toughest training during the mountaineering course and all of them made it to the B.C. Roy peak. However, as per the government decision, five persons would be taken to the Mt. Everest trek based on their performance in training sessions.
He said each of the participants was insured for Rs. 1 crore. Ms. Komal Kishore said the department was spending about Rs. 3 crore on the mission and it would consider recommending the candidates for jobs and further education.
