It’s the peak of thrill, says young mountaineer

13-year-old Malavath Poorna shares her experience with students

Thirteen-year-old Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl to climb the Mt. Everest,along with another mountaineer S. Anand Kumar, interacting with students inVisakhapatnam on Saturday. Photo: K. R. Deepak

Scores of students from various schools in the city listened in awe as 13-year-old Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl to climb the Mt. Everest, recounted her experiences of the expedition at Andhra University.

The stories of her trekking through the toughest terrains of the world’s tallest peak, her first experience in snow, the haunting thought of death and the mesmerising view of the universe with star-studded sky from the top of the peak – Poorna went on a journey that held the audience captivated.

Poorna and S. Anand Kumar (17), students of the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (APSWREIS) in Nizamabad district ascended the 29,029-foot peak from the Tibetan side. They both were felicitated by AU Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju at a programme organised here on Saturday.

“Before this expedition, I did not know there was something called ‘snow’. When I first stepped into the snow, the feeling was so overwhelming and I felt if there was anything called heaven, it was at that place!” said Poorna.

The duo went through a rigorous training in Darjeeling, scaling the Kanchenjunga Range, acclimatisation in minus 35 degree Celsius in mountain ranges surrounding Ladakh to finally making their way up to Mt. Everest. “After so many days, when I first saw the final summit, I just couldn’t wait to fly the National Flag,” said Poorna.

Biggest satisfaction

For Poorna, one of her biggest satisfaction was to see girl students get inspired from her achievement. “I want to encourage more students, especially girls, to challenge themselves and stride forward. If I can climb the highest peak of the world, any girl can. The only thing required is self-belief,” she told the students in an interactive session.

For many students, the two young mountaineers were a symbol of hope and ambition. “Hearing their stories I feel determined to attempt the feat. Nothing is impossible if you set your eyes on your goal like Poorna and work towards it,” said V. Priyanka, a student of Class X.

Echoing her feelings, many students took tips from the mountaineers and interacted with them at the end of the event.