In May 2014, Poorna Malavath, just a month shy of her fourteenth birthday, created history by becoming the youngest female in the world to scale Mount Everest.
Gearing up for the release of the biopic Poorna , Malavath, who was in Bengaluru for the promotion of the film, discusses her inspirational journey, the difficulties she faced during the expedition and what kept her going. (The interview was conducted in Telugu)
How does it feel having a movie made that tells your story?
I’m so happy. It’s about my story and so many people will be inspired by it. And I’m going to see my life story on screen so I’m very excited.
Was climbing Everest a lifelong dream?
No, it wasn’t a lifelong dream. I got the opportunity from the social welfare school and RS Praveen Kumar sir. There was a selection process, and I started in Bhongir Rock Climbing School. 110 students participated in that, and out of those, 20 were selected for the next phase of training, and finally, two of us were selected.
What kind of training did you undergo and how long did you train for?
I trained for 8 months. The first three months was mainly jogging exercises, yoga and meditation. Then there was ice and snow training, and rock climbing.
Which other peaks did you climb before Everest?
Mount Renock in Sikkim.
Was your family supportive?
From childhood, they’ve always encouraged me a lot. But I’m their only daughter so they were scared that something might happen, my mother cried before I left.
Before you set off for your expedition, Anand ( her co-climber) and you received news that there was an avalanche on the Nepalese side and 17 Sherpas died. Did that scare you at all or make you want to go back?
I wasn’t scared, but Praveen sir called and asked us to come back because there might be a problem. But we never give up so there was no question of going back.
Was there any piece of advice that Praveen sir offered that stayed with you?
He is my role model and I got this opportunity because of him. He gave the name Swaeroes to the social welfare school students, like Poorna Swaeroe. ‘SW’ stands for ‘Social Welfare’ and ‘Aeroes’ for us means ‘sky is the limit’. We have ten commandments in our school, and for Anand annayya (brother) and me, the ten commandments were like a prayer during the expedition.
What did you take with you when you went up?
I took the National flag, the Telangana flag, my school society’s flag (Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society), Ambedkar’s photo, and SR Shankaran’s (Former IAS officer who established the social welfare schools) photo. And we took oxygen tanks from the base camp.
What about food?
We carried snacks and we got South Indian food at the base camp. But when we went up, we had to eat packaged food like biryani and I don’t like biryani. We were vomiting because the food didn’t sit well with us so I managed with chocolates, dry fruits, and liquids.
During the expedition, did you come across anything you weren’t prepared for, anything that scared you?
Around Mt. Everest there were only mighty mountains. But when I was coming back down, I saw six dead bodies and my legs shivered. I had already summited and I was coming back, but I still thought that maybe that could have happened to me.
What was the first thing that went through your mind when you reached the top?
When I reached the top, I was really happy because I fulfilled the dream of Praveen Kumar sir and I proved that girls can do anything. And I hoisted the flags.
When did you contact your family to let them know you had made it?
I called sir from a satellite phone when I reached the top and I called my parents when I came to the base camp. They were very happy that I was safe and that I had succeeded.
What are your plans for the future? Any more peaks you want to scale?
I climbed Kilimanjaro last year on August 15 in 2016. I’m planning on climbing again, but haven’t decided which mountain it will be. But my life goal is to become an IPS officer.
Do you have any words of advice for all the young girls who might read this interview?
We get very few opportunities, so when you do get an opportunity you must utilize it. A lot of people will keep telling you that ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ but we can do everything because we are born winners and anything is possible.
