Meet the future frontrunners

‘Iwas 16 at that time”, says Shivangi Pathak, who became the youngest Indian to climb Mount Everest in May last year, for which she was awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in January.

Talking about the uphill task that her journey was, she says, “I was carrying at least 20kg load on my back, it was really difficult for me to get there but I never lost hope. On such climbs, you are expected to carry your own stuff and this 20kg includes food, oxygen cylinder, harness, water, tent and other equipment. I remember I was accompanied by a guide all the time as I was the youngest in the group.”

It was when she turned 14 that she started dreaming of climbing Mount Everest. “I happened to attend a seminar with my mom around that time. Sessions were being held on what mountaineering is exactly and who all are the known names from this area. Since I was always inclined towards sports, I enjoyed that session and my mum jokingly told me that I should also climb the Mount Everest some day. That really left an impression in my mind. That day, I Googled all about it—about the courses, the famous personalities in this file. I told my parents that I wanted to try my hand at it, and they encouraged me to go ahead.”

In April 2017, she got herself enrolled in a mountaineering course at the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering in Kashmir. She says, “I scored alpha grade and my mentor told my mum that I was fit to climb the mountains; that I was born to do that. Then I pursued an advanced course from the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering.”

Initially, it was difficult for her to juggle between studies and her training. “I used to wake up and practice from five in the morning to eight and then go to school and sit for exams. It used to dedicate at least six hours a day to training.”

When preparing for the climb, Shivangi was focused on improving her fitness, both physically and mentally. “I had to work a lot on losing weight at that time. I had to cut down on fast food entirely and switch to boiled food. I had to cut off my long hair also, as it was a problem while training. Another thing, it is not just physical fitness that is required before taking on such projects, but mental fitness is also necessary. I used to meditate a lot to gain that mental strength.”

The climb was scheduled for March 2018, and she was to take the Nepal side of the route up Mount Everest. “I remember it was 29 March. I had a flight from Kathmandu for the Mount Everest climb… It took me 41 days to reach the top of the mountain. And when I finally made it to the top, I realised that the dream I had been pursuing from last two years had finally come true. I had our national flag in my hands and I sang our national anthem there. It was a really proud moment for me.” Speaking about her future plans, Shivangi says, “I do have big plans for the future but since mountaineering is not counted as a sport, it becomes difficult to get proper funding or sponsorship. I am just waiting for the sponsors. After that I will soon be moving on to other similar projects.” Awardedinthe‘sports’category, forclimbingmounteverest