Vikarabad student scales Mount Everest

Vikarabad: GuntalaThirupati Reddy, a 23-year-old resident of Yellakonda village in the district, has made his fellow Telanganites proud when hereached the summit of Mount Everest in the early hours of May 22. He showcased his patriotism by proudly holding the national flag on the summit.

• He successfully made it to the peak in the early hours of May 22

• He supports parents by driving an auto,while pursuing graduation

• His father mortgaged farmland for Rs 5 lakh to help expedition

• Expedition required Rs 30 lakh for expenses. Donors pitched in

Thirupati had begun the journey, with the help of a sherpa, on April 8 and scaled the peak from the south side of the mountain. His journey is more note-worthy because of his family's financial status and the struggles he faced to achieve this dream of his life.

The youth who has completed his ITI and is pursuing his graduation in Shankarpallim drives an auto to help his parents Guntala Gopal Reddy and Guntala Anita make both ends meet. The family owns one acre of agricultural land and is a relatively low-income family.

Undeterred by his financial status, Thirupati made it his goal to scale all seven highest peaks in the seven continents of the world. He completed a climbing course at Bhuvanagiri Rock Climbing School and even trained in a month-long mountaineering course at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling.

With the help of donations from his schoolteachers and ex-sarpanch of Shankarpalli, S Athmalingam, he has managed to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mt Kosciuszko in Australia – two of the seven summits in the world. Besides these international achievements, he has also scaled Mt Renak, one of the highest peaks in Sikkim. But to undertake an expedition to Mt Everest, a grand sum of Rs 30 lakh was required which had temporarily halted the arduous journey of this enthusiast.

In order to support his son's dream, his father Gopal Reddy mortgaged his farmland and acquired a sum of Rs 5 lakh.Subsequently,Thirupati's dream took shape when Transcend Adventures Mountaineering and Trekking Services, a company based in Telangana, extended him a financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh. Winners Foundation, an organisation formed by the employees of Bharat Dynamic Limited (BDL), also contributed Rs 2.5 lakh.

Arikatudi Raghu, the president of Winners Foundation,told The Hans Indiathat they had decided to support Thirupati for the reason that, "he's a very hard-working lad. He used to request local donations from philanthropists to support his dream and that's how we came across him." "We are very proud of him and we hope he will conquer all the remaining four peaks too," he added. Thirupati is currently on his downward journey from the peak of Eve • GuntalaThirupati Reddy, 23, hails from Yellakonda in district