Eyeing the summit

Jaahnavi Sriperambaduru, a 14-year-old mountaineer who has scaled Mount Elbrus last year, aims to scale the seven highest peaks in all the continents of the world, a record presently held by an 18-year-old American national

As I stood atop the mountain peak I was spell bound by the wondrous spectacle of brilliant daylight in one part of the world and the blanket of darkness on the other. After traversing through different terrain that included the misty flora and fauna of the rainforest region, Alpine pebbles and stark, arid deserts, the mountain top gave me this rare vision that is only possible at an elevation high up in the clouds,” enthuses Jaahnavi Sriperambaduru.

This was two years ago, when she set a world record by becoming the youngest mountaineer to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa (5,895m). “I am Indian” she asserted more than once to those she met on the way who looked at her with incredulous disbelief questioning her nationality when she chose the toughest of the six available routes to register her triumph. Since it was October 2, Jaahnavi placed a picture of Mahatma Gandhi alongside the national Tricolour to mark the first victory in her “Mission 7 Summit”.

The class nine student of Alwal, Secunderabad registered her second victory as she stood atop Mount Elbrus (5,642m) the highest peak in Europe as part of a 10 member Indian team earlier this year. Walking slowly during the last 100 metres, Jaahnavi says she ran up as she saw other members from her group click pictures and was absolutely elated to reach the top of one of the toughest peaks in the world.

Rough weather conditions, coping with emergencies, the risk of danger at various points are all things that she has practically grown up with. “My acclimatisation began when I was barely 10 months old as my father took me piggy back on one his climbs,” she recalls.

Her father, mentor and high altitude rescuer Dr S Krishna Rao took her trekking in local expeditions along with other children and she soon began guiding those older than her. After she received special permission to join a Himalayan winter expedition at the age of 10, Jaahnavi’s ambition to become a world class mountaineer was truly fuelled.

The frail girl trains hard to be physically and mentally fit for her arduous climbs and the gruelling regimen includes 20 km runs and cycling on alternate days and rock climbing with a 25kg back pack. The risks of mountain climbing, which include Altitude Mountain Sickness, Pulmonary Edema, Cerebral Edema and frost bite, do not deter her. “With proper protection, the right equipment and fitness, one can endure most problems and focus on the ultimate goal of being up there on the mountain top,” Jaahnavi informs.

The young girl, who excels academically is also a trained classical dancer and singer, even walked the ramp for designer Sanjana Jon recently. She is however, perturbed by the lack of sponsors to enable her scale the rest of the five peaks bringing laurels not just for her but for the country too.

As she gets ready to climb the third peak Mount Kosciuszko in Australia soon, she is troubled by the shortage of funds. The fact that she doesn’t belong to any backward or reserved category hasn’t gone in her favour and her merit has failed to get the desired help from the government or sports authorities.

Jaahnavi hopes to complete her mission by July 2016 wherein she will have to climb peaks in South America (Mt. Aconcagua), North America (Mt. Denali), Antarctica(Mt. Vinson Massi) followed by the biggest climb of all the Mount Everest, which will complete the seven mission circuit. The charges for mountain gear, personal guide, training, diet and travel are huge and so far she has been receiving help from Sahasra foundation.

Jaahnavi says she has read all about the great mountaineers in the world and wants to join the civil services when she grows up, while continuing her passion for mountaineering. A motivational speaker, who has addressed various forums talking about her experiences Jaahnavi was also given a chance to speak at the International Children’s film festival at Hyderabad.

One hopes that Jaahnavi finds help as she endeavours to overcome all hurdles in her journey from one peak to another. It is the Indian tricolour that one hopes to see flutter in all its glory atop all the peaks that she is set to scale.