New Delhi: Malavath Poorna, a 13-year-old tribal schoolgirl from the newly formed Telangana state has made history by becoming the youngest girl in the world to climb Mount Everest on May 25.
Coming from an impoverished background, Malavath climbed the peak along with her 16-year-old teammate S. Anand Kumar. They were among a group of disadvantaged students chosen for the expedition. Both have become an inspiration for young children from similar backgrounds.
Living life as a dalit (low caste), assisting her agricultural labourer parents by working in the fields, sowing and harvesting crops, Malavath is used to fetching water from a reservoir, about a kilometre away from their thatched roof hut in Pakala village, Nizamabad district, Telangana.
Her parents have a combined income of less than Rs3,000 (Dh186) per month and Malavath, a Class 9 student, hopes that after her achievement, life for the family, which also includes her elder brother Naresh, who is studying engineering, will take a turn for the better.
An inspiration for thousands of tribal children, Malavath is an exceptional achiever in more ways than one. Officials claim that apart from being the youngest, her achievement is even more impressive as she climbed the peak from the more difficult Tibetan side. Most climbers attempt the 8,848-metre Everest from the Nepalese side, which is slightly easier. But Nepal does not allow climbers less than 16 years of age to scale the world’s tallest mountain. So, Poorna had to be trained differently.
She speaks to Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
GULF NEWS: After creating a world record what are your priorities?
MALAVATH POORNA: I am very grateful to my school teachers and training officials for having trust in my abilities. It is my earnest desire to provide a better life for my parents and my priority will be to somehow manage to gift them a proper house with basic facilities. But for now, I want to get back home, as I have not been there since November and not seen my parents for over two months.
How were you chosen for the mountaineering expedition?
Our sports teacher had asked us if we were interested in adventure sports and I considered it a good opportunity to learn something new. I was selected from a batch of 80 girls in our class to undergo mountaineering training, after a preliminary round of physical fitness test. A total of 20 girls were to be given training from our region.
So, was it easy for you to undergo the training?
The first day when I was taken to climb a mountain rock, I was shocked! The rock known as Bhongir in Nalanda district was so huge. It was tiring, but I resolved to overcome difficulties. My trainers Parmesh Kumar and Shekhar Babu were very supportive and helped me rise above my fears.
How long did the training last before you went for the Everest expedition?
It took us a total of eight months — from the initial training to climbing the highest peak. Apart from basic rock climbing, we were taken to Sikkim in October and then to Ladakh in December to train for ice climbing. The temperature was minus 35 Celsius and our adaptability was being tested, whether we could withstand the extreme weather conditions, as it is minus 60 Celsius on the Everest.
What was your parents’ reaction when they came to know about the final plans?
Both my trainers visited our house and briefed my parents about everything. After the training, they had left the choice on my parents whether they were agreeable to send me, as I am their only daughter. I clearly remember the trainers telling my parents that I would either achieve success, or there were chances of my dying on the mountains. And in such an eventuality, they would not even get my dead body. Even though my parents were very anxious, they encouraged me and gave the go ahead. I feel happy about that because no one from a tribal background has ever got such an opportunity.
Did you miss your parents at any point of time?
The entire training period had been very exciting. For the first time in life I boarded a train and an aircraft. I had never imagined I could experience such things in life. But during the 52-day treacherous climb, when I was at the Base Camp, I missed my parents and cried.
What difficulties did you face while climbing?
Every step was dangerous. At some places there were crevasses and at others steep rocks. At 3,300 metres, I saw six dead bodies. That unnerved me for a while. But I regained my composure remembering the massive hard work my trainers had put in. It is difficult to explain, but taking even one step on those mountains is a big leap. The activity becomes so slow, that it is like a moonwalk!
Since you come from a humble background, who funded your entire expedition?
The entire financial support — right from the training and logistics to the final expedition, was taken care of by Transcend Adventures. It was initiated by the Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana) Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society as part of its programme to encourage and help underprivileged students.
Now that you are back, what about your studies?
Even though the feeling of achievement is yet to sink in, I would immediately like to go back to my studies. Since September last, when my training began, I have not attended school, except appearing for examinations and securing over 60 per cent marks. I want to do well in studies to one day become an Indian Police Services officer.
