HYDERABAD: After scaling Mt Everest, Malavath Poorna has now conquered Mt Elbrus, Europe’s highest mountain peak, along with 16-year-old Sri Vidya of Telangana State Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society’s Aleir school.
The duo placed a photo of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on the peak. The girls began their trek on July 24 and reached the peak (5,642mt) on July 27 at 7:30 am Moscow time.
“I am determined to scale seven highest mountain peaks in the seven continents of the world. So far, I conquered three highest mountain peaks in three continents of the world - Mt. Everest in Asia, Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa and now Mt Elbrus in Europe,” said a beaming Poorna after successfully conquering Mt Elbrus in Russia.
An Intermediate student at TSWRDC Ibrahimpatnam, Poorna hails from a tribal hamlet in Nizamabad district.
Sri Vidya, daughter of daily wage labourers from Nalgonda, expressed her gratitude to the government for setting up residential schools that have allowed girls like Poorna and her to escape gender discrimination and poverty.
“I cannot even describe how difficult the climb was but I resolved to achieve the impossible against all odds,” said Sri Vidya. “The chief minister gave wings to our dreams and supported us in a big way to explore new horizons. If not for the residential degree colleges for women, hundreds of us would have been married off by now,” she said.
Dr RS Praveen Kumar, the secretary of TSWREIS, expressed happiness over the achievements of the young mountaineers. “Our children may be poor but they don’t lag in energy, enthusiasm and determination,” he said.