GADAG : The call of the mountain was irresistible. Hanumanthrao Kulkarni, 20, had his moment of epiphany while he was at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarakhand in 2023. He was a student of Bachelor of Business Administration and was in Uttarakhand as part of a stint with National Cadet Corps.
Over the last three years Hanumanthrao has been part of four expeditions to the Himalayas. This Gadag youth is now determined to play Sherpa to rural youths and give free mountaineering training to make them scale peaks of success in life.
Hanumanth is taking rural youths to Badami, Chitradurga, Shivamogga and the Western Ghats and training them in the theoretical and practical aspects of mountaineering like map reading, navigation, weather, medicines, mountain hygiene and mountaineering techniques.
Over the last few years, Hanumanth has imparted mountaineering skills to more than 50 youths from rural Gadag. He selected youths from Mundargi and Gadag taluks in the first phase. Hanumanth hails from a modest background. His father, Girish Kulkarni, runs a Xerox shop next to the Gadag Municipal council office. Girish was initially skeptical when Hanumanth first expressed his eagerness to scale mountains. It was an unusual ambition for a Gadag youth.
Girish finally gave his assent but asked Hanumanth to be prepared for challenging conditions, especially freezing temperatures in the range of -10 degree Celsius. In Uttarakhand, Hanumanth met people from across the world, including France, Australia and the US.
Hanumanth has undergone training in search and rescue operations. This will make him part of rescue team with the task of rescuing the climbers who get stuck in the mountains. The rescue members are given training in C-pulley and Z-pulley to save if anybody is stuck in an ice craft.
The mountaineering crew has to carry equipment with them like dynamic climbing rope, carabiners, Belay device, prusik cords, sling quickdraws, ice screws for ice routes, rock protection, first-aid kit, space blanket and many more. Every team will have two doctors. Others will be given training on how to handle emergency situations.
Hanumanth is preparing to take a team of students from Gadag district to the Himalayas to give them a feel of the mountains. Team members are selected based on their physical fitness---the climb is arduous and will test one’s endurance and will power. He is planning to recruit youths from Ron, Gajendragad, Mundargi and Shirahatti taluks in the coming days.
Girish says he is happy that his son is scaling up. “He lost his mother Roopashree when he was very young. We are proud that he has gone to the Himalayas four times. We hope he will be able to take Gadag youths on mountaineering expedition soon.”
Hanumanth says that mountaineering has taught him that one should never give up when faced with adversity. “The mountain, the air, the silent ambience have all taught me many lessons. I learnt mountaineering while I was in NCC at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarakhand. I want the rural youth to get the same training.
I started a free training camp in 2024. I gathered some likeminded youths and took them to Badami and other places on mountaineering trips within Karnataka. This is the fourth time I am visiting Himalaya in the last three years. This time I am also part of the rescue team.” The expeditions are costly affairs and Hanumanth is now scouting for sponsorship from adventurous spirits.