BHUBANESWAR: In a proud moment for Odisha, a taxi driver from the state capital has scaled Mount Elbrus in Russia. The 29-year-old, Nilachal Parida of Baramunda along with other Indian mountaineers hoisted the national flag on the peak on August 16.
A 17-member team from different parts of the country like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh attempted to scale Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe. However, six members reportedly backed out owing to the tough terrain and rough weather conditions and another climber developed altitude sickness.
Nilachal and the 10 others started their ascent of 18,510 feet on August 11 with the plan to reach the peak on August 15. However, the team had to halt due to stormy winds and heavy snowfall on August 14. The mountaineers resumed the expedition on August 15 and reached the peak of Elbrus a day later. “The temperature on the mountain was around 25 degrees below zero and rockfalls made the climb even tougher,” said Parida, a taxi driver by profession.
The climber from Odisha had planned to hoist the Tricolour measuring 575 feet but he could not carry it after some members decided not to ascend the mountain. They reached the base camp on August 18. Parida earns around `12,000 per month but this does not stop him from following his passion of mountaineering. He had requested Khurda Collector Sudarshan Chakravarthy to extend financial support for his expedition.
Chakravarthy provided financial aid to Parida with the assistance of Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and arranged flight tickets with the help of a private food production company. Parida’s next summit is Aconcagua in South America in December this year.
Nepal Mountaineering Association has also accepted Parida’s application to ascend the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, in March next year.