These Hyderabad teenagers climbed Mt Everest to conquer
HYDERABAD: "All of us in the gutter, but some are looking at the stars”, said Oscar Wilde. In Hyderabad, however, a bunch of students had the mountains on their mind. Sidharth Neehal Thyvalap, Vedik Veeramaneni and Shreyhas Rao Yachamaneni — all studying in class 11 at Indus International School, trekked to Everest Base Camp in September this year.
The teenagers underwent a rigorous mental and physical fitness regime before they embarked on a journey to the base camp that is located 5,365 metres above sea level.
"I love sports from childhood and have been playing soccer. When I saw the mail on this expedition that came through our leadership centre, I immediately knew that I wanted to go. I was the first to sign up for this. The beginning of the journey was not smooth as we were delayed by four days due to rough weather. However, we did not lose heart and kept walking to reach our destination," said Sidharth. The trip cost Rs 1.75 lakh per person.
When we think about climbing a mountain, the first thought that strikes the mind is if we have the physical stamina to withstand the climb, the change in weather conditions and the decreased level of oxygen. But interestingly, the young climbers said that it was mental stamina which is more important.
Shreyas shared: “I had a severe headache while climbing at a high altitude. But the meditation classes that we took before leaving helped me calm my mind. I was also excited about seeing the base camp, and that pushed me to climb faster. However, there was not much snow during the climb at this time of the year. The terrain was mostly barren with small bushes. There was ice under the rocks.”
“You have to have a positive mindset to conquer a mountain. It needs a lot of patience. At one point, the stretch ahead was very steep and the oxygen was becoming less with every step. Losing heart at such junctures is not an option. We had been trained in breathing exercises before we started on our journey. It helped us to maintain calm and breathe evenly at the high altitudes,” said Vedik Veeramaneni.
The team of nine, which had five children from Bengaluru and their expedition leader Mitesh Singh, first took a flight from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, and then flew to Kathmandu. In their kits, they had jackets, water, lotion, sunglasses and other paraphernalia.
The young climbers did not have to worry much about food as there were tea houses all along the way. These joints also had warm beds for the boys to sleep in at night.
Speaking about their diet before starting on the adventure, Shreyas said: “I had cut down on sugar for two weeks before the climb. However, during the climb, we had a lot of rice and carbohydrate-rich food that provided us the energy for the climb.
Adding that they followed a strict exercise regimen before climbing, Siddharth said:“Under the guidance of our expedition leader Mitesh Singh, we did cardio and leg-strengthening exercises to be ready for the climb.”
Mitesh, who is a certified mountaineer, added: “The students went for physical training for around five weeks. It included running 5 km at least five days a week, 150-200 squats per day and climbing stairs, which not increases stamina but works on all the muscles that are required to trek long distances. We also did breathing exercises. As part of mental preparation, I suggest beginners to watch videos of the places we are going to see, the kind of food they eat and the kind of climate that they are going to encounter. When you already know about these things, there are not many surprises up there.”
Jaahnavi Sriperambuduru, well-known mountaineer and motivational speaker, said: “Children learn the value of keeping a positive mindset and going on despite hurdles by climbing mountains. Hyderabad is on the Deccan plateau and that’s why, the cold and the climate are big changes for them. Everyone comes back a changed person with valuable lessons. One kid said that she would give up junk food. Another kid introspected on her behaviour and said that she had some attitude problems which she needed to get rid of. Such maturity from children is rare.”