Poorna Malavath became the “Youngest Indian Female” to climb the Mount Everest at the age of 13 years. Now, she is 16 years and is writing her 12th standard exam, but is as excited about mountaineering as she was, and loves talking about the climb. Poorna hails from Telangana, a backward family and a locality where there was no sign of mountains. It was entirely her dedication towards climbing the highest peak which led to her success as she had no prior training towards mountaineering.
1. How would you describe the height of “Mount Everest” as a conqueror?
Mount Everest might be huge for people who read about it in their textbooks. But for me I guess it’s not that tall, we can all climb it in one day. The height that scares us to take up the climb is all in our mind. Once we tackle this imagination of height in mind, tackling the mountain becomes easier.
2. How did your journey of climbing “Mount Everest” begin?
I loved climbing the mountain from my early childhood itself. In the case of Mount Everest, I came from a government school of Telangana to the base camp and had no training in the field of mountaineering. At the base camp, I was entitled to rigorous mountaineering training for eight months before I could climb Mount Everest.
3. Did you climb any other mountain peaks before Mount Everest? How was the experience?
It was a part of my training where I had to climb a 17,000 feet mountain, Mount Renock, it is in the Kanchenjunga Range of Himalayas. Also, then I was taken to the mountains of Ladakh as well to make me accustomed to the temperature which was at -35 degree Celsius.
4. When was the time you feared most from the mountain and how did you overcome it?
I was scared for the first time when I had to climb the Bhongir Rock. My legs were shaking the entire time I climbed the mountain but ” I knew I can do the climb, and that was enough for me to keep going on”. It was at this mountain when I became fearless of the mountain after reaching the top. Later, the only time I got excited cum nervous was at the Mount Everest when only a few yards were left to reach the peak.
5. What motivated you to take up mountaineering and reach to the highest mountain range?
The thing that motivated me was the stereotypical thinking against girls which disallow them the exploration of the world. I wanted to prove that ‘Girls can achieve anything‘. Now, I have the experience to prove my point that yes we can definitely conquer anything in this world let alone be Mount Everest.
6. What did you do after reaching the peak of “Mount Everest”?
After reaching the top we stayed at the peak for about 15 minutes. The first thing I did was to call up Officer RS Praveen and it was “Congratulation”, the only word he said which was enough for us. Then we took pictures and headed back. The entire expedition of Mount Everest was 52 days.
7. Which is the one heart-wrenching moment that you can recall from your expedition?
There is this one memory I still think upon when we were just a few meters away from the peak and I saw a dead body lying there. I asked my Sherpa Sir about why they aren’t taken back, he replied by the fact that the mountaineers don’t have the energy to take themselves back to the ground let alone the dead body. It’s then when the thought of something similar happening to me struck hard. Also, at the back of my mind were the parents who might be still waiting for their son to return.
8. How has life changed for you after the climb?
It has changed drastically for me. Earlier people didn’t even know that I exist but now they come to meet me. People want to know how I climbed the mountain what was my experience. Suddenly my hard work paid off.
Poorna’s article by Indian Express.
Poorna’s article by Times Of India.