{"id":10247,"date":"2022-02-01T14:59:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T09:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/\/?post_type=story&p=10247"},"modified":"2022-08-06T13:36:40","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T08:06:40","slug":"indian-child-mountaineer-bal-puraskar-awardee-virat","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/indian-child-mountaineer-bal-puraskar-awardee-virat\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian child mountaineer: Bal Puraskar awardee Virat summits Mt Kilimanjaro, it\u2019s Mt Kosciuszko next"},"content":{"rendered":"

(February 1, 2022)<\/strong> Standing stop a mountain peak, covered with a blanket of clouds is a fantasy for children. Virat Chandra Telukunta is no different. His favourite cartoon show \u2014 Doraemon<\/em> – a fictitious character in Japanese manga would transport him to the mountains and back, even as he sat comfortably in his living room.<\/p>\n

Yet, unlike most children his age, the then seven-year-old decided to live his dream. A video call from his cousins trekking in Uttarakhand triggered his interest, and left a lasting impression.\u00a0What followed was intense physical and mental training. Finally, he did the unthinkable for one so young. He went on to become the youngest person to conquer the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – the tallest mountain in Africa.\u00a0\u00a0The rare feat not only brought the Indian child mountaineer laurels but also the Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar Award, given to children (five to 18 years of age) with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

\u201cThe moment I was standing on the mountain peak covered with clouds,\u00a0the only image on my mind was of Doraemon<\/em>\u2019s Nobita (a fictional character) and his friends jumping over the clouds,\u201d laughs Virat, now eight. He was the\u00a0only person from the state of Telangana among 29 others to have been selected for the prestigious award handed over virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently.<\/p>\n

An Indian child mountaineer finds his \u2018calling\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very cold there, my body ached. All I wanted to do is achieve my goal, come what may,\u201d beams Virat in an exclusive with Global Indian<\/em><\/a>. It took six days for the Indian child mountaineer to summit. At one point during his climb, the child confesses, he was bored so he spiced it up with many breaks!<\/p>\n

An inspiration to all, Virat is grateful for that video call in 2020 from his relatives in Uttarakhand. \u201cI had just finished my online classes and my mother was feeding me when Karthik anna<\/em> (brother) and Vaishu akka<\/em> (sister), who were trekking Rudugaira mountains, call, sharing their experiences and the vista. I was fascinated by the mountains instantly and decided that I too wanted to climb mountains. That’s it, I had a lengthy discussion with my parents who agreed,\u201d informs the Indian child mountaineer, a class III student of Gitanjali Devshala School in Hyderabad.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

His father Sharat Chandra approached Bharat Tammineni, a mountaineer who runs Boots and Crampons, a Hyderabad-based academy to train trekking enthusiasts. \u201cBharat Sir first did a physical evaluation. I started training on December 15, 2020,\u201d informs the excited Indian child mountaineer. Then began the rigorous training. The Hyderabad lad would run for 6-7 km every day, do Suryanamaskars<\/em>, sit-ups, meditation and breathing exercises (anulom-vilom<\/em> and kapal bhaati)<\/em> and mock-climbed the Moulali Fort, supervised by Bharat and others. \u201cI got a chance to prove my mettle when I participated in a 5k run. After successfully completing it, Bharat Sir told me I was ready, and he chose Mount Kilimanjaro,\u201d informs Virat.<\/p>\n

The road to Mount Kilimanjaro for the Indian child mountaineer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Training completed, Virat, his parents and coach left for South Africa on February 28, 2021. Once formalities were done, they proceeded with the trek on March 5. The first stop was Mandara hut at an elevation of 2,720 metres (approximately 28,000 steps). After spending the night there, the next day, they left for Horombo hut at 3,720 metres. \u201cEnroute to Horombo hut, I was bored, and taking short breaks so my parents shared some inspirational stories (to motivate me). We reached Horombo hut by evening, and spent two nights there,\u201d recalls Virat, whose parents accompanied him till Horombo hut. Thereafter, his parents bid the Indian child mountaineer goodbye, and he undertook the arduous trek to Kibu hut at an elevation of 4,720 metres. \u201cThis journey was very challenging,\u201d informs Virat, who overcame multiple challenges – extreme weather and body wear and tear.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

The following day, Virat woke up at 3.40 am and undertook the last leg of his journey. \u201cIt was a foggy\u00a0day with heavy winds and snowfall. After trekking for hours, we reached the summit. I couldn\u2019t believe what I saw. Clouds everywhere, and I was standing on top of it (images of Doraemon <\/em>flitting past),\u201d says Virat, eyes bright recalling seeing a rainbow for the first time. The Indian child mountaineer’s descent to his anxious parents waiting at Horombo hut was good. \u201cOn seeing me, my mother broke down and hugged me real tight,\u201d smiles the child, whose name has been recorded in the Asian Book of Records<\/em> and Indian Book of Records<\/em> for his feat. \u201cThereafter, I got so many gifts,\u201d smiles the super trooper who stuck to his usual diet comprising Indian food while summiting Kilimanjaro.<\/p>\n

Next is Australia for the Indian child mountaineer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, the Indian child mountaineer, Virat is enthused, \u201cI am preparing to climb Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. Bharat Sir suggested it,\u201d pipes Virat, who otherwise likes playing guitar, reading, cricket, skating and even dancing. \u201cMy target is to climb all the highest mountain peaks in the world before I turn 10,\u201d pipes Virat, who has participated in many competitions – storytelling, fancy dress, shloka<\/em> recitation, cycling and running\u00a0race. One can even find the little lad cooking with his mother on occasion.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

Named Virat, the Hyderabad boy says his mother came across the name reading Satyarth Prakasam<\/em>. \u201cAnother reason is that the last letters of my parents name adds up to Virat,\u201d smiles the Indian child mountaineer, an October 2013 born.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(February 1, 2022) Standing stop a mountain peak, covered with a blanket of clouds is a fantasy for children. Virat Chandra Telukunta is no different. His favourite cartoon show \u2014 Doraemon – a fictitious character in Japanese manga would transport him to the mountains and back, even as he sat comfortably in his living room. Yet, unlike most children his age, the then seven-year-old decided to live his dream. A video call from his cousins trekking in Uttarakhand triggered his interest, and left a lasting impression.\u00a0What followed was intense physical and mental training. Finally, he did the unthinkable for one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":10253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","story-category":[215,2438,2613],"story-tag":[2603,2607,2612,2609,2611,2608,2602,2604,2601,2605,2606,2610,2599,151,2600],"yoast_head":"\nIndian Child Mountaineer | Virat Chandra Telukunta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Indian child mountaineer Virat Chandra Telukunta wins Bal Puraskar for being youngest to summit Mt Kilimanjaro.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/indian-child-mountaineer-bal-puraskar-awardee-virat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Indian Child Mountaineer | Virat Chandra Telukunta\" \/>\n<meta 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