Krushnaa Patil

Krushnaa Patil
Born 1989
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Nationality Indian
Other names Ashwini
Occupation mountaineer, motivational speaker
Known for India's youngest person to summit Mt. Everest in 2009
Awards

Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar, 2009 Kesari Lokmanya Tilak Felicitation, 2009 Hirkani Puraskar, 2009 Young Achiever, Citadel Award 2009 Young Achiever, Mitcom Award 2009 Zhansi Ki Rani Award 2009 Indira Gandhi Puraskar, 2009 Maharashtra Ratna – 2010 Rotary International Award, 2010 Gr8 Women’s Awards, 2010 Young Indian Leaders, CNN-IBN, 2010

Today’s Youth Asia Award (Nepal), 2010
Website krushnaapatil.com

Krushnaa Patil is an Indian mountaineer. In 2009, at the age of 19, she became the youngest Indian woman to successfully ascent Mount Everest, earth's highest mountain.[1] She is also the first civilian woman from Maharashtra to scale the peak.

Her record of the youngest Indian to climb Everest has subsequently been surpassed by younger mountaineers.[2] In 2010, Krushnaa attempted to ascent the Seven Summits. Her last summit on Mount McKinley had to be abandoned due to technical reasons, leaving her one short of completing the feat.[3]

Background

For Krushnaa Patil's family, vacations were always in the Himalayas. As a 20-year-old she enrolled in the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) at Uttarkashi for a basic course in 2007 followed by an advance course in 2008.

Soon after, Patil got the chance to be a part of the pre-Everest expedition, and at 18, became the youngest person to scale Mount Satopanth (Garhwal Himalayas in Uttaranchal). Everest followed in May 2009, when she became the youngest Indian (after Dicky Dolma) to summit the peak.

Mountaineering

In high school, Patil was part of a contemporary dance troupe and had always wanted to be a choreographer and performer. "I was much more passionate about dance than sports." But along came the opportunity to be part of the pre-Everest expedition, which she calls "the turning point" of her life.

Krushnaa Patil at MIT Media Labs Kumbathon

Meanwhile, after trying unsuccessfully to get sponsorship for their daughter, her parents took out a loan to support her climb to Mount Everest. "When I was on the mountains, I was thinking whether I summit or not, I just didn't have a way to pay back such a big amount."

Everest Summit
Date 2009
Location Nepal
Coordinates 27°59′17.16″N 86°55′31.08″E / 27.9881000°N 86.9253000°E / 27.9881000; 86.9253000

She scaled Mount Everest on 21 May 2009, becoming the second-youngest Indian to ascend the peak at the age of 19. The record was broken by Arjun Vajpai on 22 May 2010, exactly one year after Patil's ascent. It was then broken by three others, Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba, at 16 years and 7 months, Raghav Joneja at 15 years and 7 months, and finally Malavath Purna at 13 years and 11 months, who also holds the world record for being the youngest person to climb Everest.

Patil did summit, and that's when it started snowballing. The bank her parents had taken the loan from waived it. The Indian government started funding her efforts, and prizes and accolades followed. She was then able to fund Antarctic and South American expeditions with money she'd received from the government.

On the literal top of the world, Patil says she felt blank. "Once I was on top, I knew that I was here and had finished what I came to do. At least half the job was done."

She is on a quest to become the first Indian woman to scale the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of the seven continents. Trying to fit all seven peaks in a year, Krushnaa has finished four: Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Vinson Massif (Antarctica) and Aconcagua (South America). She was hoping to finish the last three—Mount McKinley (North America), Elbrus (Europe) and Kosciuszko (Australia)—before May 2010.

Patil believes that when it comes to sport in India, you have to create your own opportunities. "I think we give up very easily. But the point is support will come. I made my own opportunity. The government gave me a lot of money, but only after I climbed Everest and had proven myself."

Access water

Krushnaa is a part of an international expedition on clean water access and conservation program,[4] which, through 2014 - 2020, will promote access to fresh water around the world with a team of eight women, from six continents.

References

  1. ↑ "Krushnaa Patil is the youngest woman in India to climb Mount Everest". dna news. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.people.com/article/13-year-old-indian-girl-climbs-mount-everest-youngest-ever-malavath-poorna
  3. ↑ "After Everest, Krushnaa Patil sets sight on new peaks". DNA. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "From Ganga to Antarctica: Seven women gear up for expedition to highlight clean water shortage". Retrieved 29 January 2015.

External links

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