Quicksplained: Who is Kaamya Karthikeyan, the youngest Indian to summit Mt Everest?

Kaamya Karthikeyan proved that bravery knows no age. At 16, she became the youngest Indian to summit the highest peak in the world – Mount Everest (8,849 metres) from the Nepal side.

The teen not only set a record in India but also became the world’s second-youngest mountaineer to scale Everest on 20 May, the Indian Navy said on Thursday.

Kaamya was accompanied by her father, an Indian Navy officer, Commander S Karthikeyan on her expedition. From her humble beginnings in Mumbai to the world’s highest peak, here’s a look a Kaamya Karthikeyan’s journey

1. Sixteen-year-old Kaamya is a Class 12 student at Mumbai’s Navy Children School. Inspired by her father’s love for mountaineering, she started trekking when she was three_._

2. It started as an adventure and soon the girl advanced to more demanding treks like Har-ki Dun (13,500ft), Kedarkantha Peak (13,500 ft), and Roopkund Lake (16,400) in 2016. By May 2017, at just 13, Kaamya accomplished another remarkable feat – she trekked to the Everest Base Camp (17,600 ft), making her the second-youngest girl globally to achieve this milestone.

3. This is not all, In 2019, Kaamya successfully navigated challenges to conquer the famous Brighu Lake (14,100 ft) and cross the Sar Pass (13,850) in Himachal Pradesh. Soon after her expedition to Mt Mentok Kangri II (20,544 ft), Kaamya cycled her way from Leh to Khardung La, the highest memorable road in the world. This experience gave her the confidence to summit Mount Aconcagua, one of the highest peaks outside Asia, in February 2020.

5. After her successful expedition to the Everest peak, the Indian Navy and Western Naval Command took to X to congratulate her. They even wished her luck for her next mission, which is the “7 Summits Challenge”.

“ #IndianNavy wishes young Kaamya the very best in her aspiration to summit the highest peaks of all seven continents, becoming the youngest girl to do so,” it wrote.

5. Kaamya says her next goal is to scale Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica this December and become the youngest girl to summit the highest peaks of all seven continents. Notably, with the Everest climb, the 16-year-old has already scaled six peaks as part of the challenge.

6. For her stirring tale of courage, determination, and the relentless pursuit of dreams, Kaamya was honoured with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2021 and even featured in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular radio show “Mann ki Baat”.

7. Kaamya’s achievements extend beyond mountaineering to the realm of fine arts. The 16-year-old is a trained musician, having passed Grade 5 in piano and Grade 2 in guitar from the Trinity School of Music. Additionally, she has expertise in Western and Carnatic vocals, as well as Bharatanatyam dance, according to Kids Chaupal.

With inputs from agencies