Krushnaa Patil, who became the youngest Indian woman to conquer the Everest, told mother she wanted to be famous at 19
Krushnaa Patil, who became the youngest Indian woman to conquer the Everest, told mother she wanted to be famous at 19
At 7 am yesterday, Krushnaa Patil (19) was on top of the world, literally, as she conquered Mount Everestu00a0
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vertical limit: Krushnaa Patilu00a0 (second from left) was a part of the Eco Everest Expedition. PICS/Anil Naiku00a0u00a0u00a0 |
the world's highest peak. Krushnaa strode into the record books as she became the youngest Indian woman to scale the peak.
Her family is naturally jubilant. Krushnaa's parents Madhav Patil, a merchant Navy officer, and Ranjana, a school teacher, cannot wait for their daughter to return home. An ecstatic Ranjana said, "I remember Krushnaa once told me that she wanted to become famous at 19. And here she is. We're speechless and can't wait for her to return home."
CelebrationsCongratulatory calls kept them busy throughout yesterday and they are now preparing for the celebrations for Krushnaa's homecoming.
According to her mother, Krushnaa did not have any plans to conquer Mount Everest. She started training with the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) after passing Std X and kept visiting the institute every year.
"Last year, NIM's vice principal suggested that she should try conquering the Everest and since then she had her eyes set on the peak," said Ranjana.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
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Krushnaa became a part of the Eco Everest Expedition 2009, which aimed at removing 2,000 kg of garbage and debris from the range.
"I was a bit worried when she started off, but decided to keep all negative thoughts away. I last spoke to Krushnaa on May 11 and she was very excited. Now, I'm waiting for her to touch base camp so I can have a word with my daughter," said Ranjana.u00a0u00a0
Tracing Krishna's footstepsu00a0u00a0
Krushnaa will reach Camp 2, which is 6,400 m above sea level, today. She will reach the Mount Everest base camp (5,300 m above the sea level) tomorrow. Krushnaa became the first Maharashtrian woman and the second Maharashtrian to conquer Mount Everest. Surendra Chavan was the first to achieve the feat, in 1998.
