Chandigarh, Aug 27 (PTI) At an age when most kids lazily laze around, eight-year-old Saanvi Sood loves trekking and mountaineering.
Saanvi of Rupnagar district of Punjab has hoisted the Indian flag at the base camp of Mount Everest.
Saanvi’s father Deepak Sood told that she had achieved this feat at the age of seven and she is the youngest girl in the country to do so.
Sood said that Saanvi had successfully scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of the African continent at an altitude of 5,895 meters, in July last year. At that time she was the youngest girl in Asia to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Saanvi’s desire to climb mountains continued this year as well.
Saanvi scaled Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m), Australia’s highest peak in May and Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) in Russia in July, becoming the youngest girl in the world to achieve this feat Is.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann honored Saanvi with the state award on Independence Day for his outstanding contribution in this field.
The young mountaineer said that it was his father who inspired him to take up trekking expeditions and climb mountains. She remembers how she used to visit her father’s work sites in the hilly areas which developed the habit of trekking in her.
Saanvi’s father is a construction contractor whose work mostly deals with soil testing for projects in hilly areas.
The mountaineer’s father said, “We used to visit Kedarnath and Mata Vaishno Devi temple every year. Only then I came to know that there is good strength inside my daughter.
Deepak said, “Most of my work is in hilly areas and Saanvi used to accompany me to work sites. Once she did an 18 km climb with me in Rohtang after which I came to know that she can do very well in this area.”
He told that Saanvi also does yoga and cycles to prepare for trekking and mountaineering.
Deepak, who accompanies her on every climbing trip, said, “We do cardio and other exercises for better strength.”
Saanvi is dedicated to preparing for the challenging task of mountaineering while also focusing on her studies.
Saanvi’s mother helps her in studies.
Deepak says about his daughter’s effective time management and well-planned routine that even her teachers praise her for doing well in studies.
“She returned home at around 3 am after climbing Mount Elbrus in July. But despite this she was ready to go to her school at 8 in the morning.
Saanvi, studying in Class III in a school in Mohali, wants to tell everyone that girls can do anything if they are strong physically and mentally.
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Saanvi, studying in Class III in a school in Mohali, wants to tell everyone that girls can do anything if they are strong physically and mentally.
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Abhishek Ranjan
Ranjan
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