Vishwanath Karthikey Wins Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
The national honour recognises Karthikey’s completion of the 7 Summits Challenge at the age of 16
Hyderabad: The Government of India conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025 on mountaineer Vishwanath Karthikey Padakanti, with Droupadi Murmu presenting the national honour in recognition of his historic feat as the youngest Indian and the second youngest person in the world to complete the prestigious 7 Summits Challenge.
December 26 is observed annually as Veer Baal Diwas, commemorating the martyrdom of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh. On this occasion, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is conferred by the President of India to recognise exceptional achievements by children below the age of 18 across six categories—Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art and Culture, and Science and Technology.
The national honour recognises Karthikey’s completion of the 7 Summits Challenge at the age of 16, placing him among the youngest mountaineers worldwide to achieve the milestone. The challenge involves scaling the highest peaks on all seven continents—Mount Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia), and Mount Vinson (Antarctica).
Born on October 30, 2008, in Hyderabad and currently residing in Ferozguda, Balanagar, Vishwanath Karthikey began mountaineering during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At the age of 11, he undertook his first high-altitude attempt at Rudragaira in Uttarakhand. Although the summit remained out of reach, the expedition marked the beginning of a sustained and disciplined pursuit of high-altitude climbing.
He later trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, acquiring essential technical and safety skills for extreme-altitude expeditions. Alongside formal training, Karthikey followed a rigorous fitness routine, often beginning his day at 4 a.m. Over the next five years, he climbed 23 mountains across continents, setting multiple age-related benchmarks.
A defining milestone in his journey came on May 27, 2025, when he successfully summited Mount Everest, completing the Seven Summits Challenge.
Throughout this period, he also maintained steady academic progress, balancing school education with demanding international expeditions.
Karthikey’s journey has been supported by his family, his parents Rajendera Prasad and Laxmi, grandparents Shiva Kumar and Soumya Laxmi, and elder sister Vaishnavi. His training and expeditions were guided by his coach Bharath Thamineni, founder of Boots & Crampon, and Romil Barthwal, whose mentorship played a critical role in his development as a mountaineer.
Notably, the award marks a hat-trick for Boots & Crampon, following earlier Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar recipients Samanyu Pothuraju (2020) and Virat Chandra Telukunta (2022).
Reacting to the honour, Karthikey said mountaineering had taught him discipline, consistency, and resilience in the face of setbacks. He added that receiving the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar has strengthened his resolve to pursue higher goals in the sport.