While many of us dream of travelling to the regular tourist destinations, 25-year-old Sunil Kumar Chirlamcherla travelled to Antarctica in 2015. Now, the Hyderabadi is one of the 10 people from across the world, who have been selected for an expedition to the South Pole, one of the coldest and harshest places on Earth. Robert Charles Swan, the first person to walk to both, the North and South Poles, selected Sunil for the expedition that will begin next year. It aims to create awareness about global warming and the usage of alternative energy. There are no plants or animals on the South Pole. The team of 10 plan to stay for 10 days sustaining on renewable energy — the first time in the world. The team has one question: If they can live on renewable energy in the South Pole, how hard is it for us to implement the same at our homes?
Sunil, a Chartered Accountant, who was with Amazon until two months ago, quit his job for the expedition. “I’ve been working on my fitness. Skiing is new to me; I’m learning it because to reach the South Pole, one needs to Ski with 80 kgs of weight on the back. I have to carry frozen food, tents and other necessities. It is important to stay mentally and physically fit. The aim, however, is to create awareness about the cause,” he says.
Sunil, who will be the youngest from India to go to the South Pole, urges people to make small changes in their daily life and requests celebrities to take up the cause. “If your office is close by, walk or cycle or at least use a share cab. The government must also create separate ways for cyclists,” says Sunil, who has convinced Hi-tech Residential High School in the city to use only renewable energy.
Surprisingly, Sunil was never adventurous. “But, I cannot live a routine life; I like to think out of the box. I met a friend who had been to Antarctica, and that’s when I knew I wanted to do this too. My wife has been very supportive,” he smiles.
Sunil is now in the process of gathering funds. “I need '85-90 lakh for the journey. If people even donate one rupee and tell 10 people about it, I’d be happy,” he says.
