72-Year-Old Rao Scales 5,642m Elbrus With 17-Year-Old Grandson, Eyes 7 Summits

Vijayawada: At an age when many people begin to slow down, Lingam Ravindra Rao from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, continues to push his physical limits. At 72 years, one month and 13 days, Ravindra Rao scaled the 5,642-metre Mount Elbrus West Peak, the highest peak in Europe, on August 14.

Ravindra Rao is the oldest Indian to have climbed Mount Elbrus as of the date of his ascent. His achievement has drawn attention not only because of the height of the mountain but also because of the age at which he took on the demanding climb.

For Ravindra, however, the journey towards Mount Elbrus did not begin in his seventies. His interest in physical challenges goes back to his student days.

In 1972, at the age of 18, while studying at IIT Kharagpur, he undertook a remarkable cycling journey with his friends from Kharagpur to Darjeeling. The group covered around 1,700 kilometres in just 10 days.

Although his professional career and business responsibilities later took priority, Ravindra never completely gave up his focus on fitness. He continued playing sports and maintaining an active lifestyle, eventually returning to adventure activities and taking on high-altitude mountaineering.

His recent achievements include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2024 and Mount Labouche. Mount Elbrus now becomes another major milestone in his journey towards an even bigger goal—the Seven Summits, the highest peaks across the world's seven continents.

Ravindra’s Mount Elbrus climb also became a special achievement as he was joined by his 17-year-old grandson, Anuraag Pokuri, from Hyderabad, Telangana.

While Ravindra completed the West Peak ascent, Anuraag climbed both the West and East Peaks back-to-back in 3 hours and 44 minutes. According to the information provided, Anuraag is the youngest citizen of Indian origin, as of the date of the achievement, to have summited both peaks back-to-back.

The expedition thus brought together two generations of the same family, with Ravindra Rao's decades-long interest in fitness meeting his grandson's growing passion for mountaineering.

For Ravindra, the significance of sport extends far beyond personal achievement. He believes India has abundant sporting talent, but that talent must be identified and nurtured from an early age.

He says, “India has abundant talent in sports, but that talent needs to be identified and nurtured from a very young age. Sports should become an integral part of the school curriculum, with every student encouraged to choose a sport and receive proper guidance from coaches.”

He wants schools to play a greater role in developing sporting potential, with sports becoming an integral and compulsory part of the curriculum, allowing every student to choose a sport with the guidance of trained coaches.

His own journey, from a 1,700-kilometre cycling expedition at 18 to scaling a 5,642-metre peak at 72, reflects the message he wants to convey: fitness and sporting ambition should remain part of life at every age.

Now, with Mount Elbrus behind him, Ravindra Rao's next ambition remains clear—to continue the pursuit of the Seven Summits, alongside his grandson, and demonstrate that the desire to challenge oneself does not have an age limit.