KURNOOL: Grit, determination and skill helped this teenager from Kurnool district to climb seven mountains around the world in two years.
Suresh Kumar, a native of Gonegandla, set his sights high and rapidly realised his dreams. He is now preparing to scale his eighth mountain.
Suresh Kumar is just 18 years old. He said that the desire to achieve the impossible is his ambition and he was inspired by mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu who had scaled seven summits in seven continents in the shortest period of 173 days.
Suresh recently climbed Mt Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest peak at 8,515 metres (27,940 feet) where 12 died in the expedition. He is the youngest person in the world to scale five mountain peaks in five continents, three of them above eight thousand feet — Mt Everest, Mt Manasulu and Mt Lhotse.
He has been backed by the Silver Jubilee Government College Alumni Association, both morally and financially. “He is a Dalit from a very poor background. But he is mentally very strong. Our support continues in his further adventures,” said SJGCA secretary Saida Reddy. Suresh Kumar said it was not the rough weather, avalanches, and cyclones that were obstacles, but his humble background, penury and the funds crunch.
