When Rasamalla Akhil had finally climbed the highest mountain of Africa Mount Kilimanjaro and was at its peak, he couldn't believe that his mission was finally completed. Happy tears pooled in his eyes and he was elated. "The sky was so blue," says Akhil, probably recalling the shade of the sky in his mind's eye.
Warangal-based Akhil is from a humble background. After excelling in 5k and 10k marathons, "I used to win the first prize," he informs gleefully, Akhil was encouraged to join Rock Climbing School, Bhongir. "Everyone around me encouraged me to pursue this," he says. After that, he was selected by none other than Shekhar Babu, the well-known mountaineer from Telangana who has scaled Mt Everest too, to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Akhil's training involved running for five to eight km every morning and focusing on exercising his hands and legs and finally, it was between February 21 and 28 that he conquered Mount Kilimanjaro.
To do this, Akhil had the unwavering support of his family. He was also supported by the District Collector of Warangal Urban Jeevan Pail who sanctioned `50,000 for his expedition, MLA of Warangal West Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar who also offered financial assistance while the rest of the money was pooled in by his father. "Financially, this trip was tough for me," admits the 20-year-old. Physically too, the climb strained Akhil to no end and the low oxygen levels, while he was trying to scale the peak, did not help either. "We used to even climb in the dark with the help of a head torch," recalls Akhil, who is trying to pursue BTech. But despite all these challenges, he did it anyway and the love he received for this back home was unprecedented. "Everyone was so happy! I got so many messages, was called to colleges and show," he says happily. The only dismay he has is that the government has not fulfilled the promises they made to him while congratulating him for his feat. But Akhil is not the one to revel in past glories or miseries for that matter as he has already decided on his next mission - Mount Everest.
Note them:
Here are some facts about Mount Kilimanjaro, the peak that Akhil recently climbed:
- It is a dormant volcano which is 5,895 metres above sea level
- The peak is a part of Kilimanjaro National Park, a popular climbing destination
- It comprises of three volcano cones namely, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira
- The first people known to have climbed the mountain are Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller
