9-Year-Old Awarded PM Bal Puraskar For Scaling Mount Kilimanjaro

Nine-year-old Virat Chandra Telukunta from Hyderabad was awarded Prime Minister Bal Puraskar in Sports for scaling Mount Kilimanjaro.

"I used to run for 6-7km every day, did sit-ups, suryanamaskar...meditation. It was very cold there, but we focused on summit point despite body aches," Virat Chandra told ANI.

While climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Virat Chandra overcame the challenges like extreme cold weather, finger pain, hand pain, and leg pain caused due to chilly weather.

Many congratulations to the young mountaineer Telukunta Virat Chandra for the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at such a young age! May he achieve even greater heights. Best wishes for his future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/7ZB83EyRXn

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 24, 2022

Talking about his future expeditions, he's planning to attend the Australian Summit and climb Mount Kosciuszko once the border restrictions ease out.

"We were scared initially when Virat said he wants to do mountaineering, but after discovering a good trainer and also seeing the results from Virat's training, we were confident that Virat could do mountaineering," Virat's father Sharath told ANI.

Hyderabad| 9-yr-old Telukunta Virat Chandra awarded with PM Bal Puraskar in Sports for scaling Mt Kilimanjaro last year

"I used to run for 6-7km every day, did sit-ups, suryanamaskar...meditation. It was very cold there, but we focussed on summit point despite body aches"he said pic.twitter.com/w3T59IpBQD

— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2022

"I broke down when he returned to the base camp. I wanted to go along with him to the summit, but due to breathing problems, I had to stay there. It was hard for me, as I am always with him. Upon his return to base camp, his first words were, "I finished Maa, I finished! , Mountaineering at such a young age is difficult, and she wishes that all parents let their children pursue their dreams," Virat's mother Madhavi told ANI.