When
you have the zeal and gusto in you nothing seems impossible. She has made the
nation proud with her unique achievement against all odds. In 2009, she became the youngest Indian to
enjoy the breathtaking landscape of the majestic Himalayas from the summit of
Mount Everest and thereby becoming the youngest Indian to atop Mt. Everest
setting a record. She has completed a diploma in contemporary dance and mixed
media art while simultaneously winning numerous national college level dance festivals.
Let’s Talk Life... with Mountaineer Krushnaa Patil, where she talks about
climbing the Everest again this year without oxygen, her love and passion for
mountaineering, she being a motivational speaker at various MNC and Top B schools, her achievements and a lot
more. It is indeed an honour to have her featured on my blog
Kindly tell us something about yourself?
I grew up in Pune, growing up
I wanted to be a dancer and choreographer. After 12th grade I went to Bangalore
to Attakalari institute of Performing arts and completed a Diploma in
Contemporary Dance and mixed media arts. I worked as a performer and choreographer
since 10th grade for school functions and corporate gigs. I pursued studies as
a external student of Pune University and hold a MA degree in Political
Science. I fancy myself as a designer and artist so I take up home decor
projects for friends and family, I love designing clothes and a wedding in the
family means creating a couture line for my aunts and cousins. I love classical
music, ghazals and shayari. I dislike pollution, society norms and the
patriarchy so ingrained in the environment around us. I also hate the way
humans treat nature.
What are you currently doing professionally?
I am a professional
Mountaineer and everything I do is to be able to continue to be a professional
mountaineer. I am a motivational speaker and talk at corporate events. I now
also have combined my talent as a dancer with the experiences as a Mountaineer
to choreograph a performance to share the journey of my climbing expeditions. I
also am writing and creating content about adventure for a webseries for
digital content.
What motivated you to be mountaineer?
The Himalayas have always been a big part of my life as I have spent every
summer as a child trekking and camping there. When I was 17 I completed the
basic Mountaineering course from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in
Uttarkashi. That was a turning point and that's when I decided I wanted to be a
Mountaineer instead of a dancer.
Tell us something about being the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest
at the age of 19?
I had no idea that I would be making a record like this. It was quite cool
to have made this record. But I was never attached to the record really. It
happened as an outcome of my obsession with climbing. I never take it very
seriously. It has been broken by some really cool youngsters and that fills my
heart with pride. I'm grateful to the record for making my success just that
much sweeter
What is your next leap?
The next leap is to make Mountaineering attractive to brands for
sponsorships. The challenge is to make it possible for brands to earn their
'Return on Investment’. I hate that mountaineering is a charity sport now as we
have no audience for our exciting climbs. I am hoping to create online
audiences with live updates from our climbs so a brand gets publicity. If we
climbers have visibility trough social media we can justify the big spends. It
is a massive challenge to make Mountaineering a sustainable, even profitable
sport in the near future. We have projects planned on Mt Everest and Mt
Kanchenjunga, India's highest peak.
You are a motivational speaker at various platforms, kindly highlight on
that?
Mountaineering can be drawn
into a parallel with almost every profession and even life in general. What
mindset works when your Goal seems unachievable or how teamwork is important in
stressful situations or how to handle loss. I always share my experiences in
detail and people pick up the most valuable lessons for themselves. My first
talk was with TATA with 100 of their top management and I have since spoken at
Intel, Microsoft, Brittannia, Amway, Reliance, Aditya Birla, and many more
companies. I also speak regularly at IITs and IIMs as well as schools and
colleges. There is a lesson on me in 5 states SSC board 9th STD English
textbook, so school children are my favorite audience of all time!
You have received great applauds and awards for your journey so far, please
throw light on that?
I'm grateful to have received so many awards. I never expected
mountaineering to lead me to so much attention. Every award means that
mountaineering comes to the forefront of sports and that is the biggest win.
Apart from this, what do you do in your past time?
I read books, I binge watch comedy shows, I take roadtrips to destinations
I have never been to, I stalk school mates on Facebook and I spend time with my
4 dogs, grooming them and playing with them....It's a never ending process.
Perks of choosing your career?
That I decide what is the best way to be a Mountaineer is, there is
no path we can follow to ensure success. We have to literally make our own
career the way we want it
Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome them?
Challenges is synonyms to Mountaineering, from raising the money to be able
to climb to the climb itself, to returning from the climb it's all a challenge.
I chose Mountaineering for how challenging it is, every step up gives a taste
of success though it might be miles away from the top. I power through them, I
enjoy the challenges it make the journey addictive and the impending success
sweeter.
What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment'?
I had a loan from Saraswat Bank of 30 lakhs to climb Mt. Everest. It was
clearly laid between my Father and I that I had to pay it back. I had written
to movie stars and taken pictures with noodle brands and energy drinks at the
top of Everest , thinking I could make big money amounts in return of the
climbing story and pictures. But the moment I summited Saraswat Bank waived of
the entire loan with the interest as I had made the records. This is when
I knew for a fact that 'nothing is impossible' because it was so out of my
control. Climbing the mountain was in my control but this was a miracle.
Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring
mountaineers who want to make their mark in the field?
Be a true mountaineer first, you will automatically make a mark. It is
still a very young profession so if you work hard and are true to the sport you
will be making a mark anyways. Concentrate on being an exceptional and serious
mountaineer. It's a hard sport and it will challenge you on every front,
financially, emotionally, physically, professionally, on family front, on
relationship front even in social setups. Be ready for anything and everything
it throws at you. And just like in life, don't ever give up, all the strength
you need is for the next step, that's all.
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