Mt Everest, Kilimanjaro victor seeks help for peakish goal

Uttarkashi | Updated: 09 February, 2023 12:33 pm IST

The mountaineer further said: “I am proud that I have hoisted the Indian flag at Mount Kilimanjaro. I hope to continue to do the same with the help of your prayers."

Uttarakhand’s young mountaineer Praveen Rana, who has unfurled the Indian national flag on two highest peaks in the last two years, has made a public appeal to fund his mission of scaling the highest peaks in all seven continents.

Rana, a resident of Uttarkashi district, made Uttarakhand proud by successfully scaling Mount Everest in May last year. He again brought laurels to the country this year when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain peak in Africa, in February.

In a public appeal, the young mountaineer on Friday announced his target of scaling the six highest peaks of the five remaining continents in the coming years.

“My future plan is to climb the highest peaks in North America, South America, Australia, Europe and Antarctica. This goal will require funding and support,” he said in a video message.

The mountaineer further said: “I am proud that I have hoisted the Indian flag at Mount Kilimanjaro. I hope to continue to do the same with the help of your prayers.”

Rana is among 13 people from Uttarakhand who have so far hoisted the national flag on Mount Everest — Bachendri Pal, Vishnu Semwal, Dashrath Singh Rawat, Khushal Rana, Satal Singh, Vinod Gusain, Suman Kutiyal, Savita Martolia, Sandeep Tolia, Ravi Chauhan, Poonam Rana, Savita Kanswal.

Rana hails from a humble background and developed a keen interest in mountaineering as he grew up seeking his father Nagendra Rana helping mountaineers climb new heights. An avid trekker, his father has worked as an instructor at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and Tata Adventure. Rana’s mother is a housewife and he has five siblings.

A native of Dhasda village of Kelsu Valley, he finished his basic education at a government school in Uttarkashi and then completed Masters in English from Government Post Graduate College in the district. Later, he moved to Dehradun to pursue MBA.

Rana undertook a basic course in mountaineering from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and is currently working in Bengaluru.