Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Bengaluru's Professor aims to cover seven summits by 2026

A Bengaluru professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Arpita Patra from West Bengal aims to cover seven summits by 2026 and the volcanic summits in the near future. She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in July and Mt. Elbrus in Russia in August. Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest peak in Africa and also the highest free-standing mountain in the world, with an altitude of 5895m. Arpita was mentored by the Guinness World Record holder Satyarup Siddhanta, the youngest mountaineer in the world to climb the seven summits and the volcanic seven summits.

Just after signing up to climb the highest mountain in Africa, Arpita started with a 10-day Goechala Trek in Sikkim in April. She didn’t want to wait till 2025 and the climbing season in Russia is from May to September, Arpita signed up for the Mt. Elbrus trek in August. It took seven days to reach Mt. Kilimanjaro summit and a day to climb Mt. Elbrus summit.

She said, "Every mountain is different and proper familiarisation is needed for all large-big treks. This trek was challenging. I was headed to a country that was already volatile. I had a fever and had hurt my gluteal muscles and tailbone in an accident. However, the tickets were booked and I didn't have a choice so I kept going.”

She initiated her expedition by the name of “Aprajita” this year which is with an aim to all those girls who are denied their life, rights, respect, and dreams.

40-year-old associate professor with the computer science and automation department at IISc Arpita got motivated for these treks after watching the biographical film “True Spirit” where the central character Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old girl attempted a solo circumnavigation.

She said, “I plan to climb Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina and Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia by December. In 2025, I plan to make it to Mt. Denali in North America and Mont Blanc in Europe. I also want to climb Mt. Everest in Asia and Mt. Vinson in Antarctica by 2026.”