Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 16-year-old mountaineering prodigy, successfully climbed the summit of Mt. Everest on May 20, 2024. Kaamya was supported by the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) in this expedition and was accompanied by her father, Commander S Karthikeyan, of the Indian Navy, who also summited the earth's highest mountain above sea level.

Kaamya had trained under the expert guidance of TSAF instructors. She was also part of the Mt Kang Yatse 1 expedition organised by TSAF in Leh-Ladakh in August 2023. TSAF has to date supported 14 individuals to summit Mt Everest.

Chanakya Chaudhary, Chairman, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, and Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: "We are incredibly proud of Kaamya Karthikeyan's extraordinary achievement of summiting Mt. Everest at such a young age. Her journey is a testament to the spirit of perseverance, meticulous preparation, and unwavering determination. Kaamya's success reflects the core values of TSAF, and we are honoured to support her in this historic endeavour. She is an inspiration to young adventurers everywhere, proving that with dedication and the right support, even the most ambitious dreams can be realised."

Kaamya, along with her team, reached Kathmandu on April 6. After extensive acclimatisation and several days of strategic planning to summit at the most suitable weather conditions, her final summit climb began on May 16 from the Everest Base Camp. After a rest day at Camp 2 on May 17, they progressed to Camp 3 by 9:30 am on May 18 and further to Camp 4 on May 19 under tough weather conditions. The final push to the summit began in the early morning of May 20, 2024. The team, led by an experienced Sherpa, made a strategic decision to start their climb at 4 am, considering weather conditions, especially wind speed. The team's exceptional fitness allowed them to start later than the usual 10 pm departure the previous night, providing a safer and more controlled ascent. Kaamya, along with her guide, Lakhpa Nuru Sherpa was the first of the team to successfully ascend to the summit at 12:45 pm Nepalese Standard Time (12:30 pm IST).

Having completed all acclimatisation rotations till 6850 metres early in the expedition including a summit of Mount Lobuche East (6113 metres) on April 18, 2024, Kaamya and her father had returned to base camp for rest and preparation, awaiting a favourable weather window for their final ascent.There are 4 camps after the base camp enroute to the summit — Camp 1 at 6000 metres after crossing the treacherous Khumbu Icefall; Camp 2 at 6500 metres; Camp 3 at 7050 metres and Camp 4 (South Col) at an altitude of 7950 metres, where climbers have to wait before favourable weather provides a window for the final summit push.

Kaamya Karthikeyan is not new to mountaineering challenges. At just 16, she has now scaled the highest peaks on five continents, demonstrating exceptional skill and dedication. Her Himalayan journey started at seven with a high-altitude trek to Chandrashila Peak (12,000 ft) in 2015. By 2016, she tackled tougher treks like Har-ki Dun (13,500 ft), Kedarkantha Peak (13,500 ft), and Roopkund Lake (16,400 ft). In May 2017, she trekked to Everest Base Camp (17,600 ft) in Nepal, becoming the second youngest girl to achieve this. In May 2019, she trekked to Brighu Lake (14,100 ft) and crossed the Sar Pass (13,850 ft) in Himachal Pradesh. Kaamya regularly treks in the Sahyadris, inspiring many young children to join her.

Recognising her strength and adaptability, Kaamya was exposed to extremely high altitudes at a young age. At nine, she climbed Mt. Stok Kangri (20,187 ft), becoming the youngest girl to summit a peak above 20,000 ft. In August 2019, she summited Mt. Mentok Kangri II (20,544 ft) in Ladakh. Recently, she summited the highly technical Mt. Kang Yatse 1 (21,000 ft) with TSAF.

Her notable achievements include:

• Youngest girl to summit a peak above 20,000 ft (Mt. Stok Kangri).
• Youngest girl to summit Mt. Aconcagua
• Youngest person to ski down from the summit of Mt. Elbrus.
• Youngest non-American to summit Mt. Denali.
• Now, she becomes the youngest Indian and the second youngest person in the world to summit Mt. Everest from the Nepal side.

Kaamya is also the recipient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest national award for young achievers, recognising her numerous mountaineering feats.

The following notable climbs of Kaamya to the highest points on six continents are truly inspirational for the young and emergent India:

Disclaimer

Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.

For queries and information

Sarvesh Kumar,
Chief Corporate Communications, Tata Steel,
E-mail : sarvesh.kumar@tatasteel.com

About Tata Steel

• Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 35 million tonnes per annum.
• It is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world.
• The group recorded a consolidated turnover of ~US$30.3 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2023.
• A Great Place to Work-Certified^TM organisation, Tata Steel Limited, together with its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 77,000.
• Tata Steel has announced its major sustainability objectives including Net Zero Carbon by 2045.
• The Company has been on a multi-year digital-enabled business transformation journey intending to be the leader in ‘Digital Steel making by 2025’. The Company has received the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Jamshedpur, Kalinganagar and IJmuiden Plants.
• Tata Steel aspires to have 20% diverse workforce by 2025. The Company has been recognised with the World Economic Forum’s Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Lighthouse 2023.
• The Company has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked amongst top 10 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016.
• Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur Plant is India’s first site to receive ResponsibleSteel^TM Subsequently, its Kalinganagar and Meramandali plants have also received the certification. In India, Tata Steel now has more than 90% of its steel production from ResponsibleSteel^TM certified sites.
• Received Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17, 2023 Steel Sustainability Champion recognition from worldsteel for six years in a row, 2022 ‘Supplier Engagement Leader’ recognition by CDP, Top performer in Iron and Steel sector in Dun & Bradstreet's India's top 500 companies 2022, Ranked as the 2023 most valuable Mining and Metals brand in India by Brand Finance, ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2021 from Ethisphere Institute, and ‘Best Corporate for Promotion of Sports’ recognition at the Sportstar Aces Awards 2024.
• Received 2023 ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) Award of Distinction at the RIMS ERM Conference 2023, ‘Masters of Risk’ - Metals & Mining Sector recognition at The India Risk Management Awards for the seventh consecutive year, and Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting FY20 from ICAI, among several others.

Photographs: Management and Plant facilities

Logos: Files and usage guidelines 

Website: www.tatasteel.com and www.wealsomaketomorrow.com

Follow us on