While India was celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Independence, Muriki Pulakita Hasvi celebrated freedom in her style by successfully scaling two peaks — Europe’s highest Mount Elbrus West and Mount Elbrus East, within 24 hours.
Along with a group of seven other mountaineers, the 14-year-old scaled the 5,642-meter Mt Elbrus West at 5.30 am on August 15 and just 21 meters lower Mt Elbrus East (5,621m) at 4.23 am on Tuesday. “I’m so proud of Hasvi doing all this at such a young age,” Hasvi’s mother, Madhavi Muriki, said of her daughter’s accomplishment. “She was always up for challenges and we will always be supportive of her decisions as parents,” she said.
Hasvi has always been interested in sports such as badminton, cycling, cricket, and skating. She began her mountaineering journey in April 2021. She scaled the
Twin Mountains back to back— Mt Kang Yatse (6250m) and Mt Dzo Jongo (6160m) — in June 2022.
In October 2021, she climbed the highest point in Africa — Mt Kilimanjaro (5,895m). She also holds the Asia Book of Records for being the youngest girl to climb Mt UT Kangri in Leh-Ladakh, India.
Hasvi, who is in 10th grade at Excellencia Infinitum School in Shamirpet, is also doing well in school and is preparing for her upcoming boards. She aims to be the youngest person in history to reach all seven summits, in all the continents by the age of 16.
Since her achievement, Hasvi has been receiving accolades from different quarters. Appreciating her courage, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Wednesday called up her father Venkat Satyanarayana Murki and congratulated him on his daughter’s achievement.