Bala Puraskar : The Nine-year-old Virat Chandra Telukunta from Hyderabad was awarded Prime Minister Bal Puraskar in Sports this year on Republic Day. Less than a year ago he became one of the youngest ever to scale the Mt. Kilimanjaro, at a height of 19341 feet.
Virat Chandra achieved this rare feat on March 6 and said he was inspired to make the climb after listening to inspiring stories from his cousins. “I used to run for 6-7km every day, did sit-ups, Surya namaskar and meditation. It was very cold there, but we focussed on summit point despite body aches” told Chandra. While climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Chandra overcame the challenges like extreme cold weather, finger pain, hand pain, and leg pain caused due to chilly weather.
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Talking about his future expeditions, Chandra is planning to attend the Australian Summit and climb Mount Kosciuszko as the border restrictions ease out.
“We were scared initially when Virat said he wants to do mountaineering, but after discovering a good trainer and also seeing the results from Virat’s training, we were confident that Virat could do mountaineering,” Virat’s father Sharath told.
Bala Puraskar
“I broke down when he returned to the base camp. I wanted to go along with him to the summit, but due to breathing problems, I had to stay there. It was hard for me, as I am always with him. Upon his return to base camp, his first words were, I finished Maa, I finished!” said Virat’s Mother Madhavi told talking about his achievement . Mountaineering at such a young age is difficult, and she wishes that all parents let children pursue their dreams.