Krushnaa Patil became the youngest Indian to scale the 8848m
tall Mt. Everest in 2009, she remains the youngest woman from Maharashtra,
and the second-youngest woman from India, to do so. She also holds the
distinction of being the first Indian woman atop 4 of the 7 continents.
Krushnaa’s summits have inspired a brave new generation of
young mountaineers to take up challenges to big summits. Though her pursuit of
the Seven Summits Challenge remained incomplete, it set a new horizon for
Indian mountaineers to go and explore – India went global.
She is on a quest to become the first Indian woman to scale
the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of the seven continents from which Krushnaa
has already finished four: Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Vinson Massif
(Antarctica) and Aconcagua (South America).
Krushnaa believes that when it comes to sport in India, you
have to create your own opportunities. "I think we give up very easily.
But the point is support will come. She has supported and inspired fellow mountaineers
like Tashi and Nungshi Malik, first to siblings
and twins to summit seven summits and continues to do so.
She is also an Ink fellow since 2011, and a motivational
speaker. Her talks focus on achieving the impossible, success against the odds,
and conquering personal challenges – uniquely brought out through her
diverse experiences.