Meet Kaamya Karthikeyan, the youngest Indian to scale Mt. Everest

• Kaamya Karthikeyan, 16, becomes the youngest Indian to scale Mt. Everest
• Accompanied by her father, Commander S Karthikeyan, she summited Everest on May 20
• Kaamya has previously summited peaks across six continents, aiming to complete the Seven Summits challenge

Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 16-year-old student from Navy Children School in Mumbai, has made history by becoming the youngest Indian and the second youngest girl in the world to scale Mt. Everest. She reached the summit of the 8,849-meter peak from the Nepal side, accompanied by her father, Commander S Karthikeyan of the Indian Navy.

On May 20, both Kaamya and her father successfully summited Mt. Everest. The Indian Navy took to X to celebrate their remarkable achievement. "Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 16-year-old, class XII student of Navy Children School, Mumbai, and her father, Cdr S Karthikeyan of the Indian Navy successfully summited Mt. Everest (8849 M) on 20th May," the Western Naval Command posted.

The Indian Navy congratulated the father-daughter duo and highlighted Kaamya's courage and determination. "Kaamya has exhibited immense courage & fortitude in summiting the highest peaks in six of the seven continents.

Kaamya's journey to Everest began on April 3, with her father by her side. She was inspired by her father's mountaineering pursuits since she was three years old. Kaamya's passion for trekking led her to climb Chandrashila Peak at the age of seven and progress to more challenging treks like Har-ki Dun, Kedarkantha Peak, and Roopkund Lake by 2016.

In May 2017, at just thirteen, Kaamya trekked to the Everest Base Camp, becoming the second youngest girl to reach this milestone. Her climbing achievements continued to grow, including summiting Brighu Lake and crossing the Sar Pass in Himachal Pradesh in 2019. Despite numerous challenges, Kaamya became the youngest girl to summit Mt. Aconcagua, further solidifying her mountaineering credentials.