CHENNAI: At an altitude where breathing itself becomes difficult, six-year-old Siva Vishnu from Virudhunagar district cried in pain, gasping for breath in low oxygen levels and aching legs. Yet, days later, he stood at the Everest Base Camp, becoming Tamil Nadu’s youngest boy to achieve the feat.
Alongside him was six-year-old Sanvika Mohanraj from Kangeyam, who emerged as the second-youngest girl from Tamil Nadu to complete the trek. The expedition also marked another milestone - 57-yearold Jayalakshmi from Chennai, a woman with 40 per cent polio disability, became the first disabled woman from Tamil Nadu to reach the Everest base camp.
The 14-day expedition, led by Tamil Nadu’s first woman Everest summiteer Muthamilselvi Narayanan, began on April 4 and reached the base camp on April 14. But beyond the records, the journey was rooted in an idea—that resilience can be nurtured early in life.
We never trained the children through fear. We slowly introduced them to walking and trekking so that difficulty would become normal to themMuthamilselvi Narayanan, trainer
The children recalled moments of exhaustion, stomach pain and breathlessness. Food became difficult at high altitudes and oxygen levels dropped sharply before they finally reached the base camp. Yet, the team continued, step by step, across changing weather, steep Himalayan trails and suspension bridges.
For Jayalakshmi, a government employee who independently manages her mobility despite her disability, the climb became deeply personal. Having spent years practising yoga, meditation and fitness training, she said the expedition tested both her body and mind.
“Everybody there had a purpose and not just for having fun,” she said. “I knew what I was capable of, and that confidence kept me moving.”
She reminisced the emotional moment of standing at the Everest base camp after days of climbing through Nepal’s rugged fold mountains. “When I finally reached the base camp rock and looked down from 17,598 feet, it felt unbelievable,” she said.
The group also celebrated Tamil New Year at the camp wearing outfits inspired by the Indian tricolour, turning the icy Himalayan landscape into a moment of shared pride.