16-year-old mountaineer Vishwanath Karthikey Padakanti was awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025 by President Murmu. He was recognised for being the youngest Indian to complete the prestigious Seven Summits Challenge.
The government on December 26 conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025 on young mountaineer Vishwanath Karthikey Padakanti, recognising his extraordinary achievement of completing the prestigious Seven Summits Challenge at just 16 years of age. President Droupadi Murmu presented the national honour on the occasion of Veer Baal Diwas, which commemorates the martyrdom of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh.
The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is awarded annually to children below the age of 18 for exceptional accomplishments across six categories--Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art and Culture and Science and Technology. Karthikey was honoured for his remarkable feat in mountaineering, becoming the youngest Indian and the second youngest person globally to summit the highest peaks on all seven continents.
The Seven Summits Feat
The Seven Summits Challenge involves scaling Mount Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia), and Mount Vinson (Antarctica). Karthikey completed the challenge on May 27, 2025 after successfully summiting Mount Everest.
A Journey From Pandemic to Peaks
Born on October 30, 2008 in Hyderabad and currently residing in Ferozguda, Balanagar, Karthikey took to mountaineering during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At the age of 11, he made his first high-altitude attempt at Rudragaira in Uttarakhand. Though he did not reach the summit the experience laid the foundation for a disciplined journey into high-altitude climbing. He later underwent professional training at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, gaining vital technical and safety skills.
Pillar of Support
Known for his rigorous routine, Karthikey often began training as early as 4 a.m. Over the next five years, he climbed 23 mountains across continents, setting multiple age-related records, while continuing his school education alongside demanding international expeditions. His journey was strongly supported by his family, parents Rajendera Prasad and Laxmi, grandparents Shiva Kumar and Soumya Laxmi and elder sister Vaishnavi. He was coached by Bharath Thamineni, founder of Boots & Crampon, with mentorship from Romil Barthwal. Notably, the award marks a hat-trick for Boots & Crampon, following earlier recipients Samanyu Pothuraju (2020) and Virat Chandra Telukunta (2022).
A Strengthened Resolve
Reacting to the honour, Karthikey said mountaineering had taught him discipline, consistency & resilience, adding that the recognition had further strengthened his resolve to pursue higher goals in the sport. (ANI)
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