Five-year-old Indian boy reaches Everest Base Camp, claims world record

On Friday, Harshit Saumitra, a Class 1 student of GD Goenka School in New Delhi, reached the Everest Base Camp, becoming arguably the youngest person to complete the difficult trek.

Updated on: Oct 20, 2014, 02:39:48 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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As snowstorms lashed Nepal’s Himalayan region few days ago, a five-year-old boy from New Delhi and his father stayed indoors at a small lodge in Pheriche, a village in the Everest region located 4371 meters above sea level.

They were worried that the mission that they had set out to accomplish could get jeopardized midway. But the weather cleared two days later and they set out again towards their goal.

Five-year-old Harshit Saumitra waves the Indian flag at the Everest Base Camp. HT Photo

On Friday, Harshit Saumitra, a Class 1 student of GD Goenka School in New Delhi, reached the Everest Base Camp (5364 m), becoming arguably the youngest person to complete the difficult trek.

It took the child 10 days to cover the distance of 62km trek, many sections of which were covered by 5-7 inch of snow from the snowstorm caused by the tail-end of cyclone Hudhud.

“I felt very good. I unfurled the tricolor at the Everest Base Camp,” said Harshit at a press meet here after his return from the trek. He also climbed the Kalapathar (5550 m) peak located near the EBC.With this feat the child overtakes the record set by Aaryan Balaji, a seven-year old Indian boy who had reached EBC and Kalapathar peak in May 2012.

“We were worried that Harshit might experience altitude sickness. But he didn’t face any problem,” said the child’s father Rajeev Saumitra, a mountaineer who had reached the peak of Mount Everest (8848 m) last year.

The family plans to register the feat in record books like the Guinness World Records and the Limca Book of World Records by submitting the necessary proofs.

Harshit who climbed Rohtang Pass (3930 m) before attempting EBC has his eyes set on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m) in Africa next and plans to attempt Mount Everest (8848 m) in a few years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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