Everest boy wants to scale more heights, join army

Six years ago when he started trekking in Pune at the age of 10, Arjun Bajpayee wouldn’t have imagined that his passion for adventure would lead him to the top of Mt. Everest.

Updated on: May 30, 2010, 23:52:38 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Six years ago when he started trekking in Pune at the age of 10, Arjun Bajpayee wouldn’t have imagined that his passion for adventure would lead him to the top of Mt. Everest.

The 16-year-old student of Ryan International School in Noida followed his dreams and became the youngest Indian to scale the world’s highest peak on May 22 this year.

Most mountaineers would consider it the peak of their achievements, but Arjun’s journey has just begun. His immediate goal is to clear the class XII boards and then the mountains and records beckon again.

“I want to scale all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, the seven highest peaks in all continents and reach South Pole and North Pole,” Arjun told the Hindustan Times.

Not many would know that the tall teen with long hair is a district level soccer player, a national level basketball and volleyball player and a black belt in taekwondo and karate.

Arjun’s interest in mountaineering began after hearing tales from Jot Singh Dhillion, his father’s friend who scaled Everest thrice. Reinhold Messner, the Italian considered the greatest mountaineer of all times, also inspires him.

What makes Arjun’s feat remarkable is that he had not scaled any 8,000 metre plus peak before attempting Everest. He had earlier scaled Island Peak (6,189 metre) after training at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi.

After he fulfils his mountaineering goals, he wants to join the Indian Army and serve the country his like father, a retired Army officer.

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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