Four more AP students summit Mount Everest, total 14

VIJAYAWADA: Four more students, including two girls from the state, scaled Mount Everest on Monday. With this latest addition, the number of those from Andhra Pradesh who climbed the highest peak in the world has reached 14. The four students who achieved this feat on Monday are from social welfare residential schools. V. Sandhya Naik and Boddu Rani, who scaled Mount Everest together, are the first women from AP to achieve this feat.

Sandhya Bai,18, is an Intermediate II student at the social welfare residential college at Vijayapuri South in Guntur district. She hails from Chinna Parlapai thanda in Veldurthi mandal, a remote hamlet in Guntur district. Her parents, Mangya Naik and Huniki Bai, work as farm labourers. When contacted, Mr Mangya Naik said they were worried when she told them about her ambition, as they knew nothing about Everest expeditions. Sandhya was a bright student and worked hard, he said. “We are waiting for her to come back to us,” he added.  

Boddu Rani, 18, is also doing her Intermediate second year and is a student of the social welfare college at Polasanipalli. She is a native of Dharmajigudem in West Godavari district. Her parents Daveedu and Nagamani work as farm labourers. Her parents were jubilant over their daughter’s achievement. Mr Daveedu said he knew that his daughter would achieve the feat. “We gained confidence after she went to Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh in preparation for the Everest expedition,” he said and added that it was her ambition to go to Everest so they did not object.

The other two, R. Sundar Raju, 18, and G.P. Hari Prasad, 18, also students of social welfare hostels, came from poor backgrounds. Sundar Raju is doing his Intermediate II at Jupadu Bungalow in Kurnool district and Hari Prasad at Railway Koduru in Kadapa. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu hailed the achievement of the students. He said, “14 students from Andhra Pradesh have created history by climbing Mount Everest within a month!”