Who Is Kaamya Karthikeyan? The Youngest Indian To Climb Mount Everest At 16

Kaamya Karthikeyan, 16, became the second-youngest person in the world to climb Mount Everest (8,849 metres) from the Nepal side. Karthikeyan is a student at Mumbai’s Navy Children’s School. On Monday, she reached the peak of Mount Everest with her father, Commander S. Karthikeyan, a navy officer. The Indian Navy celebrated this accomplishment on X. The Western Naval Command, Indian Navy, stated on X that “Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 16-year-old, class XII student of Navy Children School, Mumbai, and her father, Cdr S Karthikeyan of the Indian Navy successfully summited Mt. Everest (8849 M) on 20th May.”

Additionally, the Indian Navy posted an appreciation message on X. They congratulated her on her “immense courage & fortitude” and wished her the best of luck in her quest to ascend the highest peaks on all seven continents.

About Kaamya Karthikeyan

The 16-year-old attends Mumbai’s Navy Children School in class 12. Kaamya began trekking at the age of three, motivated by her father’s passion for mountaineering. From what began as an adventure, she quickly progressed to increasingly difficult climbs in 2016, including those to Har-ki Dun (13,500 feet), Kedarkantha Peak (13,500 feet) and Roopkund Lake (16,400 feet). In May 2017, Kaamya reached a new milestone when she hiked to the Everest Base Camp (17,600 feet), making her the second-youngest female in history to complete this accomplishment at the age of 13.

In 2019, Kaamya successfully conquered the legendary Bhrigu Lake (14,100 ft) and crossed the Sar Pass (13,850) within Himachal Pradesh. Soon after her trek to Mt Mentok Kangri II (20,544 ft), Kaamya cycled from Leh to Khardung La, the world’s highest motorable pass. She then ascended Mount Aconcagua, one of the highest summits outside of Asia, in February 2020.

Kaamya is now fully committed to the 7 Summits Challenge. FirstPost reports that her next goal is to climb Antarctica’s Mount Vinson Massif in December and subsequently make history as the youngest female summit climber of all seven continents’ highest summits.

Interestingly, the 16-year-old has already completed six peaks in the challenge in addition to the Everest trip. She received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2021, and she even appeared on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s well-known radio show, Mann ki Baat.

The 16-year-old is a trained musician who has completed Grade 5 in piano and Grade 2 in guitar at the Trinity School of Music. According to Kids Chaupal, she is also skilled in Bharatanatyam dance and Western and Carnatic vocals.