When Satyarup Siddhanta was a child, he never thought he could climb a mountain or envision his life revolving around mountaineering. It seemed an impossible dream as he was asthmatic till his college days and relied heavily on inhalers. But, when he hiked to Parvathamalai in Tamil Nadu—a sacred mountain over 1,371m above sea level—it changed his life. He got rid of his inhalers and mental blocks and transformed himself into a “new me.”

　　Since those days, Siddhanta has climbed many more mountains and broken multiple records along the way. He officially became the youngest mountaineer in the world and the first from India to climb both the Seven Summits and Volcanic Seven Summits on January 15, 2019. He was also the first person to play the Indian national anthem on flute in Antarctica, where he also skied the last degree to the South Pole, a distance of 111km.

　　More recently, on June 25, 2024, Siddhanta and a team of nine mountaineers, four Sherpas and two base camp members made history when they summited the 5,988m of the Gupt Parvat in the Pir Panjal Range of the Western Himalayas. They were the first people to do so in recorded history. The mountain gets its name from its virtual invisibility on account of its unique geographical position which makes it nearly impossible to even photograph, according to reports.

　　Outlook Traveller interviewed Siddhanta about the expedition to the Gupt Parvat and his life as a mountaineer. The interview has been condensed for clarity and brevity.

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