Mumbai: A sexagenarian, the oldest Indian to climb Mount Everest scaled the peak as a tribute to his wife who died there in 2019. Sharad Kulkarni, at the age of 60 years, 6 months and 3 days accomplished the feat in honour of his late wife, Anjali - the first woman to successfully summit Mount Everest at the age of 54.
Sharad Kulkarni has set a new record as India's oldest mountaineer to scale the seven peaks, including Everest. At the age of 60, he became India's oldest Everest climber, which has been recognised by a High Range of World Record Organization.
Thane resident, Sharad Kulkarni, the owner of an advertising agency, and his wife Anjali Kulkarni were passionate trekkers who aspired to climb the world's seven most challenging summits. Deciding to pursue their dream after they crossed 50 years of age, the Kulkarni couple embarked on their journey by scaling Mount Koziosci in Australia on November 3, 2014. The second summit was Mount Kilimanjaro on October 8, 2018. The third and most formidable summit was Mount Everest.
Anjali suffocated in the crowd rush
While attempting the third summit, due to overcrowding near Hillary step and only a single rope to go up and down, the rush increased and Anjali Kulkarni experienced suffocation. She passed away due to lack of oxygen on May 22, 2019. That ordeal shattered the Kulkarni couple's dream. Consequently, Sharad Kulkarni returned home and experienced a period of depression. However, he realised that completing the dream was also Anjali's wish.
Overcoming this setback, Sharad Kulkarni resumed their campaign. He successfully climbed the highest peaks of the remaining four continents as promised to his wife Anjali and set a new record. These peaks included Akankanguha (South America) on January 28, 2020, and Mount Elbrus (Russia) on August 14, 2021. Mount Denali (North America) on July 20, 2022, and Mount Vinson (Antarctica) on December 2022.
Subsequently, on May 23, 2023, at 10.40 am, Sharad Kulkarni conquered Mount Everest once again and realising his wife's dream.
New record
Sharing his experience with FPJ, Sharad Kulkarni said, "My wife Anjali and I began trekking approximately 25 years ago with the goal of conquering the seven summits. We initiated our campaign in 2014 and successfully summited two peaks. However, due to personal reasons, we had to halt our progress. After receiving training, we attempted Mount Everest, but my wife passed away during the expedition. Although I reached the summit, I did not perform the traditional flag hoisting. Following this, I battled with depression for a few months. However, I realized that it was our shared dream, and I had to complete it in her honour. My wife's untimely death was caused by a lack of oxygen, so I decided to plant 30,000 trees, symbolizing the height of Everest, within a year. Despite my challenging circumstances, I aim to guide climbers and ensure they pursue their passion safely. Each time I ascend, I carry my wife's photo and pay tribute to her. I hope people recognize the hard work and dedication she put into climbing Mount Everest at the age of 54 as the first woman to do so."
