Begusarai: Mount Everest conqueror felicitated

BEGUSARAI: After successfully scaling Mount Everest for the second time on May 23, UP cadre IAS officer Ravindra Kumar reached his native place Begusarai on Sunday.
An alumnus of Begusarai-based Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Ravindra hails from Basahi village of Cheria Bariarpur block of the district.
In a programme organized by the ‘Green Cyclothon’, a group of local eco activists, Ravindra was honoured by Union minister for animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries Giriraj Singh for his astounding feat.He was also felicitated at the Barauni refinery township Kalyan Kendra by his schoolmates under the aegis of JNV Begusarai Alumni Association.
Mingling freely with his schoolmates and seniors at the felicitation ceremony, the 37- year-old IAS officer shared his experiences and challenges of climbing the highest peak. “The grandeur of Himalayas remains a constant source of awe for us and scaling the peak twice is simply unbelievable,” said Ram Babu Rai, an assistant professor at IIT-Kharagpur, who was senior to Ravindra at JNV Vidyalaya.
A few friends wanted to know from Ravindra as to how he developed keen interest in mountaineering. “It all started when I was in Sikkim as a trainee officer in 2011. Sikkim was then devastated by an earthquake and a team of hikers had arrived for search and rescue in the mountains. I also decided to accompany them. Watching them rescue and help people trapped in the mountains motivated me to go for mountaineering,” he said.
He added: “During my school days in JNV, I once picked up a quarrel with one of my batchmates. He gave me a sound thrashing and I had to step back. However, I decided to be more physically fit in future and even joined a martial art training session in the school. Mountaineering gave me a choice to remain fit with an added incentive of adventure and being close to nature.”