A journey of thousand miles must begin with a single step, the quotation is apt for 41- year-old Bihar’s Darbhanga born Rajeev Saumitra, who is supposedly the only self-sponsored mountaineer from entire Jharkhand-Bihar region to accomplish the rare feat of climbing highest cum challenging mountain peaks of two continents.
“In my second attempt to climb Asia’s largest peak and Earth’s highest Mount (Mt) Everest, I made the achievement by unfurling the tricolor at its summit on May 22 in a span of 50 days. Following this honour, took the expressed the same patriotic feeling at Europe’s highest peak Mt Elbrus within an expedition of five days on August 7 this year,” Rajeev told The Pioneer.
Considering the tour as a daring task, Rajeev’s 36 year old Mumbai based friend Ameet Singh who accompanied him in his second mount excursion said “Mountaineers till the age of 30 years are suggested to experience such adventures but Rajeev proved it wrong.” With no coaching and financial support, since the age of 12 years when Rajeev’s father was posted as a teacher in a government school of Gumla district’s Palkot area, Rajeev had been cherishing his mountaineering passion by climbing small hills of this region.
As far as source of income is concerned, Rajeev owns a civil service coaching centre at New Delhi where he himself teaches geography due to his educational qualifications in this particular subject. Despite crossing the age of mountaineering, Rajeev is now all set to explore the remaining highest peaks of five continents comprising Africa, Antarctica, North America and South America.
Sharing his next excursion among the highest peaks of these continents, he said, “I seek to climb Africa’s Mt Kilimanjaro and South America’s Mt Aconcagua and there too I want to unfurl our Indian flag. It would be the happiest moment of my life, if I am able to scale all the highest peaks of the seven mountains.”