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Bengal's celebrated mountaineer set to conquer North Pole

Kolkata: Satyarup Siddhanta, the Kolkata mountaineer who made Bengal proud in January by becoming the youngest man in the world to have scaled the seven highest peaks and volcanic summits across continents when he conquered Antarctica's highest point Mount Sidley, is again embarking on an expedition to the North Pole. He has already left the city for the same.

The mountaineer would ski for around ten days, 8-10 hours daily to reach the last point in North Pole, where the temperature varies between -25 to -35 degree Celsius.

If Siddhanta successfully completes the arduous task in the next fifteen days, he will be the youngest person in the world to have completed the 7 highest summits, 7 volcanic summits, North Pole and South Pole and the first one from India to have done the same.

"It is very challenging considering the inclement weather conditions, the presence of polar bears and the load of around 50 kg on the back, which needs to be carried during the expedition. But I am optimistic in placing our national flag on the North Pole," Siddhanta said.

A global company is sponsoring his expedition and the Indian flag was handed over to the mountaineer at a recent programme in the city by minister of state for Information & Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen.

The North Pole has been adversely affected by global warming and the snow is melting there at a rapid pace. Experts have expressed their apprehension that the place may cease to exist after twenty years.

The mountaineer, who originally hails from Haridevpur in South Kolkata, is a software engineer by profession. He holds an illustrious record of conquering several treacherous summits such as Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt Elbrus in Europe, Mt Denali in Alaska and Mt Monc Blanc in France.

It was December 5, 2018, when Satyarup scaled Pico de Orizaba, which is the highest volcanic peak in North America.

He was the first civilian Bengali to have scaled the seven summits in 2017. A Bengali mountaineer based in Delhi Satyabrata Dam had scaled the seven summits some years ago, but he was a non-civilian. He had successfully climbed Mt Everest in June 2016.

Satyarup, an asthma patient as a child, could never even dream of scaling the mountains or other sports. But it was in 2008 when he went on a trekking trip with his friends that he decided to take up mountaineering. He went on scaling one peak after another and is now regarded as the country's most successful mountaineer.

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