s a multi-faceted personality, Krushnaa Patil cannot be defined by just one of the several passions that drive her life! Apart from being a trained and acclaimed mountaineer, motivational speaker (6 TED Talks and counting!), she is also a trained Kathak dancer, chef and entrepreneur, Women’s rights and inclusivity champion, sustainability and green practices advocate and a pet parent! And now, after spending 4 years in Kashmir, running her own café, she is ready to don a new hat, as an author! But her journey started with a strong urge to go away from the city life and into the wilderness and silence of the mountains. Even as a teenager, she found herself feeling claustrophobic in the city and the existing pre-defined fabric of life offered by the society, that she soon realised, was not for her. She started climbing at an early age and eventually, formal training was the next step forward. In 2007, she enrolled in the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, Uttrakhand, for formal training. And by 2008, at 18 years of age, she became the youngest in the world to climb Mt. Satopanth at 7075 mtrs. in the Garhwal Himalayas. At the age of 19, in 2009, she became the youngest Indian to climb Mt. Everest! And while having ascended the highest peak in the world would have been a goal for many, Krushnaa was only just getting started! In her own words, ‘Mt. Everest was not a dream, just mountains were’. She wanted to climb, it did’nt matter what and Mt. Everest just seemed like the next logical step. And just like that, Mt. Everest, which was another mountain to her, became the starting point of her love affair with mountains, and herself!
A year after Krushnaa became the youngest Indian to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, she had also attempted to climb the highest peak in every continent and became the first and youngest Indian on the highest peaks in Antarctica, South America and Europe. Apart from mountaineering, Krushnaa also enjoys rafting, paragliding, rowing, and horse riding. Krushnaa is also been a part of the international Access Water Expedition, run by the Bancroft and Arnesan Explorers. The team consists of one woman from each continent led by Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesan, who were the first women to cross the Antarctica unsupported. As part of the initiative, 7 women from 7 continents came together to raft along the longest rivers in each continent, drawing attention to issues like water conservation. The Access Ganga expedition, conducted in December 2015, was hugely successful.
When she is not climbing or indulging in adventure sports, Krushnaa is busy drawing from her experiences, to give motivational speeches as an INK talks fellow and an UNCTAD facilitator. She’s a regular speaker at the IITs, IIMs and has even given three TedX talks. She also conducts various corporate leadership and team building workshops for larger corporate and MNC’s. She is passionate about and loves to speak on a plethora of subjects related to overcoming personal and professional challenges (Details shared below). In 2018, the mountains beckoned again but this time, she left the city in search of a peaceful way of life. And her quest led her to Srinagar, Kashmir. Over the next 3 years, and in the midst of the pandemic, she honed her skills as a chef and took the first steps as an entrepreneur, with her café ‘Bricks and Books’, which has now become a popular destination among locals and tourists alike! And now, she is all set to write the next chapter of her life, literally, as an author. Over the course of her journeys she has written playful diaries of all her climbs, and now she is bringing them all together in a 3 part book series of her adventures, highlighting the magic that she saw and the dramatic twists of her life. Through the book series, she also aims to bring out the life lessons and the and the truth of what she felt during these adventures, rather than the scoreboard she created.
- Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar, 2009
- Kesari Lokmanya Tilak Felicitation, 2009
- Hirkani Puraskar, 2009
- Young Achiever, Citadel Award 2009
- Young Achiever, Mitcom Award 2009
- Jhansi Ki Rani Award 2009
- Indira Gandhi Puraskar, 2009
- Maharashtra Ratna – 2010
- Rotary International Award, 2010
- Gr8 Women’s Awards, 2010
- Young Indian Leaders, CNN-IBN, 2010
- Today’s Youth Asia Award (Nepal), 2010
- Nepal
- Reliance LEAP Conference
- Indian Merchant Chambers Women’s AGM
- Singularity Youth Summit, India Topics she enjoys talking about include:
- Goal Orientation
- Time Management
- Teamwork & Team-Building
- Dealing with High Stress Work Conditions
- Strategic Planning for the Impossible
- Being ready for Imperfect Situations
- Preparing plans A, B and C during Competition
- Man vs woman: Today’s Emerging Roles
- Mountaineering and Sports in India
- Nature, the Environment and Climate Change
- Sustainable Planning for Greener Corporations PROMINENT TALKS: https://youtu.be/9MxHinIynHQ https://youtu.be/9MxHinIynHQ https://youtu.be/fBih_VdGQ9w https://youtu.be/VH-_QS2wjYI https://youtu.be/zU_f8uxTRls https://youtu.be/TQ0lbNlMzjw
Krushnaa Patil
