Multiple world record holder, and 55-year-old SV Ramana from Chennai has once again made his way into the Noble Book of World Records after speed-trekking up the Phulchowki hill at a record-breaking time. Standing at over 2700 metres tall (8931 feet), Phulchowki is considered the tallest hill surrounding Kathmandu valley. SV Ramana successfully completed the feat at a record time of 2 hours 32 mins!
SV Ramana completed the trek as part of the Veteran category, under the guidance of Simbir Ghale, Managing Director of Himalaya View Treks Pvt Ltd. The event took place on the 18th of November and was felicitated by official members of the Noble Book of World Records. An official representative and adjudicator from the organization recognized this feat and presented the certificate of achievement to SV Ramana.
Speaking on his latest record, SV Ramana stated – “There is no better feeling in the world, setting yet another record in what I love the most – adventure sports. This latest record is very special to me, because it serves as a reminder to myself to never stop doing what I was born to do. With each record I set, I hope to inspire young children around the world that age is merely a number, and is not something that should define what you can and cannot do.”
SV Ramana’s love for adventure sports has already inspired many to take on various feats and challenges. One such example would be his very own son – R. Rudreshwar who recently set a record for crossing a 103 mts (337 ft) reservoir without a belay within a record-breaking time of 7 minutes, and 2 seconds, at the age of just 12! One of the many feats that the young boy has taken on. Growing up, Rudreshwar would tag along with his father to trek and climb mountains, which brought about his love for adventure sports. His interest, enthusiasm, and passion for the sport received encouragement from both his parents to delve deeper into the sport.
SV Ramana is the joint secretary of the Tamil Nadu Mountaineering Association, and an officer at Punjab National Bank, Maraimalai Nagar branch. He is also a frequent mountaineer with a very impressive track record. He holds a doctorate in Mountaineering from the International University of Jamaica; holds the UNICO world record for rappelling down a 155 ft rock at Malapattu Mountain in Tamil Nadu – blindfolded; holds the Noble World Record for speed trekking to 18880 ft in Ladakh; and has also rappelled down 400 ft at Katika waterfalls, Araku, Andhra Pradesh in the veteran category as a record-setter.
When asked about his dream accomplishment, he stated that he’d like to climb to the top of Mount Everest someday. But as for what his next journey might be, what he had to say might offer a clue. He went with the words often attributed to C.S. Lewis: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”