'Man of Steel' Hemant Gupta scales Mount Everest

He has climbed Mt Aconcagua (the highest peak of America), Mt Bhagirathi II, Island Peak, Mt Kanamo

Tata Steel employee Hemant Gupta, who was steadily progressing towards the summit in his Everest expedition, conquered the Mount Everest Sunday morning.

The 27-year-old Hemant completed his B. Tech in Metallurgical Eng & Material Science from IIT Bombay in 2011 and joined Tata Steel as a management trainee (MT) in Tata Steel's new plant in Kalinganagar Orissa.

As an MT, he had undertaken the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) Outdoor Leadership Course in Uttarkashi Himalaya. His first tryst with adventure came through his successful completion of the one month Basic Mountaineering Course from the National Mountaineering Institute in Manali.

TSAF then included him in the Chamser Kangri Expedition during which he reached up to 21,100 ft. His love for adventure made him join the Adventure Programme Dept. in September 2013.

Since then he has climbed Mt Aconcagua (22860 ft) - the highest peak of America (one of the seven summits) in 2015, Mt Bhagirathi II (21310 ft) in Gangotri region, climbed Island Peak (20,400ft) in Nepal, Mt Kanamo (19,600ft) in Spiti Valley.

Payo Murmu, another employee of Tata Steel, who was also on this expedition with Hemant was not able to make the final attempt towards the summit due to inclement weather. Both the mountaineers are expected to be back at the base camp by tomorrow.

At the start of the expedition, Bachendri Pal, Chief, Adventure Programme, Tata Steel had said, "Everest has always represented the epitome of challenge of human endeavour, of leadership, of knowing one's strengths and weaknesses, of being humble in one's approach and of testing one's capabilities.

"All the skills learnt not only help one in surmounting mountains in Himalaya but also in their real life, thereby making them better individuals benefitting them and the organisation or community they work for.