Meet a banker from Thiruvananthapuram who is on a mission to climb the seven summits of the world

Anil Kumar Kannangal during his trek to Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

When Anil Kumar Kannangal landed at Mineralnye Vody Airport in Russia last year on the way to climb Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, he was in for a shock. The security guards took him into custody, accusing him of being a spy on his way to Poland. After several rounds of questioning and a thorough examination of his emails and gadgets, Anil was let off, upon the assurance given by the Russian friend of his Nepali guide.

That was one among the many unforgettable episodes in Anil’s life as a mountaineer when he is not working as a clerk at Brahmos branch of Canara Bank in Thiruvananthapuram. Recalling the incident in Russia, Anil says, “The attack on a concert hall in Moscow had happened a few months back. Security was at its peak and all foreign nationals came under scrutiny. That was why I was also questioned.”

Ever since he took up mountaineering a few years ago, Anil, a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, has found himself getting more attached to it. He is now on a mission to climb the highest peaks on the seven continents, having already summitted three of them — Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe) and Mount Aconcagua (South America).

“I have been passionate about mountaineering and went for treks and expeditions while in service. After retirement, I used to take part in marathons and cycling expeditions,” says Anil, who took voluntary retirement from IAF in 2014.

When he decided to scale the peaks, he started out with Agasthyarkoodam in the Western Ghats, one of the major trekking spots in Kerala. It was a successful attempt and he went on to trek summit peaks such as Varayadumotta, Kurishumala, and Kalimala among others.

“There is an excitement in the preparation and process involved in a climb. Once I got the hang of mountaineering, I wished to get a glimpse of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. For that I did a trek to the Everest Base Camp in 2023. The climb was tough, but I enjoyed it. After that I started interacting with mountaineers and that’s how I chose Kilimanjaro as my next goal. When I achieved that I wondered what if I attempted to summit the remaining six peaks as well.”

Anil joined social media groups of mountaineers. From Kerala he got the guidance and help from fellow mountaineers such as IAS officer Arjun Pandian, the present District Collector of Thrissur, and Sheikh Hassan, a Kerala government employee, who is the first Malayali to conquer the seven summits.

Anil plans to climb Mount Kosciuszko in Australia in September or October this year, followed by Mount Denali (North America), Mount Vinson (Antarctica) and finally Mount Everest. “The forthcoming treks are going to be expensive when compared to the ones I have already done. The cost would come between ₹15 and ₹50 lakhs, which is a matter of concern. Friends and family had chipped in to fund the previous trips.”

Each journey has been unpredictable, he notes. “In all my trips, I had to deal with flight diversions that forced me to reschedule my journey.”

The 50-year-old stresses that all treks have had challenges as well as exciting moments. “If it was a journey through snow in the case of Mount Elbrus, climbing Kilimanjaro involved crossing different climatic zones — farmland, tropical forest with huge trees, plateau, desert, moorland, and glacier. Surprises were in store everyday. When we crossed Andes, the mountain range where Mount Aconcagua is located, we had to walk through desert for around 14 hours,” says Anil.

He points out that one challenge for mountaineers from India is that there are only a few officially registered trekking companies in the country and they do not directly handle the itinerary. “It is done by agents in respective countries. But in Europe the companies directly cater to everything.”

Anil admits that it has not been easy to balance his passion and profession. “When I take leave, the workload on my colleagues increases. But they have been understanding and supportive.”