Scaling heights for his father

Rohith Rao Madasu dedicates each climb to his late para-athlete father who was an Arjuna awardee

Rohith Rao Madasu who has conquered nine mountains, including Mount Kilimanjaro, says sporting or adventure activities were never a part of his growing up plans. The son of Arjuna awardee late Srinivas Rao Madasu, Rohith regrets that he never incorporated his dad’s sportsmanship while growing up. It was only much later that he realised his father was more than an inspiration as a para-athlete. Rohith says, “When the realisation dawned on me, I decided to take up some sporting activity and dedicate each accomplishment to my father. Mountaineering was an organic thought; I was just inclined to it in my mind. However, I felt daunted by the look of Everest and that people scale it.” 

He compared the daunting task of scaling Everest to his father who was born disabled (no mobility on both legs), raised three children, educated them and also pursued several sports. On the professional front, his father worked as a Superintendent with APSRTC (before formation of Telangana). Rohit works with Accenture. 

Rohith knew he had to begin somewhere. Since scaling mountains seemed impossible, he decided to tackle that thought itself .  “I signed up for a mountaineering trek to Kedarkantha (in Uttarakhand) at an altitude of 3810 meters, in 2018. After continuous training and workshops for my first climb, I was able to do it. That was the first big win I felt.” He says he was more happy to see his father’s happiness.

That gave Rohith the much needed push. He thanked his father for being a constant inspiration without “nagging me or my siblings.” He added, “In his honour and inspired by his spirit, I have embarked on a series of mountain treks. My adventures are not merely personal accomplishments but a testament to the indomitable human spirit, a tribute to my father’s sportsmanship.”

In a span of six years, Rohith conquered nine mountains of which Mouth Kilimanjaro is his latest. During this climb, he had to overcome a lot of financial problems. “I wasn’t getting any sponsor for my climb; apart from the fact that Kilimanjaro was a big climb for me, the task of finding a sponsor also looked like a herculean task. Finally Chinna Jeer Trust came forward to help and I could scale the peak with my father’s photo and the flag of India.” 

Even though Kilimanjaro isn’t the first highest peak he has climbed, he says, “Extreme altitude gain of this free standing mountain, the steep climb, long trekking hours and temperature tested my limits. ” His only regret: His father is not around to hear his son talk about the climb. “My father passed away in 2021 due to lung cancer,” he informs.

What next? “I want to scale the Everest some day; for that I need to train myself and also find sponsors,” he says.