Malli Mastan Babu has demonstrated exceptional courage in charting a path seldom taken by others, which is, to follow one’s heart. Till his entry into the portals of IIM Calcutta he followed a very traditional career path; acquiring engineering degrees and working as a software engineer. It was at IIMC that he understood his true calling. After graduating from the Institute in 2004 he decided to pursue his passion for mountaineering and in course of time set up a company that promotes adventure sports for personality development. This urge to follow his dream was inspired by the tragic loss of a friend in school while on an expedition to Mt. Everest. He has several firsts in mountaineering to his credit. He was the first Indian and so far the only Indian to climb seven summits and has been recognized as the fastest seven summiteers in the world. He has to his credit the distinction of being the 1st Indian to summit Mt. Vinson Massif, the tallest peak of Antarctica and Mt. Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest peak of Oceania. In the unbelievably short span of seven months Malli conquered the peaks of Mt. Vinson Massif (Antarctica),Mt. Aconcagua (S. America),Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa),Mt. Kosciuszko (Australia),Mt. Everest (Asia), Mt. Elbrus (Europe), Mt. Denali (N. America). He is the only South Asian to accomplish 7 Summits and the only person in the world to do 7 summits on seven days of the week, one in each calendar month. He was awarded the ‘Conjee Rustumjee Cohoujee Bey Award’ for ‘Outstanding Youth of the Year’ in appreciation of his feat of being the World’s Fastest 7 ''Summiteer” and the 1st S.A.A.R.C. National 7 “Summiteer”.
Malli Mastan Babu receiving his award