Mastan Babu’s kin cry foul, wish he were born in Telangana

Nellore: Exemplary professional achievements of mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu, who was born in a small tribal hamlet in Nellore district and achieved international accolades, are gradually disappearing with no recognition being accorded to the fame he got for Andhra Pradesh.

The ace mountaineer died during an expedition of Andes mountain ranges in South America in 2015. The family members of Mastan’s family even commented that the situation might have been different if he was born in Telangana State. The Andhra Pradesh government allocated two acres of uncultivable land for his aged mother and Rs 10 lakh ex gratia. There after nothing has been done to recognise his achievements, the family members said.

Mastan Babu was born in Yerukula community in Gandhijana Sangam village. His father made a living by selling salt from door to door. Mastan Babu studied at Sainik School, Korukonda, Vijayanagaram. After completing his B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, he went on to earn an M.Tech in Electronics from Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur.

Mastan Babu had created a world record by climbing seven summits in the shortest span of 172 days with the first climb on January 19, 2006 and the seventh on July 10, 2006.Besides becoming the fastest seven summiteers in the world at that time, Mastan Babu was the first Indian and South Asian to climb all seven summits. The first Indian to climb Vinson Massif and Carstensz Pyramid. But, the ace mountaineer died at age of 40 in the Andes ranges in 2015.

After his death, the state government offered Rs 10 lakh ex gratia and two acres of uncultivable land close to his native village where her aged mother Subbamma resides. Now, there is a memorial at the village and no significant award was announced till now recognising his professional brilliance even after a year of his death. “We have initially requested the government to bring my brother’s body since it was very important for us at that time.

Then, we handed over representations to the state and central governments for conferring country’s highest honour Bharat Ratna for my brother. There was no response from them and we kept quiet. Honouring a person who accomplished great victories is respecting the nation,” said Dr Malli Dorasanamma, sister of Malli Mastan Babu, a practicing neurologist.

In fact, the state government has to recommend the name of the mountaineer who was from tribal community and attained the highest peaks of professional ladder. But, family members said that there was no response even from the state government regarding the representation. No political party or public representative demanded for any honour for the departed alpinist who received countless accolades.

“Still, we didn’t come out of pain. We wanted his funeral to be done with state honours and the government considered it. Now, we can’t demand any honour on him since it is the responsibility of the government,” added Dr Dorasanamma.