Pune, 16th August 2024: On August 15, 2024, a team of 7 mountaineers from Pune-based Giripremi Adventure Foundation hoisted the Indian tricolor on Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, tocommemorate India's Independence Day. Located in Tanzania, near the Kenya border,Mount Kilimanjaro stands tall at 19,341 feet (5,895 meters) and is one of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks in each of the seven continents.

The team, led by GAF's mountaineer Ankit Sohoni, included Shashikant Hiremath, Subhash Pawar, Mangesh Gokhale, Aniruddh Deshpande, Vaibhav Deshmukh, and Anjali Hazari. They reached the summit after an 11-hour climb and hoisted the Indian flag at 10:35 am, singing the national anthem.

Other team members, including Asawari Joshi, Sucheta Mohite, Vikram Doundkar, and Sanjay Bhapkar, reached Stella Point at height 5,756 meters; while Medha Medsiker,Sharmila Fernandes, Madhavi Renuse, and Sangita Shalgar accompanied the team up to an altitude of 4,800 meters.

The team had been training for six months under the guidance of veteran mountaineer Umesh Zirpe and Giripremi Adventure Foundation's Head of Operations, Sameer Divekar stated a press release.