Thekkada Bhavani Nanjunda

Thekkada Bhavani ( Rachana) Nanjunda a sportsperson from Napoklu, Kodagu is an trained and qualified (NZSIA Level – 1) skier and mountaineer. Now has  been selected as an Indian Cross-Country Skier and will be taking part in the International FIS Races representing Indian from the coming winter session 2021-22.Hard work and determination made her successfully summit many peaks and now to the Indian cross country Skiing team.

 

Family

Father

Thekkada Nanjunda Shambu

Mother

Thekkada Parvathi ( Divya )

Sister

Thekkada Seethamma ( Sinchana)

Education

• Primary school -JC School-Srimangala
• High School-Navodaya School-Galibeedu
• College-St Agnes College-Mangalore
• Masters – IGNOU ( perceiving )

Career

• Bhavani is working as an instructor at Himalayana Mountaineering institute, based in Darjeeling.
• And in winter works as an Ski instructor with The Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS) in Jammu & Kashmir.

Achievements

2014

1. She completed her Basic Mountaineering course in ABVIMAS and secured AGrade in 2014.
2. She was the part of NCC girl’s expedition Team to Mt Rudegera (Uttarakhand) and successfully summited the peak and was trained in Nehru Institute of Mountaineering Uttarakhand and IMF Delhi.

2015

1. Her passion for more expeditions and to gather more experience she completed special basic from the renowned Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling in the freezing month of January,2015. During her course she summited Renok peak
2. Took part in AIVSC (Rajasthan).

2016

1. She was the part of the Republic Day contingent for NCC at Rajpath, New Delhi in 2016.
2. She completed her advance Mountaineering course from ABIVMAS in 2016.
3. She summited Friendship Peak and Mt.Stock Kangri in Leh which was 20,187 ft.

2017

1. She got the opportunity to complete the method of instruction(MOI) course from HMI (Darjeeling) and secured A-Grade.
2. She was appointed as a guest Instructor in HMI and gained more experience and skills.

2019

1. She took eight hours to ace the climb to Mount Elbrus the tallest peak in Europe and scale the tenth most prominent peak in the world, on October 19.
2. She completed her basic and intermediate skiing from Jawaharlal Institute of Mountaineering (JIM) and my advance from IISM, Kashmir and secured A-Grade.
3. To further enhance her skills, She trained in New Zealand and received an international instructor certificate in skiing in 2019 which made her the first Indian women to hold an international ski instructor certificate.

2020

1. She participated in National skiing & snowboarding championship held at Auli, representing Karnataka for the first time in the Winter games.
2. National biathlon championship and Khelo India winter games in Gulmarg 2020. Where she won two bronze medals in 10km and 5km Cross Country skiing and became the first south Indian to have received recognition.

2021

1. She represented and won Gold and Bronze medal (cross country skiing women’s senior) for Karnataka in the 2nd Khelo India National Winter Games held in Gulmarg, Kashmir from 26th Feb 2021 to 2nd March 2021.

Awards

• Commendation by the Chief Minister of Karnataka
• Commendation by Director General NCC India
• Commendation by Deputy Director General NCC KAR & GOA
• Best Cadet 6KAR AIR NCC, Mangalore.

She has climbed many peaks in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Leh and Manali and aims to scale of Annapurna Mountain in the Himalayan range, considered toughest for mountaineers. 

She being the first international certified alpine skier and first South Indian cross country skier is ambition to win first Winter Olympic medal for India at 2026 Milan Cortina, Italy.