When Saanika Shah stood atop Mount Everest on May 20, 2026, at 11:23 am Nepal time, she fulfilled a dream she had nurtured for five years after watching the film Everest during the pandemic. The 22-year-old actor in training and Bharatanatyam dancer had already become the first Indian woman and the youngest Indian to summit Mt. Himlung in Nepal just months earlier.
Yet, despite these remarkable achievements, Saanika says the defining moment of her Everest expedition was not reaching the world’s highest point, but experiencing profound inner silence and what she describes as her Guru’s grace. Guided by mountaineer and coach Parth Upadhyay, who believes that every major achievement requires both disciplined effort and divine grace, Saanika says the journey transformed her understanding of success, faith and gratitude.
A Climb Guided By Discipline And Grace
Saanika’s Everest journey began at the age of 17 when she contacted Parth Upadhyay through social media, seeking advice on climbing the world’s highest mountain. Over the next five years, she planned every expedition, training milestone and sacrifice required to reach her goal in 2026.
While her days revolved around rigorous physical training, Parth consistently reminded her that preparation alone could never guarantee success. “There is a limit to how much you can train your body, your mind, your emotions for any goal,” he says. “What most people don’t realise is that these aspects are just 90% of the whole. The 10% is always the grace of the divine, blessings of the elders and your deities.”
His belief stems from his own Everest journey in 2019, which left him searching for a deeper sense of fulfilment. That search eventually led him to Sadhguru’s teachings and the Inner Engineering programme, changing how he viewed ambition itself. Rather than conquering mountains, Parth says he learnt to approach them with humility, believing that sincere effort must be accompanied by openness to grace.
Finding Peace Beyond The Summit
The weeks leading up to Everest tested Saanika’s resolve. A serious knee injury threatened to end the expedition before it began, but encouraged by her mother, she chose to continue despite the pain. Before leaving for Everest, Parth insisted that she complete the Inner Engineering programme and visit the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore. During the visit, he took her before Linga Bhairavi Devi and simply asked her to “Look into Her eyes.” He recalls seeing tears stream down her face and believed the spiritual support he wanted to offer had been given. He later said, “After that, it was between her and her Guru.”
Saanika says the silence of Dhyanalinga and the presence she experienced at Linga Bhairavi Devi stayed with her throughout the expedition, leaving her calmer, more peaceful and deeply connected on the mountain. When she finally reached the summit, she spent nearly ten minutes with her forehead resting on the snow, crying in gratitude for her family, her mentor, the mountain and simply for being alive. The descent reinforced the fragility of life as she passed the bodies of climbers who never returned home, leaving her with one overwhelming thought: she wanted to return safely to her family.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Saanika Shah’s story is about far more than scaling the world’s highest peak. It highlights how extraordinary achievements are often shaped by multiple sources of strength, including disciplined preparation, family support, mentorship and deeply personal spiritual beliefs.
While every individual finds meaning in different ways, stories like Saanika’s remind us that success is not always measured by reaching a destination, but also by the transformation experienced along the way. Her journey encourages conversations about resilience, gratitude and the values that help people navigate life’s greatest challenges with humility.
What do you think plays the biggest role in helping people achieve seemingly impossible dreams: determination, guidance, faith, or a combination of all three?
