Neeraj Chaudhary tested positive for Covid-19 on the day he was to start from Kathmandu for the Mount Everest but that did not deter the IIT Delhi alumnus who returned to the base camp within weeks of his recovery and ultimately managed to hoist the institution's flag, besides the tricolour, atop the summit.

While the country was reeling under the aggressive second wave of Covid-19, Chaudhary's family members in Rajasthan were hooked to their phones waiting for an update about his wellbeing.