At 75 years of age he climbs the hill, daily!

For this 75-year-old elderly citizen, climbing Chamundi Hills is like a regular morning walk. HS Jagannath, a resident of Vidyaranyampuram, is in his mid-seventies and has been climbing the hill daily, without missing a day, for the past 34 years.

He leaves his home at 4.45am in the morning, starts climbing the steps at 5.30am and is back home by 8 am, taking in all a little over 3 hours. He claims that by climbing 1100 steps of the the hill daily, he is healthy and fit, doesn't suffer from any ailments, in addition to inhaling fresh oxygen everyday.

He says climbing the hill is not difficult, provided one maintains a regular pace both while climbing or coming down.'Some people in their enthusiasm climb 100 steps without any stopping and relax for 10-15 minutes. That is not correct. While climbing don’t sit down in between. If your are tired, pause, take a deep breath and when heart beat comes to normal start climbing again. That way you can enjoy climbing tirelessly and maintain a good health as well.'

'I was suffering from high Blood Pressure along with being Diabetic. I then realized the importance of exercise and as the Hill was just 2.5 km away from my house, I thought of climbing the hill. After I began climbing the Hill daily my health returned to normal and I feel quite comfortable.'

'Some believe that by climbing hill frequently, one suffers from joint pains and also face other problems. It is the case only with few persons, not for everyone. For the rest, Hill climbing is a very good exercise,' he adds

'Also by simultaneously practicing Gymnastics and Yoga, one can build muscles and make nerves strong. By climbing Hills the blood circulation improves', he observes.

Advantages of climbing hills regularly are getting rid of respiratory problems, control blood pressure, reduce sugar,diminishing joint pains and improved resistance to diseases. He has also become a motivation to several middle aged men like SP Yogamurthy, Shivkumar, Basavanna, Pradeep, Vittal, Babu, Sundar, Chinnappa, Shankar, Kumar, Sundar, Govinda, Naveen and several others to climb the hill and are now accompanying him for the past 20-25 years.

They say 'We enjoy lot climbing hills together. While returning, we all assemble near Nandi, discuss current issues and crack some jokes, having lot of fun. We sometimes even sit with Swamiji Jamaunagiri and have spiritual talk for a while.