Aided by self-confidence and hard work, a 36-year-old man rose from the dusty streets of collieries to scale the world’s highest peak Mount Everest.

Meet Lt Colonel Jay Prakash, son of a general store owner in Dhori Basti locality of Phusro area in Bokaro, who led the seven-member elite National Security Guard Commando expedition team to conquer the Everest on May 16.

Prakash also unfurled the Tricolour along with the flag of his alma mater Sanik School Tilaiya.

Talking to The Telegraph on Thursday afternoon from his army camp in Manser, Haryana, about 50km from Delhi, Prakash said, “It was no less than a dream come true. My self belief coupled with hard work helped me cross all obstacles.”

The expedition team left from Delhi on April 1 and reached Kathmandu on April 4. After a brief period of acclimatisation, the team left for Everest on May 12 and conquered the peak at 8.30am on May 16.

Prakash, who studied at Sainik School Tilaiya from Classes VI to XII (1991-1998), said his alma mater would always hold a special place in his heart. “I had safely stored the flag of my school. I will share the memorable moments of the expedition with my classmates once I return to Tilaiya,” he added.

After passing out from his school, Prakash pursued zoology honours from B.D. Evening College in Patna in 2003. He received training at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, in 2004-05 before being commissioned to join the Indian Army in 2005.

“I have very vague memories of my home town in Phusro, Bokaro, as I used to mainly go there during vacations. I started mountaineering in 2009 and scaled over 15-16 peaks before being selected for the Everest expedition in August 2017. I had to go through several rounds of rigorous training before the expedition,” he added.

When asked about what message he would like to give out to youths, Prakash said, “You need to have confidence in yourself and work hard to achieve your dreams.”