When we talk about mountaineers, we mostly only imagine ones with muscles and strength, and a great physique!
However, the most important factor when climbing a mountain is the will power and determination.
Some women FROM India outgrew all of the definitions of determination, strength, and will power after their victorious climb on the highest mountain peak- Mount Everest.
Here’s a list of them all, to pay them a small tribute.
Bachendri Pal
The first woman to reach the summit, she was from a village in Uttarkashi Himalayas. She climbed the Everest in 1984 and was conferred with the Padma Shree for her feat. She was also given the Arjuna Award in 1986. The brave soul made it to the Limca Book of Records as well, in 1990. She wrote an autobiography on her journey- ‘Everest- My Journey to the Top’. She fought against her family’s wishes to fulfil her dream of mountaineering. She kept on organizing and leading several treks and trip up on the Everest and was also a part of the team of Everest summiteers who carried out relief and rescue missions in Uttrakhand after the devastating flood in 2013.
Arunima Sinha
From a small district in Lucknow, she was the world’s first female amputee to climb the Everest. Hers is a very inspiring story, as she lost both her legs in a train accident, when two thugs threw her out of the train after her refusal to give in to their demands. With both her legs amputated, her dreams of climbing the mount Everest were being laughed at. However, she stood firm on her grounds and on May 21, 2013, she triumphed the summit. She was a national level volleyball player as well, and was awarded the Padma Shri, too.
Premlata Agarwal
She was the oldest woman to the climb the Everest at the age of 48, in 2013. Hailing from Jharkhand, she also became the first Indian woman to have scaled the Seven Summits of the world. She is a mother of two, and helps conduct several trips to the Himalayas.
Tashi and Nungshi Malik
They became the first siblings (female twins) to climb the Everest in 2013. These 21-year-olds, also became the first siblings to climb the Seven Summits and reach the North and South Pole. They were conferred with the Tenzing Norgay Award in 2016, and are also featured in the Guiness Book of World Records twice.
Malavatha Purna
At the tender age of 13, Purna scaled the Everest on May 25, 2014. She became the youngest girl to have done so! Born to agricultural labourers in Pakala village of Telangana, she was handpicked by the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential School, that provides free education to underprivileged children. For her, harsh weather conditions were not the only challenges, but the horrid packaged food too. Actor Rahul Bose also made a film on her journey titled- Poorna.
Santosh Yadav
She is the first woman to have climbed the Everest twice, and first to have climbed it from Kangshung face. She first climbed it in 1992 and next in 1993. This Haryana lady was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2000.
Anshu Jamsenpa
This Arunachal Pradesh woman broke the record of Nepalese mountaineer Chhurim Sherpa- first woman to climb the mount Everest twice in a single season- by completing the double ascent within a week, in 2017. She is a mother of two and was said to have been blessed by Dalai Lama himself before she went on her expedition! She has climbed the World’s highest mountain peak about five times now.
Anita Kundu
At age of 29, when she climbed the Everest, she became the first Indian woman to scale the peak from the Chinese border. This police sub-inspector from Haryana, had completed her Everest journey in 2013 and this was her second attempt. She had also lost contact while on her way, and there were rumours. After about 11 days, a news flew around that she had indeed, climbed the Everest again.