Thursday, 11 January 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The mountaineer Savita Kanswal, hailing from Lothru village under Bhatwari block in Uttarkashi district, has been posthumously conferred with the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in recognition of her summiting feats. The President Draupadi Murmu presented the award to her father Radheshyam Kanswal in a ceremony on Tuesday.
Notably, Savita was the first Indian woman mountaineer to summit the world’s highest peak Mount Everest (8848 m) and Mount Makalu (8485 m) within a remarkable space of 16 days when she was 25 years in age. However, she died an untimely death after being hit by an avalanche while climbing Draupadi Ka Danda peak as a member of the team sent by Nehru Institute of Mountaineering on October 4, 2022.
The family members of the deceased mountaineer said with tears in their eyes that it was an emotional moment for them when her father received the award on her behalf. Her courage and determination to overcome challenges braving odds would continue to inspire the adventure lovers across the country, they said.
