Uttarkashi native Bachendri still inspires women determined to brave challenges to success
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
Bachendri Pal, the country’s first female Everest conqueror and the world’s fifth female mountaineer to scale the summit, has just spent her birthday silently. But the people of Uttarkashi remembered her with warmth and pride, as she is a daughter of this district. Born on May 24, 1954, in Nakuri village, Barshali, under Dunda block, this legendary mountaineer not only scaled the appalling heights of the Himalayas, but also wrote a new chapter of inspiration for millions of women across the country.
Speaking of her exemplary courage, the State convener of Ganga Vichar Manch and a senior BJP leader, Lokendra Singh Bisht said that she personified indomitable willpower. “It is a matter of pride for us-the people of Uttarakhand as well as the people of Uttarkashi –that she had successfully taken on the enormous challenge of planting the tricolor atop Mount Everest. “Her amazing feat in the challenging field of mountaineering continues to inspire the youngsters aspiring for big things in life. She is a national icon and a female pioneer in adventure sports,” he said.
Pal had entered the field of mountaineering after her primary education and received advanced mountaineering training from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 1982. During her training, she had demonstrated her abilities by successfully climbing Gangotri (6,672 meters) and Rudugaira (5,819 meters). Subsequently, in 1984, she was included in India’s fourth Everest mixed gender expedition team, which consisted of seven women and 11 men.
On May 23, 1984, at 1:07 PM, Pal had created history by planting the tricolour atop the 29,028-foot-high Mount Everest, also known as Sagarmatha. With this success, she became the first Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest and the fifth female mountaineer in the world to achieve this feat. Her achievement not just boosted the confidence of women across the country but sparked a new awareness about the potential of mountaineering among them.
Importantly, Pal not just limited herself to mountaineering, but distinguished herself in other branches of adventure expeditions. In 1994, she led a 2,500-kilometer boat expedition on the Ganga from Haridwar to Kolkata. Furthermore, she set a new example for women’s adventure expeditions by completing a 4,000-kilometer arduous expedition in seven months through the Himalayan corridor, through Bhutan, Nepal, Leh and the Siachen Glacier, to the Karakoram mountain range.
While heading Tata Steel’s adventure wing for a long time, she trained young people across the country in adventure expeditions and mountaineering. Under her guidance, many young mountaineers have achieved success at the national and international levels.
In recognition of her contributions to the nation, the Government of India presented her with a number of prestigious awards, including Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and National Adventure Award. Besides, she was bestowed with the Gold Medal of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and Yash Bharti Award from the Uttar Pradesh government. Aside from these, she earned a place in the Guinness World Records and an honorary PhD from Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University.
Even today, she remains a legend for women, youth and mountaineers not only in Uttarakhand but across the country.
“She has proved that one can reach the highest heights in the world even in the most challenging and adverse circumstances with determination and hard work,” enthused a young woman from Uttarkashi, aspiring to be a mountaineer herself while emulating the legend hailing from her own district.
