Remembering Bachendri Pal on Her Birth Anniversary

On May 24, 1954, the great mountaineer Bachendri Pal was born. Yesterday she turned 68 years old. In 1984, Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Bachendri Pal was born in Uttarakhand to a working class family. She started mountain climbing at the young age of 12. Although her parents wanted her to become a school teacher, she insisted on becoming a professional mountaineer. Over the next few years she trained for the same and successfully climbed small mountain peaks. 

This led to her joining India’s first mixed gender team for Mt. Everest expedition. The team began its expedition in 1984. During the journey, they were met with an unfortunate avalanche which caused half of the team members to return. Bachendri Pal was one of the remaining mountaineers who continued the journey. Finally on May 23, 1984, she became the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and made history.

After this great feat of achievement, Bachendri Pal led many all-women teams in several fields such as mountaineering and river rafting. In 1984, she was honored with the Padma Shri award which is the fourth highest civilian award in India.