Bachendri Pal was born to a Bhotiya family on 24 May 1954 in Nakuri village, in the Uttarkashi district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. She was one of five children to Hansa Devi, and Shri Kishan Singh Pal, – a border tradesman who supplied groceries from India to Tibet. She was born only five days prior to the first anniversary of the original ascension of Mount Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. She completed her M.A. and B.Ed. from D.A.V. Post Graduate College, Dehradun. She started mountaineering at the age of 12 when, along with her friends, she scaled a 13,123 ft (3,999.9 m) high peak during a school picnic. On the invitation of her school principal, she was sent to college for higher studies and, during her course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, became the first female to climb Mount Gangotri 23,419 ft (7,138.1 m) and Mount Rudragaria 19,091 ft (5,818.9 m) in 1982. In that time, she became an instructor at the National Adventure Foundation (NAF), which had set up an adventure school for training women to learn mountaineering.[1]
Pal encountered stiff opposition from her family and relatives when she chose a career as a professional mountaineer rather than a schoolteacher. However, she soon found success in her chosen field when, after summiting a number of smaller peaks, she was selected to join India's first mixed-gender team to attempt an expedition to Mount Everest in 1984.[3]
Ascent
In 1984, India scheduled its fourth expedition to Mount Everest, christened "Everest '84". Bachendri Pal was selected as one of the members of the group of six Indian women and eleven men to attempt the ascent of Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepalese). The team was flown to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, in March 1984, and from there the team moved onwards. Recalling her first glimpse of Mount Everest, Bachendri reminisced, "We, the hill people, have always worshipped the mountains... my overpowering emotion at this awe-inspiring spectacle was, therefore, devotional."[5] The team commenced its ascent in May 1984. Her team almost met disaster when an avalanche buried its camp, and more than half the group abandoned the attempt because of injury or fatigue. Bachendri Pal and the remainder of the team pressed on to reach the summit.[3] Bachendri Pal recalled, "I was sleeping in one of the tents with my teammates at Camp III at an altitude of 24,000 ft (7,315.2 m). On the night of 15–16 May 1984, at around 00:30 hours IST, I was jolted awake; something had hit me hard; I also heard a deafening sound and soon after I found myself being enveloped within a very cold mass of material."[5]
On 22 May 1984, Ang Dorje (the Sherpasirdar) and some other climbers joined the team to ascend to the summit of Mount Everest; Bachendri was the only woman in this group. They reached the South Col and spent the night there at Camp IV at the altitude of 26,000 ft (7,924.8 m). At 6:20 a.m. on 23 May 1984, they continued the ascent, climbing "vertical sheets of frozen ice"; cold winds were blowing at the speed of about 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) and temperatures touching −30 to −40 °C (−22 to −40 °F). On 23 May 1984, the team reached the summit of Mount Everest at 1:07 p.m. and Bachendri Pal created history.[6] She achieved this feat on the day before her 30th birthday, and six days before the 31st anniversary of the first ascension of Mount Everest.
After
Bachendri Pal continued to be active after ascending the highest peak in the world. She successfully led:
An "Indo-Nepalese Women’s Mount Everest Expedition – 1993" team comprising only women, which set benchmarks for Indian mountaineering when 18 people reached the summit including 7 women.[7]
All women team of rafters in "The Great Indian Women's Rafting Voyage – 1994", which had 18 women in 3 rafts. It was a pioneering effort by women in successfully completing the journey in the river Ganges from Haridwar to Calcutta, covering 2,155 km (1,339 mi) in 39 days.[3]
The "First Indian Women Trans-Himalayan Expedition – 1997", which was an effort by 8 women, who completed the trekking journey from the eastern part Jhajjar of the Himalayas from Arunachal Pradesh to the western part of the Himalayas at Siachen Glacier reaching Indira Col – the northernmost tip of India at the altitude of 20,100 ft (6,126.5 m), covering more than 4,500 km (2,800 mi) in '225' days by crossing more than 40 high Mountain passes. This is the first success by any country.[3][7][8]
Social service
Bachendri Pal, along with Premlata Agarwal and a group of ace climbers including Mount Everest summiteers, arrived in Uttarkashi and carried out relief and rescue operations in the remotest high altitude villages of the Himalayas that had been ravaged in the 2013 North India floods.[9]
Awards and accolades
President Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Bachendri Pal, at an Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 16 March 2019
Bachendri Pal has been conferred with following awards and accolades:[7][10]
She is the first recipient of the Virangana Lakshmibai Rashtriya Samman 2013–14, which was given by the Ministry of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh, India at Gwalior on 18 June 2013 for her personal achievement in adventure sports and women's upliftment in the country.
^ abc"Bachendri Pal Biography – Bachendri Pal Profile, Childhood, Life, Timeline". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ ab"Tata Steel Newsroom – Press Releases". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ abcdef"Bachendri Pal (Indian mountaineer) – Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^"Mountaineer Bachendri Pal conferred with Padma Bhushan; Padma Shri for Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Chhetri - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
^ abEverest – My Journey to the Top, an autobiography published By National Book Trust, Delhi
^. Archived from the original on 22 July 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
^ abc. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^. Rediff. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013.
^. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^Indian Sports News. "Bachendri Pal – Indian Sports News". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^"National Adventure Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 20 July 1995. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
^"Bachendri Pal gets MP 'Rashtriya Samman' – News Oneindia". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^. Jagranjosh. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
^. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
External links
Bachendri Pal Biography
Indian Autograph's profile
January 13, 2023
bachendri, born, 1954, indian, mountaineer, first, indian, woman, climb, summit, world, highest, mountain, mount, everest, what, 1984, awarded, third, highest, civilian, award, padma, bhushan, government, india, 2019, march, 2019personal, informationmain, disc. Bachendri Pal born 24 May 1954 is an Indian mountaineer She is the first Indian woman to climb the summit of world s highest mountain Mount Everest what she did in 1984 3 1 She was awarded the third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan by Government of India in 2019 4 Bachendri PalPal in March 2019Personal informationMain disciplineMountaineer and Promoter for AdventureBorn 1954 05 24 24 May 1954 age 68 Nakuri Uttarkashi Uttarakhand IndiaNationalityIndianCareerStarting disciplineInstructor National Adventure Foundation 1 Chief of Tata Steel Adventure Foundation since 1984 2 Notable ascentsFirst Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1984 3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Ascent 3 After 4 Social service 5 Awards and accolades 6 Books and publications 7 Further reading 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksEarly life EditBachendri Pal was born to a Bhotiya family on 24 May 1954 in Nakuri village in the Uttarkashi district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand She was one of five children to Hansa Devi and Shri Kishan Singh Pal a border tradesman who supplied groceries from India to Tibet She was born only five days prior to the first anniversary of the original ascension of Mount Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary She completed her M A and B Ed from D A V Post Graduate College Dehradun She started mountaineering at the age of 12 when along with her friends she scaled a 13 123 ft 3 999 9 m high peak during a school picnic On the invitation of her school principal she was sent to college for higher studies and during her course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering became the first female to climb Mount Gangotri 23 419 ft 7 138 1 m and Mount Rudragaria 19 091 ft 5 818 9 m in 1982 In that time she became an instructor at the National Adventure Foundation NAF which had set up an adventure school for training women to learn mountaineering 1 Pal encountered stiff opposition from her family and relatives when she chose a career as a professional mountaineer rather than a schoolteacher However she soon found success in her chosen field when after summiting a number of smaller peaks she was selected to join India s first mixed gender team to attempt an expedition to Mount Everest in 1984 3 Ascent EditIn 1984 India scheduled its fourth expedition to Mount Everest christened Everest 84 Bachendri Pal was selected as one of the members of the group of six Indian women and eleven men to attempt the ascent of Mount Everest Sagarmatha in Nepalese The team was flown to Kathmandu the capital of Nepal in March 1984 and from there the team moved onwards Recalling her first glimpse of Mount Everest Bachendri reminisced We the hill people have always worshipped the mountains my overpowering emotion at this awe inspiring spectacle was therefore devotional 5 The team commenced its ascent in May 1984 Her team almost met disaster when an avalanche buried its camp and more than half the group abandoned the attempt because of injury or fatigue Bachendri Pal and the remainder of the team pressed on to reach the summit 3 Bachendri Pal recalled I was sleeping in one of the tents with my teammates at Camp III at an altitude of 24 000 ft 7 315 2 m On the night of 15 16 May 1984 at around 00 30 hours IST I was jolted awake something had hit me hard I also heard a deafening sound and soon after I found myself being enveloped within a very cold mass of material 5 On 22 May 1984 Ang Dorje the Sherpa sirdar and some other climbers joined the team to ascend to the summit of Mount Everest Bachendri was the only woman in this group They reached the South Col and spent the night there at Camp IV at the altitude of 26 000 ft 7 924 8 m At 6 20 a m on 23 May 1984 they continued the ascent climbing vertical sheets of frozen ice cold winds were blowing at the speed of about 100 kilometres per hour 62 mph and temperatures touching 30 to 40 C 22 to 40 F On 23 May 1984 the team reached the summit of Mount Everest at 1 07 p m and Bachendri Pal created history 6 She achieved this feat on the day before her 30th birthday and six days before the 31st anniversary of the first ascension of Mount Everest After EditBachendri Pal continued to be active after ascending the highest peak in the world She successfully led An Indo Nepalese Women s Mount Everest Expedition 1993 team comprising only women which set benchmarks for Indian mountaineering when 18 people reached the summit including 7 women 7 All women team of rafters in The Great Indian Women s Rafting Voyage 1994 which had 18 women in 3 rafts It was a pioneering effort by women in successfully completing the journey in the river Ganges from Haridwar to Calcutta covering 2 155 km 1 339 mi in 39 days 3 The First Indian Women Trans Himalayan Expedition 1997 which was an effort by 8 women who completed the trekking journey from the eastern part Jhajjar of the Himalayas from Arunachal Pradesh to the western part of the Himalayas at Siachen Glacier reaching Indira Col the northernmost tip of India at the altitude of 20 100 ft 6 126 5 m covering more than 4 500 km 2 800 mi in 225 days by crossing more than 40 high Mountain passes This is the first success by any country 3 7 8 Social service EditBachendri Pal along with Premlata Agarwal and a group of ace climbers including Mount Everest summiteers arrived in Uttarkashi and carried out relief and rescue operations in the remotest high altitude villages of the Himalayas that had been ravaged in the 2013 North India floods 9 Awards and accolades Edit President Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Bachendri Pal at an Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 16 March 2019Bachendri Pal has been conferred with following awards and accolades 7 10 Gold Medal for Excellence in Mountaineering by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation 1984 Padma Shri the fourth highest civilian award of the Republic of India 1984 Gold Medal by the Department of Education Government of Uttar Pradesh India 1985 Arjuna Award by the Government of India 1986 Calcutta Ladies Study Group Award 1986 Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 1990 National Adventure Award by the Government of India 1994 11 Yash Bharti Award by the Government of Uttar Pradesh India 1995 Honorary Doctorate from the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University formerly known as Garhwal University 1997 She is the first recipient of the Virangana Lakshmibai Rashtriya Samman 2013 14 which was given by the Ministry of Culture Government of Madhya Pradesh India at Gwalior on 18 June 2013 for her personal achievement in adventure sports and women s upliftment in the country Padma Bhushan the third highest civilian award of the Republic of India 2019 2 12 13 Bharat Gaurav Award by East Bengal Club 2014 14 Books and publications EditEverest My Journey to the Top an autobiography published By National Book Trust Delhi ISBN 9788123715278 15 Further reading EditIndra Gupta 2004 India s 50 Most Illustrious Women ISBN 978 81 88086 19 1 See also EditList of Mount Everest records of India List of Mount Everest records List of Mount Everest summiters by number of times to the summit H P S Ahluwalia Women in India Status of women in India List of Indian women athletes List of 20th century summiters of Mount EverestReferences Edit a b c Bachendri Pal Biography Bachendri Pal Profile Childhood Life Timeline Retrieved 11 January 2014 a b Tata Steel Newsroom Press Releases Archived from the original on 27 September 2013 Retrieved 11 January 2014 a b c d e f Bachendri Pal Indian mountaineer Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 11 January 2014 Mountaineer Bachendri Pal conferred with Padma Bhushan Padma Shri for Gautam Gambhir Sunil Chhetri Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 26 January 2019 a b Everest My Journey to the Top an autobiography published By National Book Trust Delhi mystory Archived from the original on 22 July 2004 Retrieved 9 February 2014 a b c EverestHistory com Bachendri Pal Archived from the original on 6 December 2013 Retrieved 11 January 2014 Madhumita Chakraborty Rediff Archived from the original on 3 October 2013 Everest conquerors to the rescue Other Sports More NDTVSports com Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 11 January 2014 Indian Sports News Bachendri Pal Indian Sports News Retrieved 11 January 2014 National Adventure Awards Announced PDF Press release Press Information Bureau India 20 July 1995 Retrieved 18 September 2020 Bachendri Pal gets MP Rashtriya Samman News Oneindia Retrieved 11 January 2014 Bachendri Pal gets Rashtriya Samman from MP Governor Archived from the original on 11 January 2014 Retrieved 11 January 2014 Bachendri Pal conferred Bharat Gaurav by East Bengal Club Jagranjosh Archived from the original on 19 December 2019 Retrieved 19 December 2019 Everest My Journey To The Top 9788123715278 by Bachendri Pal ebay India Archived from the original on 11 January 2014 Retrieved 11 January 2014 External links EditBachendri Pal Biography Indian Autograph s profile Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bachendri Pal amp oldid 1127168634, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
