Nagpur: MOUNTAINEER Bachendri Pal astonished his friends two years ago: what about the 4,500km trans-Himalayan Campaign From Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh only by a group of women in the age group of 50 to 70 years? India’s first woman to scale mount everest Not being kidded in 1984, but then the plan was shelved as everyone prepared to go through the pandemic. 67-year-old Pal did not give up and is now 10 Woman Getting ready for the adventure of a lifetime this March.
Padma Bhushan awardee Pal and his friends recently met in Wardha, Maharashtra for an event and decided to go ahead with the campaign. “A lot is happening with the Fit India campaign. We want to show that even people above the age of 50 can be physically fit,” Pal said.
His friends are skilled climbers – some have scaled Mount Everest and some were part of his pre-Everest trek. The plan was exciting, but his age made him think twice. “The expedition will take about five months to complete,” said Chetna Sahu, 54, from Kolkata, who climbed Mount Everest in 2016 with her (now late) husband Pradeep.
“I mapped the route. Any trans-Himalayan expedition requires crossing several passes. If everything goes according to plan, we will start from Arunachal Pradesh in March and end at Tiger Hill (Kargil war fame) almost five months later,” she said.
Bimla Negi-Devaskar and husband Avinash have trained tribal youth from Chandrapur in Maharashtra to scale Mount Everest. He is part of a campaign which he said is about breaking stereotypes. “Usually when you enter the zone of your late 50s, the focus is on relaxing and settling into retired life. But retirement can be a new beginning, to explore new avenues,” said the 54-year-old from Nagpur.
Padma Bhushan awardee Pal and his friends recently met in Wardha, Maharashtra for an event and decided to go ahead with the campaign. “A lot is happening with the Fit India campaign. We want to show that even people above the age of 50 can be physically fit,” Pal said.
His friends are skilled climbers – some have scaled Mount Everest and some were part of his pre-Everest trek. The plan was exciting, but his age made him think twice. “The expedition will take about five months to complete,” said Chetna Sahu, 54, from Kolkata, who climbed Mount Everest in 2016 with her (now late) husband Pradeep.
“I mapped the route. Any trans-Himalayan expedition requires crossing several passes. If everything goes according to plan, we will start from Arunachal Pradesh in March and end at Tiger Hill (Kargil war fame) almost five months later,” she said.
Bimla Negi-Devaskar and husband Avinash have trained tribal youth from Chandrapur in Maharashtra to scale Mount Everest. He is part of a campaign which he said is about breaking stereotypes. “Usually when you enter the zone of your late 50s, the focus is on relaxing and settling into retired life. But retirement can be a new beginning, to explore new avenues,” said the 54-year-old from Nagpur.
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