Savita Kanswal was an Indian mountaineer hailing from Uttarakhand. She is the first Indian woman to conquer both Mount Everest and Makalu within 16 days.[1] She died in an avalanche accident on October 4, 2022. In January 2024, she posthumously received the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, the highest honor in adventure sports in India.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Savita Kanswal |
| Born | Uttarakhand, India |
| Died | October 4, 2022 Draupadi Ka Danda, Uttarkashi district |
| Nationality |  India |
| Career | |
| Notable ascents | Mount Everest, Makalu |
Early life
editSavita Kanswal was born into a lower-middle-class farming family in the remote Lonthru village of Uttarkashi. She was the youngest of four sisters. In 2013, she completed basic and advanced mountaineering courses at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi.[3]
Career
editSavita set a national record in May 2022 by raising the Flag of India on Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. She climbed Mount Everest (8848 m) on May 12, 2022, achieving this milestone on the 16th day. On May 28, 2022, she climbed Makalu (8485 m), the world's fifth-highest peak.[1][4]
Under the pre-Everest campaign, Savita successfully climbed five peaks across India, including Trisul. She served as an instructor for the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering's Advanced Mountaineering Course (NIM) at Draupadi Ka Danda Peak.[5]
Death
editSavita died on October 4, 2022, in an avalanche at Mount Draupadi Ka Danda-2 peak in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.[6][7] Following tradition, she was given a 'jal samadhi' (water burial), a practice observed in Uttarakhand for unmarried women with no brothers.[8]
The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced the renaming of Maneri Inter College after Savita.[3] She was posthumously honored with the 2022 Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award by the Government of India.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Singh, Simran (July 25, 2022). "Savita Kanswal became the first Indian woman to summit Everest in 16 days". The Daily Guardian.
- ^ a b M., Rahul (January 9, 2024). "Family Gets Emotional As Savita Kanswal Conferred Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award Posthumously". The Free Press Journal.
- ^ a b "एवरेस्ट फतह कर रचा था इतिहास, हादसे में गई थी जान; आज भी प्रेरणा देती है इनकी कहानी" (in Hindi). Jagran. October 4, 2022.
- ^ "Mountaineer Savita Kanswal clocks national record for scaling Mount Everest, completes 10 expeditions". The Times of India. June 6, 2022.
- ^ Negi, Sunil (October 17, 2020). "हौसलों ने भरी उड़ान तो छोटा पड़ गया आसमान, उत्तराखंड की सविता कंसवाल ने विपरीत परिस्थितियों से लड़कर बनाया रास्ता" (in Hindi). Jagran.
- ^ "Savita Kanswal, Record-Setting Mountaineer Who Scaled Everest, Dies in Avalanche". The Quint.
- ^ Mishra, Ishita (October 5, 2022). "Record-setter mountaineer Savita Kanswal among those killed". The Hindu.
- ^ Kotnala, Abhyudaya (October 9, 2022). "Last rites of Savita Kanswal, Naumi Rawat concluded". Times of India.