By Ila Garg

Mountaineering has always been popular in India. As much as the activity is thrilling, it has a huge amount of risk involved. What is astonishing is that even after keeping their life at stake, how many of these mountaineers actually get the recognition that they deserve!

In an attempt to bring forth some of them, NewsGram features five Indian female mountaineers befitting to the definition of ‘courage’. These mountaineers include Krushnaa Patil, Malavath Poorna, Santosh Yadav, Arunima Sinha, and Premlata Agarwal. These climbers have displayed extraordinary determination and dauntless valour to turn their dreams into reality.

Krushnaa Patil is one such Indian mountaineer who started climbing at the age of 19. Consequently, she became the pioneer woman from Maharashtra, and also the second youngest Indian woman to successfully scale Mount Everest in 2009. Patil is a go-getter and her ambitions led her to be a part of several other expeditions which included an international expedition as well. Cycling, rafting, rowing, paragliding, and horse riding are some of her interest areas.

In her pursuit for action, she became the youngest mountaineer to attempt the Seven Summits Challenge but it was later abandoned pertaining to several technical errors. In Patil’s opinion, sports in India require self-assertion. You need to create opportunities for yourself in order to progress.

“My mother is the strongest woman I know. She was more enthusiastic about my climbing than probably I was! Her strength gives me confidence.” Patil told NewsGram, recently.

A motiv ated person can accomplish wonders. Raised in poverty, 13-year-old Malavath Poorna scaled Mt Everest on May 25, 2014. She successfully tackled the challenges posed in front of her by the cold weather, discomfort of the attire, and her young age.

Her accomplishment is now an inspiration for all young girls in the country. Hailing from a small tribal village, she learned to climb at her school. For a daughter of a farmer, reaching the height of 29,029 feet seemed next to impossible but her enthusiasm and zeal for life were her constant companions. It was her determination that made her a record breaker at such a tender age.

Th e sheer love for mountains gave Santosh Yadav the requisite encouragement to scale the Mount Everest twice in one year, leaving everyone in awe. She has also left a mark as the first woman to successfully reach Mount Everest from Kangshung Face. Being a woman, her journey was not a cakewalk at all. The dreams that she cherished in her heart became her only support against the hostility of her family.

Everest attracts a lot of mountaineers from all across the world. In the quest to reach on top, even the amputees are now keenly participating. Arunima Sinha, a former national-level volleyball player lost her leg when she was thrown from a moving train. She later went on to become the first female amputee to scale the heights. It was her unflinching desire that kept her excelling the Mount Everest even with a disability. This created a great stir among the denizens who started seeing her with respect.

While we hav e records by the young women, at 48, Premlata Agarwal became the oldest woman to dare to scale the Everest. Trained and mentored by Bechendri Pal, the first Indian woman to successfully scale the Mount Everest in 1984, Premlata despite her age showed unparalleled courage and set an example.