Savita Kanswal: Habit of going above the rest!

In a shocking development, India’s first woman to scale Mount Everest and Mount Makalu in 16 days breathed her last after an avalanche in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi hills hit in the wee hours on October 4 (Tuesday). The 25-year-old Savita Kanswal had set a national record by hoisting the tricolour on Everest, the world’s highest peak, in May this year.

While speaking to The Quotes, Keval Kakka, Tenzing Norgay National Awardee, expressed his condolences to the incident and said the India lost a young prodigy.

“Really feels sad to hear the loss, she was a really great upcoming mountaineer, full of energy and a visiting instructor at NIM. Sad to know the tragic incident and the loss, my strength to the family and loved ones,” said Keval.

Meanwhile, a group comprising 15 members were rescued by a team of ITBP and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Wednesday.

Savita was the youngest sister in the family with four children living in Uttarkashi’s Lonthru village. As a local government school student, she would climb four kilometres to reach the institute from her home in Maneri. At school, she had taken up an adventure course, which exposed her to the world of mountaineering.

On 12 May 2022, Savita Kanswal clinched her tallest achievement by climbing atop the Everest summit at 8,848 metres. Sixteen days later, she scaled Mount Makalu (8,484 metres). She had submitted Mount Everest in four rotations and her expedition was backed by crowdfunding; hundreds had contributed to support her aspirations.