India’s women mountaineers break yet another glass ceiling

April 16 will go down in history as a day when India’s women mountaineers shattered yet another glass ceiling, this time in the icy heights of the Himalayas. At 1.30 pm that day, 26-year-old Priyanka Mohite scaled Mt Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain peak in the world. She is the first Indian woman to conquer this peak. A few hours later, 25-year-old Sheetal reached Annapurna’s summit. Not only is she the second Indian woman to scale this peak also, she is the youngest to do so. They deserve applause. Located in Nepal, Annapurna rises majestically to a height of 8,091 metres. What makes the duo’s achievement particularly noteworthy is the fact that Annapurna is among the most treacherous of mountains to climb, more difficult to scale than some of the other peaks that are taller. Bangalore-based Mohite has conquered several peaks in recent years, including Everest and Kilimanjaro. But it is the ascent of Annapurna that she is likely to treasure the most, given the toughness of the climb.

The climb to the Annapurna’s peak would have been a tough one for Mohite and Sheetal. Oxygen is scarce at that altitude and every step forward and upward would have imposed unbearable pressure on their respiratory and other systems. Yet, they did not give up and soldiered on. More daunting are likely to have been obstacles they encountered even before they actually began climbing this mountain. There would have been countless nay-sayers; many would have told them that climbing Annapurna is a tough task for the best of men and women, supposedly being the ‘weaker sex,’ didn’t stand a chance. Many would have tried to dissuade them. That they did not allow these pessimists to bog them down should be a lesson to others, especially women. Nothing is impossible.

The world has seen several women conquer the highest and toughest peaks. Bechendri Pal is the first Indian woman to scale Mt Everest. In 2013, Arunima Saha conquered this mountain. She is the first Indian woman amputee to scale Everest. Malavath Purna was just 13 years and 11 months when she achieved the feat in 2013. No doubt, Mohite and Sheetal were inspired by these women and now these two will draw others to not only attempt climbing the tallest and toughest mountains but also, to scale other insurmountable challenges. Every mountain that is conquered, every glass ceiling shattered and every male bastion that is breached will pave the way for more women to follow.