Bhubaneswar: Five women from Odisha scripted a new chapter in the state’s mountaineering and adventure sports history by successfully scaling the 20,100- ft Mount Yunam in Himachal Pradesh and hoisting the national flag August 15, marking Independence Day.
The team also unfurled an 80-metre-long Tricolour at the summit, turning the successful ascent into a memorable display of patriotism and national pride. Led by Anita Swain and guided by Everest climber Ganesh Jena, the 11-member team began its expedition from the state August 7 to conquer Mount Yunam.
Despite challenging Himalayan terrain, extreme altitude and adverse weather conditions, the climbers displayed courage, discipline, determination and team spirit throughout the expedition.
Five members successfully reached the summit, while three others made it close to the peak but could not complete the final ascent due to illness.
The expedition was completed without any accidents. “Mount Yunam is not just a mountain peak for us; it represents the courage, confidence and determination of the women of Odisha,” Swain said.
She described the successful summit and hoisting of the Tricolour on Independence Day as a matter of immense pride.
Jena, an Everest climber and editor of ‘AASHA’, attributed the achievement to prolonged training, physical fitness, endurance, altitude acclimatisation and adherence to mountaineering discipline.
He described the successful ascent by five members as a major achievement.
Sanket Communications MD Shubhashish Tripathy said the feat went beyond a mountaineering expedition and represented women’s empowerment, courage, patriotism and determination.
By unfurling the Tricolour atop Mount Yunam, the women had carried the state’s pride to the heights of the Himalayas, he said.
AASHA vice-president Haresh Kumar Mishra said the expedition marked a new beginning for adventure sports in the state and would inspire women and young people to push their limits and pursue bigger dreams.
The successful ascent of the five women, the display of the 80-metre Tricolour and the accident-free completion of the expedition have emerged as a significant milestone in the state’s women’s mountaineering and adventure sports journey.