Bachendri Pal, first Indian woman to conquer Mt Everest and Chief of Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, was conferred with Virangana Lakshmibai Rashtriya Samman 2013-14 by the Ministry of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh on June 18 at Gwalior.
Pal was felicitated with the award for her ‘Personal Achievement in Adventure Sports and Women’s Upliftment in the country’ by Lakshmikant Sharma, Minister of Culture, Madhya Pradesh at a function held in Gwalior on June 18.
The function was also attended by a number of dignitaries of Madhya Pradesh Government. The programme was organized by the Government of Madhya Pradesh under the aegis of ‘Swaraj Sansthan Sanchalanalay Bhopal’. This is first such award instituted by the Government of Madhya Pradesh and Pal is the proud recipient of the same. A panel selected her for the award.
Pal is the first Indian woman to have climbed Mt. Everest and 5th in the world to have achieved the feat. She climbed to the top of Mt. Everest on 23rd May, 1984. The accomplishments and the attainments of Ms. Bachendri Pal have always encouraged and inspired women in India and the world, cutting across ages.
Incidentally,Pal joined Tata Steel in 1984 as the Chief of Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, after her successful Mt. Everest expedition and since then she has been involved in promoting multifarious adventure activities for the community in general and Tata Steel in particular. In her role she modeled numerous expeditions for young and enthusiasts for adventure sports and mountaineering. She has been the inspiration and instructor for hundreds of such enthusiasts.
