The Indian Mountaineering Foundation’s (IMF) East Zone, in association with the Siliguri-based Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), organised an all-women rafting expedition on the Teesta river on Saturday to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The rafting journey covered a stretch from Rangpo to Seventh Mile, spanning nearly 14km along the challenging currents of the Teesta river.
Animesh Bose, the programme coordinator of HNAF, said the five-member women’s team comprised Damini Mukherjee, Leesh Roy, Tanushree Singha, Suroshree Mukherjee and Sneha Dutta.
“Damini and Tanushree are students of Siliguri College, while Suroshree teaches at Surya Sen College in Siliguri. Sneha works at a private farm and Leesh is associated with a wildlife NGO based in the Naxalbari area of Siliguri subdivision,” Bose said.
A source said the IMF arranged a series of adventure sports events across the region from March 1 to March 7. The all-women rafting expedition was held on the concluding day to mark International Women’s Day that falls on March 8.
“Our members have taken part in several adventure activities earlier, but this 14-kilometre rafting journey on the Teesta was a completely new experience for them. Navigating the strong currents and bends of the mountain river is always challenging, and they completed the expedition successfully,”
Bose said.
“Such initiatives would inspire beginners, especially women, to participate more actively in adventure sports and outdoor activities,” he added.
Rafting on mountainous rivers is widely considered among the most demanding adventure sports.
The Sikkim government recently conducted a specialised rafting training programme for guides from February 13 to February 27.
The training aimed to promote rafting as a commercially viable adventure tourism activity along stretches of the Rangeet and the Teesta rivers, including routes from Sikkip to the Dans Energy Dam and from Bardang to Mamring.
The initiative sought to certify rafting guides and encourage them to use their skills responsibly.
Mountain marathon
Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) flagged off the high-altitude Tsomgo Ultra 5.0 Marathon in capital Gangtok on Sunday.
The marathon, known for testing both physical strength and mental endurance, featured several race categories to accommodate runners of different abilities.
Events included the 72km ultra race, 21km half marathon, 10km run, and a 5km
fun run.
Professional athletes, fitness enthusiasts and amateur runners, many of whom were eager to experience the unique challenge of running at high altitude, registered for the event.
Golay lauded the impressive turnout in his address and noted that such initiatives help promote endurance, discipline and a healthy lifestyle.
The chief minister also appreciated the growing interest in fitness and outdoor sporting activities in the state.
Additional reporting by PTI