India's first woman Everester has scaled new heights.
The legendary Bachendri Pal now figures in the country's first pictorial coffee table book on its 51 most powerful women, published by Young India Publications and released internationally in Berlin on Tuesday.
India's Most Powerful Women is authored by journalist, globetrotter and rights activist Prem Ahluwalia who has attended many international conferences in the Americas, Europe, West Asia, South East Asia and New Zealand. A collector's delight, the tribute tome is printed on imported ivory paper of high quality and is in full colour.
The book was released in Berlin by United Nations secretary-general Talib Rifai, in the presence of 700 journalists, and several ministers and dignitaries from across 100 countries, to mark the International Women's Day.
Arjuna Award winner and Padma Shri Bachendri shares her place of pride on the pages of the coffee table book with the likes of melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, contemporary artist Anjolie Ela Menon, environmentalist Sunita Narain, boxer Mary Kom, badminton ace Saina Nehwal, tennis star Sania Mirza, chief ministers of Gujarat and Bengal Anandiben Patel and Mamata Banerjee, Union cabinet minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, businesswoman Nita Ambani, cop-turned-politician Kiran Bedi and actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
"I have received a letter from the publishers. I am surprised at being named among the 51 most powerful women in the country, but am happy nonetheless," a modest Bachendri told The Telegraph while sifting through files at her chamber at the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) office in Jamshedpur on Tuesday morning.
Bachendri, who scaled Mount Everest in 1984, is now the chief of Tata Steel's adventure programmes and the main force behind taking the TSAF to new heights.
Besides her accomplishments in mountaineering, the 62-year-old is an inspirational figure, especially for women. She is the first recipient of the Virangana Lakshmibai Rashtriya Samman 2013-14, bestowed by the ministry of culture for her personal achievement in adventure sports and contribution towards woman empowerment in the country.
Bachendri has also authored Everest - My Journey to the Top, an autobiography published by the National Book Trust, Delhi.
