Savita Kanswal was born into a lower-middle-class farming family in the remote Lonthru village of Uttarkashi. She was the youngest of four sisters. In 2013, she completed basic and advanced mountaineering courses at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi.[3]
Career
Kanswal set a national record in May 2022 by raising the Flag of India on Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. She climbed Mount Everest (8848 m) on May 12, 2022, achieving this milestone on the 16th day. On May 28, 2022, she climbed Makalu (8485 m), the world's fifth-highest peak.[1][4]
Under the pre-Everest campaign, Savita successfully climbed five peaks across India, including Trisul. She served as an instructor for the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering's Advanced Mountaineering Course (NIM) at Draupadi Ka Danda Peak.[5]
Death
Savita died on October 4, 2022, in an avalanche at Mount Draupadi Ka Danda-2 peak in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.[6][7] Following tradition, she was given a 'jal samadhi' (water burial), a practice observed in Uttarakhand for unmarried women with no brothers.[8]