Reach for the Top: Santosh Yadav

Have you ever wondered what it takes to rise above challenges and achieve something truly extraordinary? In the chapter Reach for the Top, we explore the inspiring journey of Santosh Yadav, a woman who broke societal barriers to follow her passion for mountaineering. Her story is not just about climbing mountains like Mount Everest, but also about reaching the peak of one’s potential through hard work and perseverance.

Table of Contents

• Chapter Synopsis
• Chapter Summary

Chapter Synopsis

The chapter, ‘Reach for the Top’, discusses two accomplished women, tennis player Maria Sharapova and mountaineer Santosh Yadav, who have been lauded for their efforts and perseverance to achieve success. Santosh Yadav, a remarkable Indian mountaineer, was born and raised in a small town in the state of Haryana, is profiled in the first biographical article. She was raised in a traditional household where daughters had no freedom, but she dedicated herself wholeheartedly to following her passion. She became a role model for people to look up to thanks to her excellent attributes of perseverance, patience, devotion, determination, and strength of purpose.

Chapter Summary

The first woman ever to climb Mount Everest twice is Santosh Yadav. She was born into a wealthy landowner family in Joniyawas, where daughters are not welcome and males are regarded as a blessing. A holy man once came to the house to bless Santosh’s mother with a son, but Santosh’s grandmother requested for a daughter instead.

The youngest sister of five older brothers, Santosh never felt content living a conventional life. Although she received her early education at the village school, she decided to pursue better education and opportunities in life. She decided to challenge the system when the time was appropriate. Her parents wanted her to get married when she was sixteen, but she refused and warned them that she wouldn’t get married until she received a proper education. She insisted on attending a high school in Delhi before continuing her studies at Maharani College in Jaipur and her parents had to agree. 

She had a view of the Aravalli hills from her hostel room in Jaipur. One day she made the decision to inspect the path herself after being intrigued by the locals scaling these hills. She encountered some mountaineers there, who welcomed her to join them and gave her the go-ahead to start climbing. Santosh Yadav enrolled herself at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. 

When she had gone to scale Mount Everest for the first time with a team, another climber who was in severe condition but sadly couldn’t be saved received particular attention from Santosh.

Another climber who was in severe condition but sadly couldn’t be saved received particular attention from Santosh. She was able to save Mohan Singh, who was also in trouble, by giving him some of her oxygen. After less than a year, she received a second offer to climb Everest from an Indo-Nepalese Women’s Expedition. She managed to climb Mount Everest once more and felt an amazing sense of national pride as she raised the tricolour at the highest point on Earth. 

Santosh was a mountaineer who also championed environmental causes. She took 500 kg of trash down from the Himalayas and her unrivalled mountaineering achievements earned her the Padmashri award from the Indian government.