LIVE TV
India
Recommended Stories
Bhubaneswar: As part of the Biju Patnaik Himalaya Abhiyan-2016, 15 Odia mountaineers will begin their expedition from September 20.
The team comprising nine male and six female members will set off its expedition to scale 5819 metre Rudugera mountain peak in the Himalayan region in Uttarakhand. The expedition will conclude on October 5.
To be a part of the team, hundreds of mountaineers from Odisha had participated in the three camps of which one camp was held on the western side of Darjeeling, the second camp at Panchlingeswar and third in Dayar area in Uttarakhand. These three camps were headed by Bachendri Pal, the first woman mountaineer of India to scale Mt Everest.
Talking to OTV, Swarnalata Dalei, a female mountaineer said her dream was to scale one of the highest mountain peaks in the world. “I am very happy that I have been selected for this expedition”, she added.
Pradeep Kumar Behera, another Odia mountaineer, said he had read about Bachendri Pal in the book when he was a student. “Now seeing her in person is a privilege for me. This expedition will help us to know more about the environment in the Himalayan region”, he noted.
Talking about the preparation, Arpita Mohapatra, escort member of the team, said all members in the team are properly trained. “They have the willpower and physical fitness. I am confident that the expedition will be highly successful,” she asserted.
Anant Kishore Jena, Director, Sports and Youth Services, said the objective of the expedition is to create leadership and fearlessness among the youths. “Taking note that the youths of the present generation lack self confidence and bravery, the state government has started such programmes to boost their confidence”, he pointed out.
