Women should have 'can do' attitude in life: Bachendri Pal

The spirit of adventure is what keeps Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to summit Mt Everest, ticking in life.
Living with the "can do" attitude, Pal, 60, says, the need of the hour for Indian women is to think nothing is impossible in life.
"The problem with women in the country is that when they are faced with challenges like say climbing a mountain they feel oh! I am a women and I cannot do this. You have to give up this attitude to survive and fight in life be it climbing a mountain or fighting for own sense of security," says Pal.

The now retired mountaineer, who summited Mt Everest in 1984 was in the city to flag off an all women expedition to Kharta Valley in Tibet.
Seven women- Premlata Agarwal from Jharkhand, Chetna Sahoo from West Bengal, Jyoti Sharma and Tanu Verma from Delhi, Sheetal Sangeeta Ekka from Jharkhand, Madhvi Sharma from Uttrakhand and Anita Vaidya from Gujarat are set to battle hostile cold conditions to reach Kharta valley.
The trek is scheduled to take the team through a valley of flowers and to the Mount Everest's east face known as the Kangshung. The Kangshung Glacier is one of the three main glaciers of Mount Everest.

"The women in the expedition come from diverse background. It is going to be challenging and learning experience for all of us to trek. Such challenging and adventurous expeditions are an opportunity for women to realise their potential and serve as strong building blocks for the communities at large," says Pal.