Twin sisters from Uttarakhand, who achieved the rare feat of being the first such duo to scale Mount Everest, were today congratulated by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who said their example would inspire countless others.
"The rare feat achieved by the twin sisters will inspire women all over the country to forge ahead in life," Bahuguna said in his congratulatory message to Tashi and Nungshi Mallick, residents of the city's Kutalwali Johri Gaon.
21-year-old Tashi Mallick and Nungshi Mallick became the first twin sisters in the world to conquer its highest peak yesterday after a gruelling 46-day mountaineering expedition.
Incidentally, 22-year-old Sabina Baig and her brother Mirza Baig from Pakistan were also part of the four member expedition team with the former becoming the first Pakistani woman to scale the Everest.
After being flagged off by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Jayant Prakash from Kathmandu on April 3, the team reached the Everest base camp, at a height of 18,000 ft, after an eight-day trek.
They began the last lap of the ascent on the evening of May 18 after undertaking several acclimatisation trips to camps one, two, three and four since the last week of April.
They finally conquered the peak at 7.30 am on Sunday, family sources here said.
The sisters belong to a family of Armymen and have already scaled Kilimanjaro in Africa.
Elated at his daughters having scripted history, their father Col. (retd) Virendra Singh Mallick said he always wanted them to go off the beaten track and do something different in life.
He said he was proud that his daughters' passion for mountaineering had finally led them to conquer the world's highest peak.
The twin sisters did basic and advance courses in mountaineering in 2010 from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.
