Piyali Basak- from the classroom to the Everest 

This petite primary school teacher with an undaunted spirit, hailing from the small town of Chandannagar in West Bengal, scripted history as she became the first Indian woman to scale Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world standing proud at 8450 mts, without the aid of supplementary oxygen. Multiple reports suggest that Mt Everest has been scaled by nearly 4000 mountaineers from all over the world to date, but only 200 have been able to do so without additional oxygen assistance.
She previously had to abandon the idea in 2019 due to bad weather in Nepal but May 2022 stood as a witness to the creation of history. She earnestly thanked her supporters and sponsors from Bengal and from all over India who had generously contributed to her dream and its realization both through monetary means and words of affirmation.

She proudly unfurled the tricolour atop the highest peak in the world. Just after the completion of this incredible feat, she climbed Mt Lhotse, the fourth highest peak of the world, a mere two-day gap between the ascents. Amongst her many other achievements, she has also become the first woman to climb Mt Dhaulagiri, 8167 mts without the help of supplemental oxygen back in 2021.
She also has scaled Mt Manaslu and has represented India in an international expedition to Annapurna, scaling it on April 17, 2023. Annapurna is known to be quite precarious as it has a really steep wall coupled with howling bone-chilling winds that flow through there.

Though plagued with financial constraints, her determination to persevere helped her overcome the hurdles she faced in Kathmandu and eventually make this historical feat possible.

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievements.” she quoted.

Recently she also has completed another milestone- she successfully scaled Mt. Makalu, 8481 mts, the fifth highest peak in the world without the aid of supplemental oxygen on May 17, 2023.
But here, she had to face a precarious impediment, she got stranded above Camp IV, along with her two guides and Sherpa Ngangwa. After almost twenty-four hours, she was rescued by Sherpa Pasang and his team, with her associates in weak but good health. They were brought down to Camp III to recuperate. It was after her return that it was confirmed that despite such difficulties, she had successfully conquered the summit. She officially becomes one out of four Indians to have successfully scaled the peak.
When she is not busy creating milestones and accomplishing marvellous achievements, she dedicates her time to teaching the future generation not only mathematics but also mountaineering. She actively devotes herself to uplifting girls and young adults to love mountains and take up mountaineering. She provides them with technical training and vocational assistance as well as monetary help.
Chasing Clouds salutes her indomitable spirit and wishes her all the best for her future endeavours. Remarkable women with unflinching determination and unwavering dedication like her make us Indians all the more proud.