Maiden women Thar Desert expedition reaches half-way

Jamshedpur, Feb 7 (UNI) The maiden Thar Desert All-Women Expedition, led by legendary mountaineer Bachendri Pal, has covered almost 1000 km distance through the deserts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The expedition, organised by Tata Steel and supported by BSF, had started out from Bhuj on January 18 with a target to reach the Wagah Border on February 18 via Punjab. The total route is of 2000 km distance, the company sources said.

The team of 12 women, from different parts of the country, is not only the first of its kind but also the maiden expedition convering 2000 km over the Great Indian Desert by any team.

Sharing her experiences from Rajasthan, Ms Pal, the first Indian woman to climb the Everest and Tata Steel's Chief Adventure Programmes said, ''It's a journey into the unknown, which began with learning to ride a camel. It was as if we were sitting on a moving mountain.'' '' Despite the blisters in the hands from holding the saddle, blisters on the thigh, back pain and other ailments we are mentally prepared to face the challenges and discomforts.'' ''The BSF is amazed by our 60 km a day journey on camels, which even they have found difficult to do. The shifting sand dunes has been an ordeal for us especially on the descent,''she added.

Other members of the team are Premlata Agrawal, Priyansa Agrawal, Anita Soren, Binita Soren, Sushila Mardi and L Arnapurna (all from Jharkhand), Vasumati Srinivasan and Kokila Sudha (from Karnataka), Sushma Bissa (Rajasthan), Chaula Jagirdar (Gujrat) and Arpita Chatterjee (West Bengal).

UNI