Chhanda Gayen was an Indian mountaineer, martial artist, explorer and the teacher of self-defence. She was best known as she was the first civilian woman from the Indian state of West Bengal.
Early Life of Chhanda Gayen
Chhanda Gayen was born on 9th July in the year 1979. Born in a well to do family, Chhanda Gayen was inspired by her mother Jaya Gayen, who was a hobby trekker. She started with a basic rock mountaineering training from the Institute of Exploration in the year 1998. She was different in small trekking and climbing expeditions. She attended many relevant training programs of mountaineering.
Career of Chhanda Gayen
Chhanda Gayen joined a rock climbing Basic Course in 1998 organized by The Institute of Explorations, Kolkata at Susunia Hills in Bankura District followed by Standard Course, organized by the Gorabazar Baharampur Town Club, West Bengal in the year 2005 at the same Susunia Hills. In the year 2006, Chhanda Gayen completed basic mountaineering courses from HMI (Darjeeling) with an advanced mountaineering training course.
She attended Alpine Climbing Camp in the year 2007 arranged by Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. Chhanda Gayen prepared herself with a deep groundwork for being mountaineering instructor through MOI from HMI. Chhanda Gayen additionally attended an adventure trekking camp in 2012, organized by the Himalayan Nature and Adventure foundation. Chhanda Gayen was a mountaineer, martial artist, globe trotter and teacher of self-defence. Chhanda Gayen climbed up to Mount Everest and Lhotse in the year 2013 in the same expedition. Chhanda Gayen was awarded "Sera Avishkar" in Sera Bangali 2013 from ABP Ananda on 8th August 2013.
Other Achievements of Chhanda Gayen
As a National Cadet, Chhanda Gayen participated in the All India Sikkim trek arranged by National Cadet Crops. In the year 2007, Chhanda Gayen summited Mount Fluted. Next year, Chhanda Gayen reached the vertex of both Mount Yogin 1 and Mount Yogin 3, which was an Indian record for an Indian woman. Her next expedition, at Mount Gongotri was in the year 2009. Chhanda Gayen participated in 17 IMS East Zone sports Climbing competitions in 2011. In the same year she reached the zenith of Mount Manirang. She summited Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in same expedition in the year 2013, a world record.
Death of Chhanda Gayen
On 20th May 2014, Chhanda Gayen went missing along with two sherpas in an avalanche while descending the western side of Mount Kanchenjunga in Nepal. All three of them were later declared to have died in the avalanche.
