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Santosh Yadav has been portrayed as a firm-willed, decisive,
adventurous girl endowed with a rational mind and physical
toughness. Born in a village of Haryana, Santosh Yadav had
an independent temperament right from the beginning and
wished to live life I her own terms. She knew full well that her
conservative family would pressurize her to adhere to the
traditional way of life. But at the same time she was aware if
she chose a correct and rational path, she would be able to
change others and win their support.
Santosh Yadav had the courage to oppose what she
considered to be wrong. When her parents insisted that she
should get married on turning sixteen, she put her foot down
and made it clear that her priority was getting educated.
Determined as she was, she got herself enrolled in a school in
Delhi. When the parents threatened that they would not pay
school fee, she told them that she would work part time to pay
for her education. Her parents had to finally relent before her
determination. Later on, her iron will. Her physical endurance
and mental toughness helped her to join Maharani College
Jaipur and then Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at
Uttarkashi. Her determination, mental strength and physical
fitness equipped her for undertaking the dangerous journey
to reach Mt. Everest, the ‘top of the World’ successfully, not
once but twice.
Santosh Yadav’s humanitarian attitude and team spirit came
to the fore during her expedition when she helped her fellow
climbers. Her concern for the environment was evident when
she brought down as much as 500 kilograms of garbage from
the Himalayas.
All these qualities and amazing achievements helped Santosh
earn one of the nation’s top awards, Padmashri. She was
motivation for young men and women in the world.
2. Santosh Yadav’s Parent’s
Santosh Yadav’s parents were affluent but orthodox,
conservative landlords. They liked to live according to the
prevailing customs in the family. However whenever they tried
to make Santosh toe the line set by traditions and the girl
offered resistance they yielded because they loved her from
the core of their hearts, she knew that she has chosen a
