JAMMU: It is the story of a girl from a small village in Kathua district of Union Territory (UT) of J&K which is now being told in schools and colleges all over. The story of the culmination of extraordinary efforts that Anjali Devi of Sunkhal village put in when she stood up atop Mount Everest. As part of the all-women mountaineering team that ITBP had constituted for conquest of the highest peak in the world, Anjali Devi carried herself with distinction.
Minister of State in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh wrote on X: Kathua again in good news. History made at the top of the world. Heartiest congratulations to the ITBP’s first all-women team for successfully scaling Mount Everest A moment of immense pride for Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir, as our very own Anjali Devi (D/O Shri Balwant Singh, resident of Sunkhal) played a historic role in the incredible feat.
#Kathua again in Good News:
History made at the top of the world! 🏔️✨ Heartiest congratulations to the @ITBP_official’s first all-women expedition team for successfully scaling Mount Everest.
A moment of immense pride for Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir, as our very own Anjali Devi… pic.twitter.com/Bfro4XyEQY
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) May 23, 2026
Encouraged and promoted by PM Narendra Modi ji, India’s daughters are redefining India’s Nari Shakti on the global stage, Dr Jitendra Singh concluded.
Incidentally, since May 2014, Dr Jitendra Singh represents Kathua in the Lok Sabha.
Sunkhal is a sleepy village in Hiranagar tehsil of Kathua, bereft of anything significant to make it a place the name of which will resonate with the people of J&K. Anjali’s feat of endurance and unparalleled grit has changed that permanently. Making J&K proud, Anjali Devi has done what very few, rather very, very few women, are able to accomplish. Barely 10 Indian women have stood atop Mount Everest, in last 42 years.
Anjali is an inspiration, inspiring her fellow villagers, people of the district, people of the UT and whole of India. She has become a role model, someone beckoning others that even starting with a humble background, one can reach the very top if one pursues excellence in the chosen field.
She had also achieved success in the ITBP’s first women’s Mountaineering expedition in 2025 at a height of 7,135 metres. She also won the Wulong Half Marathon 21km in 2025. By her actions, Anjali Devi had proved to be an extraordinary woman to achieve success.
Incidentally, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest was Bachendri Pal who did it on May 23, 1984. She was part of a mixed team of men and women that had scaled the peak then. Anjali Devi was not even born when this mark was established by Bachendri who was given Padma Bhushan in March 2019 by then President Ram Nath Kovind.
The scale of Anjali Devi’s feat can perhaps be measured by this yardstick that an all-women team of mountaineers could climb atop Mt Everst 42 years after the first Indian woman had planted her feet there. Incidentally, the total number of Indian women who have climbed the challenging peak is just 10, or a couple more!
The howling Himalayan wind battered the final ridge, but Anjali Devi’s resolve remained unshakable. Clad in her ITBP gear, the young J&K mountaineer her final step onto the peak a couple of days ago. At exactly 8,848 metres above sea level, she stood at the highest point on earth, raising the tricolour alongside her all-women expedition team. Down below, an entire nation was celebrating, but her heart longed to talk to her parents living in a dusty village thousands of miles away.
Celebrations erupted in Sunkhal village after news of her success reached home. Villagers, relatives and well-wishers gathered at her residence with sweets and traditional music to celebrate the achievement of the daughter of the soil who brought laurels to the region.
Her father, Balwant Singh, said the entire family and village were proud of Anjali’s accomplishment. He added that her success was the result of years of dedication, discipline and hard work. The selection as a constable in ITBP some years ago proved to the first major step that defines Anjali today. It was after joining the force that her true potential was unlocked.
From the foothills of J&K to the highest point on the earth, Anjali Devi’s journey stands as an inspiration for young girls across the country.
At her native village, the atmosphere was still electric as people drive to meet her parents and congratulate them. The quiet hamlet had transformed into festival grounds as boisterous youngsters gather in the street for no rhyme or reason, save a sense of pride.
Inside Anjali”s family home, her mother Veena Devi prayed silently for hours on end after she learnt about daughter being a part of a team that planned to climb Mount Everest. Anjali’s father Balwant Singh is a man much in demand in the village as he waits for her daughter’s return into the home some day soon.
Anjali had not just climbed a mountain but raised aspirations of her entire community, entire villages where schooling, medical services and everyday life remains challenging. A massive celebration now awaits her at the district, complete with traditional music and garlands as villagers greet her parents with traditional sweets.
The family members have finalised plans for a grand reception for Anjali Devi, eager to felicitate the brave ITBP warrior.
