Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
The Sun was to march for fifteen more minutes to reach the zenith on May 21, 2008. Orissa’s dashing daughter Kalpana set her brave feet on the top of Everest and bestowed upon it the grace of Triranga at 11.45 A.M.
The Himalayas bowed majestically to the young epitome of Himalayan determination who was dauntlessly standing at a height of 8848 meters.
Kalpana, born to Dhenkanal’s Shailabala and Gunanidhi Das is a lawyer by profession but a mountaineer by mission.
When her second attempt to reach the top of the world was to be terminated at a height of 8000 meters on May 29, 2006 because of invincible blizzards, she had generated in every Oriya heart a very unique feeling of oneness with her and also confidence that she will sure reach the summit one day.
That day came yesterday.