The first all-women team in the BSF’s 60-year history summited Mount Everest at 8 am on May 21, 2026. For Constables Kouser Fatima, Tsering Chorol, Munmun Ghosh, and Rabeka Singh, the climb was about more than just reaching the top. To mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, the team had a singular mission: to sing the anthem atop the world’s highest peak. “Summit se pehle ek hi cheez ka stress tha, kuch bhi karke summit peh Vande Mataram gaana hai,” said Fatima.The first all-women BSF Everest teamThe path to that moment was a harrowing test of endurance. At 28,839 feet, just 60 metres from the peak, the team was caught in a traffic jam of 274 climbers as temperatures plummeted to -25°C. “Itni hawaa chal rahi thi, frostbite ka bohot dar tha,” Tsering recalled. “Iss altitude meh toh awaaz bhi chali jaati hai, toh main concern tha awaaz preserve karna so that hum summit karke gaa sake.”From the moment they left Camp 4 until they returned almost 24 hours later, there were no water breaks or bathroom breaks. “Aap itne thak jaate ho aur paani pura freeze ho jata hai. Body is in survival mode,” recalled Munmun. For her, the summit push turned life-threatening after she lost her oxygen supply and briefly passed out before recovering and continuing the ascent. She later described the experience as “nothing less than a rebirth”.Beyond physical survival, the extreme cold threatened their equipment. To ensure the performance was documented, the team hauled three camera batteries, power banks, and multiple phones to prevent a total technical blackout. “Devices kabhi bhi band ho jaate hai,” noted Munmun. “We were carrying everything to make sure ki hum sab record kar paye.”When Vande Mataram finally echoed across the summit, the struggle of their three-year training journey turned into an emotional moment for the team. “Bachpan se mujhe adventure ka bohot shauk tha aur jab humne Mt Everest summit kiya toh bohot acha laga. Sabse acha laga ki hum duniya ki sabse bade mountain peh Vande Mataram ga sake. It felt like we were connecting the soul of our country to the sky,” said Rabeka. “Saara exhaustion bhul gaye. Bas itna acha laga ki hum BSF, apne gaon aur apne state ko represent kar paaye.”“Pichle 4-5 mahine se bas ek hi plan tha — summit par Vande Mataram gaana hai. Kaise gaana hai, kab gaana hai, sab pehle se decide that,” said coach and mountaineer, Deputy Commandant Loveraj Singha Dharmshaktu, a Padma Shri Awardee. “Hum har jagah practise karte the — base camps mein, bus journeys mein, raste bhar. Shayad isi liye jab finally summit par gaaya, woh moment aur bhi special lag raha tha.”Despite the dangerous conditions, the team returned safely and also brought back nearly 400 kg of garbage from the mountain. As Loveraj Singha put it: “You can’t win this race with speed. All you can do is train, pray, and keep the peak in your head.”