The All India High Altitude Girls Trek ‘Aparajita: Parang La 2026’ team recently met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and the girl cadets accomplished the high altitude adventure.
The trek was organised through the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to help young women to be brave, determined, hardworking and to be leaders in some of the hardest mountains of India.
NCC girl cadets successfully traversed Parang La Pass, a high altitude mountain pass connecting the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh to the Changthang region of Ladakh. The expedition exposed the participants to a tough Himalayan landscape and required them to negotiate mountains and weather conditions as they traveled there.
This was a long hike through a wide range of high-altitude landscapes. The cadets traversed glaciers, snowfields, river valleys and rugged mountainous terrain on the way to the destination of the expedition. Such conditions require very strong physical stamina, good mental toughness and coordination, and a successful expedition should be considered as a great achievement for the cadets in the field.
The young people at Rashtrapati Bhavan got to meet the President and were allowed to share their experiences and think about the challenges they faced during the walk. Meeting the President also showed them the President’s support and the wider mission of promoting more participation of young women in adventure activities and leadership-oriented programmes.
President Droupadi Murmu thanked the girl cadets for their efforts and said they were inspirational. This kind of work would inspire more girls to seek their full potential, to face challenges and to move on. She said, “Young girls need to have a sense of confidence that they can succeed, they need to be resilient and they need to be able to tackle hard things.”
The Aparajita: Parang La 2026 expedition also highlights the NCC’s larger role in a variety of activities to give cadets experiences outside of the classroom. High-altitude trekking can help in developing teamwork, discipline, leadership and decision-making skills while also exposing cadets to India’s variety of landscapes.
Parang La is particularly difficult considering the altitude and remote nature of the area. The route from Spiti to Changthang takes in some of the most dramatic landscapes in the Himalayan landscape. Glaciers and snowfields can be stressful for climbers and river valleys and mountain ranges require precision and coordination between expedition members.
For the girl cadets, the trek is more than a physical accomplishment. It is a lesson in perseverance and teamwork when working together in tough situations. The expedition was an opportunity for them to test their endurance and build confidence while collaborating in a challenging environment.
The President’s message to the cadets also made us realise how important it is to have young girls in adventure and leadership programs. Such experiences can identify abilities that might not be visible within the everyday environment and motivate them to take on more difficult issues with confidence.
Members of the All India High Altitude Girls Trek ‘Aparajita: Parang La 2026’ met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
— DD News (@DDNewslive) September 25, 2026
Under this initiative of National Cadet Corps, girl cadets successfully traversed Parang La Pass, which connects Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh… pic.twitter.com/x8OILo7vQa
The Aparajita: Parang La 2026 trek is also an example of how structured adventure programmes can integrate physical activity and leadership development with a trip to the mountain regions of India. The NCC girl cadets’ successful journey through Parang La illustrates their dedication and teamwork, and their meeting with President Murmu was a big deal for them.
As the cadets leave on the expedition, they will likely be an inspiration to other young women interested in adventure activities. The President's message reaffirms that it is possible to challenge oneself and be at the same time able to find out who you are and make your dreams come true. Thus, in a sense, the expedition is a difficult Himalayan journey but also a whole lot of effort to instill confidence (to be brave and ambitious) and aspiration in India's young people.
