By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 19: A Meghalaya girl has rewritten history by scaling Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
Cadet Rifiness Warjri, a 20-year-old student of St. Anthony’s College and a cadet of 61 Meghalaya Girls Battalion NCC, chosen as the sole representative from the Northeastern region, was part of the 38-member NCC Mount Everest Expedition 2025 team which successfully summitted the 8849-meter peak at 4:45 Am on May 18.
In doing so, she became the third woman from Meghalaya and the fourth overall to scale the world’s highest peak.
The two other female stalwarts who achieved this success are Wansuk Myrthong, an armed police constable who scaled the peak in 2013, and senior GCI Dolyne Kharbhih, also a former NCC cadet, from Ri-Bhoi in 2016. The first from Meghalaya to scale Everest was Gary Jarman Lamare in 2012.
Rifiness spent her childhood days at Jylli Shop before shifting to the scenic, Kynton-u-Mon, Laitkor. Third among five siblings, Rifiness credited her parents Shlurbor Kharmyndai and Diamondsea Warjri as her source of unwavering support throughout her journey.
Her passion for mountaineering began with her involvement in the NCC during her school days at Auxilium Convent Shillong.
It was through the NCC that her interest in the sport blossomed, eventually leading to her participation in various NCC activities. Alongside her mountaineering ambitions, Rifiness is also an accomplished Wushu martial artist and kickboxer, having represented her state in competitive events.
For the people of the Northeast, Rifiness’s accomplishments are more than personal victories; they serve as a beacon of hope. In a region where opportunity is often hindered by geographic challenges, her achievement shines brightly, encouraging others to chase their dreams, no matter how distant.