>Scorpions13256: Copying from Category:21st-century Indian women to Category:21st-century Indian people non-diffusing subcategory using Cat-a-lot

2021-06-24T17:52:59Z

Copying from Category:21st-century Indian women to Category:21st-century Indian people non-diffusing subcategory using Cat-a-lot

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
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| name = Sucheta Kadethankar
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| residence = [[Pune]], India
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| country = India
| sport = Adventure sports, Fitness Expert, Life / Mindset Coach
| event = Gobi 2011
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'''Sucheta Kadethankar''' ({{lang-mr|सुचेता कडेठाणकर}}) from Pune India, on 15 July 2011 became the first Indian woman to walk across the [[Gobi Desert]], a distance of {{Convert|1000|mi}} in [[Mongolia]], Asia's largest desert.<ref name= Athavale >{{cite news|last=Athavale|first=Ashlesha|title=Try Gobi for a change|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/others/sunday-read/Try-Gobi-for-a-change/articleshow/16150936.cms|newspaper=Mumbai Mirror|date=31 July 2011}}</ref> Kadethankar was part of a 13-member team from nine countries led by Ripley Davenport, the desert explorer, in the Gobi Desert 2011 expedition. The guided expedition was supported by [[four-wheel drive]] truck, local Mongolian guides and 12 [[Bactrian camel]]s.<ref name=gulf>{{cite news|last=Raghunath|first=Pamela|title=Desert horizons didn't sap her spirit|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/desert-horizons-didn-t-sap-her-spirit-1.846431|accessdate=26 August 2011|newspaper=Gulfnews.com|date=3 August 2011}}</ref>

==Profession==
Sucheta is currently teaching Yoga and runs a fitness and activity centre - Koham Fit in Navsahyadri Pune. She believes in fitness as a whole that combines muscles, breath, and more importantly mind! At Koham Fit, she trains people in a one-to-one as well as small group and large group set ups combining the principles of Yoga and Pilates.

==Biography==
Sucheta holds a post graduate degree in history from the [[Fergusson College]] in [[Pune]].<ref name= Deccan>{{Cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/180105/punes-sucheta-becomes-first-indian.html|title=Pune's Sucheta becomes first Indian woman to cross Gobi desert|date=30 July 2011|work=Deccan Herald}}</ref> She was initially a journalist.<ref name=India>{{Cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pune-saurabh-sengupta-khodu-irani-sonalee-kulkarn-rahul-deshpande/1/157416.html|title= Change makers of Pune: Sucheta Kadethankar, 33, Trekker|date= 25 October 2011|work=India Today}}</ref> She then became an [[Information technology|IT]] professional, employed as a Lead Information Developer in [[NortonLifeLock|Symantec]]. Her passionate hobby, as an amateur sports person, is [[adventure sports]] involving trekking in mountains, cycling, river crossing and desert walk. She has participated in trekking to the [[Mount Everest]] Base Camp in 2008 and then several Himalayan treks and expeditions. She has done a very large number of treks in the [[Sahyadri Mountains]].<ref name=Das>{{Cite news|last=Das|first= Dipannita |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Kadethankar-gets-leadership-excellence-award/articleshow/17244232.cms|title=Kadethankar gets leadership excellence award|date= 16 November 2012|work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name= Mande>{{Cite news|last= Mande |first=Abhishek |url=http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-achiever-sucheta-kadethankar-first-indian-to-cross-the-gobi-desert/20111007.htm|title=She is the first Indian to cross the Gobi desert|date=7 October 2011|publisher=Rediff}}</ref>

===Gobi desert walk===
[[File:Dunes_in_Gobi_Gurvansaikhan_National_Park.jpg|right|thumb|[[Gobi Desert]] sand dune in [[Mongolia]]]]
The Gobi trek that Kadethankar completed, titled "Gobi Crossing 2011", was an event organized by the Explore Foundation of [[Ireland]]. It catered to young people who wished to explore the wild desert of Gobi (the fifth largest desert in the world)<ref name=Trek>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/City-trekker-overcame-illness-to-walk-across-Gobi-desert-in-record-time/articleshow/9363940.cms|title= City trekker overcame illness to walk across Gobi desert in record time|date=26 July 2011|newspaper=The Times of India}}</ref> in Mongolia. It was planned as a 60-day trek covering a distance of {{Convert|1600|km}}. Kadethankar was one of 13 selected walkers,<ref name=gulf/> including Christopher Schrader (who became the youngest person to cross the Gobi Desert on foot<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/article/1332873/christopher-schrader-man-extraordinary-action|title=Christopher Schrader – man of extraordinary action|work=South China Morning Post|access-date=2018-08-26|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rgshk.org.hk/past-events-2013/item/1611-crossing-the-gobi-desert-on-foot.html|title=Royal Geographical Society (Hong Kong) RGS HK - Crossing the Gobi Desert on Foot|website=www.rgshk.org.hk|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-08-26}}</ref>) and [[Faraz Shibli]] (who became the youngest Briton to do the same<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120307-pro-travellers-reveal-their-top-tech-tools|title=Pro travellers reveal their top tech tools|last=2012|first=8 March|language=en|access-date=2018-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ripleydavenport.com/gobi-2011-expedition.html|title=Gobi 2011 Expedition - Ripley Davenport {{!}} ripleydavenport.com|last=Davenport™|first=Ripley|website=www.ripleydavenport.com|access-date=2018-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foundlo.st/leader/faraz-shibli/|title=FOUNDLOST - Expeditions to the unreachable made achievable|website=FOUNDLOST|access-date=2018-08-26}}</ref>). The team included seven women but only three of them endured the trek to the last; Kadethankar was one of them.<ref name=gulf/><ref name= Chatterjee/> Her expenses for the expedition were US$7000, while her travel was met by her employer Symantec. It was a charity trek to support the Edu Relief, a Mongolian NGO, to support free education to students in Mongolia.<ref name= Chatterjee >{{Cite news|last= Chatterjee |first=Swasti |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/amidst-camels-sun-and-sand/822379/|title=Amidst camels, sun and sand|date=26 July 2011|newspaper=Indian Express}}</ref> The trek route was described by Kadethankar as drab, dreary and endless.<ref name=gulf/>

After Kadethankar registered to participate in the trek, she trained for six months by walking every day from her office and back, a distance of {{Convert|24|km}}, carrying a heavy backpack.<ref name= Athavale/><ref name=India/><ref name=Desert>{{Cite web|url=http://femina.in/lifestyle/travel/girl-takes-desert-69.html|title=Girl takes desert|date=7 March 2012|work=Femina News Magazine}}</ref>

The trek was in a west to east direction, to the north of the [[Khongoryn Els]] (one of the largest sand dunes in Mongolia)<ref name=Trek/><ref name= Athavale/> starting from [[Bulgan, Khovd|Bulgan]], a sub-district in [[Khovd Province]] in the west and ending at [[Sainshand]], the capital of [[Dornogovi Province]]. Human habitation along the route is rare, only that of nomads living in [[igloo]]-type huts called "gar". They were very courteous and happy to see so many people at one time. They even supplied cheese and milk to Kadethankar, who as a vegetarian, was surviving on Mongolian noodles and pastas.<ref name= Athavale/><ref name=Express>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/amidst-camels-sun-and-sand/|title=Amidst camels,sun and sand|date=26 July 2011|work=The Indian Express}}</ref>

During the trek, Kadethankar faced many hardships and one such hardship was her suffering from an attack of [[flu]] for a few days. On this occasion she covered herself with layers of sweaters. Another incident was a kick by the camel which was carrying her baggage. During the trek, there was also a sand storm which lasted for 3 days. On one occasion a camel carrying food had bolted but was finally brought back. There was even a rain storm on one day. But none of these hazards interrupted her determination to complete the trek.<ref name=gulf/><ref name= Athavale/> The weather conditions, all through the trek, was one of hot searing sun with average day temperature soaring to {{Convert|47|C}} and then dropping to {{Convert|20|C}} in the night, with severe arid conditions.<ref name=gulf/><ref name= Athavale/> This created a serious situation in which six of the 13 member team had to discontinue the trek. But Kadethankar carried on and was one of the seven members, the only woman from India apart two women from [[Australia]] and [[Singapore]], who completed the trek in 51 days, nine days ahead of the scheduled period of 60 days.<ref name= Athavale/><ref name= Deccan/>

==Awards and medals==
[[India Today]] has honored her as one of the 35 young achievers. She has also received the Hirakani Award. Her name finds a place in the [[Limca Book of Records]]. She was awarded for the Bajaj Allianze Most Inspirational Working Woman award. She is the recipient of the Hirakani Award for her inspiring work as a woman, and also "The TiE Aspire India Young Achiever Award 2011". She has also won the Rotary Leadership Training program for district 3131 of Pune.<ref name=Das/>

== See also ==
* [[Desert exploration]]
* [[List of firsts in India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadethankar, Sucheta}}
[[Category:Sportswomen from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Pune]]
[[Category:Indian female long-distance runners]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian people]]

Sucheta Kadethankar - Revision history

>Scorpions13256: Copying from Category:21st-century Indian women to Category:21st-century Indian people non-diffusing subcategory using Cat-a-lot