'Reach for the Top' (Class 9 English, Beehive) is a biographical chapter divided into two parts. Part I is about Santosh Yadav (the first woman to climb Mt. Everest twice) and Part II is about Maria Sharapova (the Russian tennis star who became World No. 1).
Santosh Yadav is an active environmentalist. During her Everest expedition, she collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.
Santosh was born in a traditional village in Haryana where girls were discouraged from studying. Rebelling against the custom of early marriage, she moved to Delhi to study and later enrolled at the Uttarkashi Institute of Mountaineering. Through immense willpower, physical endurance, and mental toughness, she conquered Mount Everest in 1992 (at age 20) and again in 1993, while also saving a fellow climber's life.
Born in Siberia, Russia, Maria was sent to the USA at the tender age of 9 for tennis training. She had to endure a heartbreaking two-year separation from her mother and face bullying from older trainees. However, this early adversity made her mentally tough. Her unyielding determination and competitive spirit propelled her to win the Wimbledon women's singles crown in 2004 and become World No. 1 in 2005.
Q: Why was the 'holy man' who gave Santosh's mother his blessings surprised? A: In traditional Indian society, people usually prayed for a son. The holy man was surprised because Santosh's grandmother explicitly asked him to bless the family with a daughter.
Q: How was Santosh different from other girls in her village? A: While other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred wearing shorts. She refused to accept unreasonable traditions and left home for higher education when pressured to marry at 16.
Q: What is the secret of Maria Sharapova's success? A: The secret of Maria's success is her immense mental toughness, competitive drive, and ability to endure extreme sacrifices (like leaving her mother and home country at age 9) for her training.
During her 1992 Everest mission, she shared her oxygen with a fellow climber, Mohan Singh, which saved his life.
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