Harpreet Singh Cheema, 47, and Navneet Kaur Cheema, 40, have made history as the first Sikh couple to scale Mt. Everest. The US citizens and NRI couple reached the summit at 7:50 am on May 23, reciting “Gagan main thaal,” a prayer by Sikh Guru Nanak Dev, upon arrival.

“It was a surreal feeling for both of us. The first thought that came to our mind was to recite the aarti ‘Gagan main thaal’. We were standing on the highest point of the planet and remembered the Almighty,” said Harpreet.

Their achievement follows previous climbs, including Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina and Mt. Denali in Alaska in 2023. The couple’s mountaineering journey began with a trip to Machu Picchu in 2018 and escalated after successfully climbing Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2019. They have since aimed to complete the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent.

“When we moved to Seattle, we took part in the Seattle Marathon every year from 2008 to 2014. It made our interest grow in trekking,” shared Navneet, who works as a software engineer at Expedia in Michigan.

In preparation for Everest, they spent $35,000 each for the expedition with the Nepal-based company "14 Peaks." The climb was marked by tragedy as they encountered and performed last rites for a deceased fellow climber near the summit.

“We saw Kenyan mountaineer Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui collapse. I performed ‘Kirtan Sohila’ for his soul at that point,” Harpreet recalled.

The couple plans to scale Mt. Vinson in Antarctica and Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia to complete the Seven Summits. They credit their children, Chaaniyya and Huqmaay Singh Cheema, as their inspiration.

Rupinderjit Singh, Harpreet’s former professor, praised their accomplishment, highlighting its inspirational value for the youth in Punjab. Harpreet is the Vice President of Strategy at Trinity Health.