Atop Everest, ambition soars

Darjeeling, June 22: Premalata Agarwal might have scaled the highest peak on earth at the age of 45 but her ambition continues to soar higher.

Premalata, a homemaker, became the oldest woman from India to climb Mt Everest on May 20 this year but she is not yet ready to sit on her laurels. The mother of two has already started nursing dreams to climb all the highest peaks in every continent within the next two years.

The mountaineer, who was born at Sukhiapokhri, 20km from Darjeeling, today said: “Within the next two years, I want to climb the highest peaks in every continent. I am confident of achieving this goal.”

The Everester was always inspired by the Himalayas as seen from Darjeeling and even though she left Sukhiapokhri after her marriage in 1982, her spirit of adventure did not leave her.

“I had joined a gym at Jamshedpur and in 2000 the gym authorities took us for a trek to the neighbouring hill. My elder daughter, Priyansha, also joined us. I came third and was also given an award. I was thrilled and wanted to enrol my elder daughter in a mountaineering course. But my mentor, Bachendri Pal — the first Indian woman to climb Everest in 1984 — said I, too, could climb the mountain,” said Premalata.

Soon the mother-daughter duo found themselves heading to Nehru Mountaineering Institute at Uttarkashi for a 21-day adventure course and Premalata’s determination to make a mark in the mountaineering fraternity continued to grow stronger.

She came back to Darjeeling in 2003 to complete a 15-day basic course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute where she was adjudged the best student. From 2004 Premalata became part of several Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) trips and scaled Island Peak (Nepal, 20,600ft) in 2004, Karakoram Pass (18,300ft) and Mount Stok Kangri (20,150ft) in 2006, and the inaugural Indian women’s Thar Desert Expedition in 2007.

In 2008, she also scaled Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania — the highest volcanic mountain in the world.

The Thar expedition involved a 40-day camel safari from Bhuj in Gujarat to the Wagah border in Punjab and Premalata found a place in the Limca Book of Records for this feat.

Today, during a felicitation ceremony organised by the Darjeeling Marwari Sahayak Samity, Premalata sounded confident of breaking more records.

Asked if funds would be a problem, she said: “Funds, it seems, is always a major issue for mountaineers but I am lucky to have Bachendri Pal as my mentor. Her presence helped me a lot and I think funds would not be a problem in my future endeavours.”

telegraphindia