Premlata in pursuit of scaling 7th Summit
Premlata Agarwal
Jharkhand’s Premlata Agarwal is attempting a first by an Indian woman when she undertakes an expedition to the Mt Mckinley (6196m, USA) in North America next month. The 47-year-old will become the first and oldest Indian woman to have scaled the highest peaks in the seven continents.
The homemaker has already conquered six other members of the ‘7 Summits’ — Mt Everest (8848m, Nepal, Asia), Mt Elbrus (5642m, Russia, Europe), Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m, Tanzania, Africa), Mt Vinson (4897m, Antarctica), Mt Aconcagua (6962m, Argentina, South America) and Mt Carstensz Pyramid (4884m, Australia).
“If Premlata is able to conquer the ‘7 Summits’, the highest peaks of each of the seven continents, she would be the first Indian woman and the oldest woman in the world to achieve the feat,” Tata Steel Adventure Foundation chief Bachendri Pal told a news agency.
Premlata, a mother of two grown up daughters including a married one, is the oldest Indian woman to have climbed the Mt Everest on May 20, 2011, at the age of 45.
Premlata’s mentor Pal, the first Indian woman to climb the Mt Everest, was confident that she will be successful in scaling the peak after missing it by a whisker in April-May last year.
She had been just 700 feet away from the summit when the weather suddenly turned extremely rough, the temperature plummeted to minus 40 degrees Celsius accompanied by strong wind and she was forced to abandon the expedition.
“Premlata has been undergoing rigorous training in Darjeeling for the past one month to enhance her endurance, to withstand the extreme weather condition there,” Pal said.
“After receiving the Padma Shri award on April 20 in New Delhi, Premlata would leave for the Mt Mckinley expedition on April 29,” said her husband Vimal Agarwal. After taking up adventure sports in 2000 at the age of 35, Premlata participated in several expeditions.
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