53-Year-Old Becomes The Oldest Indian Woman To Scale The Everest

“Age is just a number. Everything falls in place if you pursue your dreams at any age.”

These are the words of 53-year-old Sangeeta Sindhi Bahl from Jammu, who became the oldest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest on May 19. Sangeeta has broken the record of Premlata Agarwal who had scaled Everest at the age of 48, on May 20, 2011.

Failure - not a dead end

This was Sangeeta’s second attempt to scale the mighty mountain. She narrowly missed the mark, standing at 29,035 feet, in her attempt last year. She, along with six other climbers, suffered from high altitude sickness and had to be evacuated from higher camps.

But she knew that was just a temporary detour, not a dead end. The daring woman achieved the feat this time. Not only is she the oldest Indian woman to do so, but the first woman from her state. This is a great achievement by the trekker which showcases her indomitable spirit, zeal and grit.

Many Indians try to scale the Everest every year. While some are lucky to reach the line in first attempt, others keep trying. Just last week, Gurgaon-based Bajajs became the first Indian father-daughter duo to accomplish the feat. It was their first attempt.

Sangeeta, an ex-Miss India finalist, was born and raised in Jammu. She is also the founder-director of Impact Image Consultants based in Gurgaon.

Speaking to The Tribune about her expedition and her experience, Saengeeta said that she felt on the top of the world after scaling the world’s highest peak

She added that she was never haunted by any kind of fear since she believes that life is too short to keep thinking.

The ace climber has now returned to the Everest base camp. She will return to Kathmandu (Nepal) on Tuesday.

Picture Credit: Ketto.org

Also read : First Indian Father-Daughter Duo Scales Mt Everest

Malvika Bansal is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv