Mother of two becomes oldest Indian woman to climb Everest

Friday May 20, 2011 07:06:15 PM, IANS

Mumbai: A mother of two, 45-year-old Premlata Agarwal Friday became the oldest Indian woman -- and the first woman from the Marwari community -- to conquer Mount Everest, an official said here. Mother of two daughters, one of whom is married, Premlata ascended the world's highest peak at 9.35 a.m., said a spokesperson for Tata Steel, which sponsored her effort.

Her preparations to scale the world's tallest peak began May 6 when she went from the base camp at 18,000 feet to Camp 2 at 22,000 feet.

Then, with the help of artificial oxygen, she reached Camp 3 at 23,000 feet and Camp 4 at 26,000 feet.

She caught some rest Thursday before embarking on her arduous climb to the summit at 11 p.m., and finally reaching there after nearly 11 hours.

Prior to Mt. Everest, Premlata went on a climbing exercise at 20,300-feet-high Island Peak in the Himalayas, besides going up and down the Everest base camps for over a month to acclimatise herself for the major expedition.

"This is a proud moment for us all. I heartily congratulate Premlata for achieving this feat and to (ace mountaineer) Bachendri Pal for training and supporting her throughout," said Tata Steel's vice-president (Corporate Services) Sanjiv Paul.

Prior to conquering Everest, Premlata participated in several Tata Steel Adventure Foundation events like the Karakoram Pass expedition, an ascent on Stok Kangri, and the first Indian women's Thar Desert expedition which involved a 40-day camel safari from Bhuj in Gujarat to Attari in Punjab.

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Picture of the Day

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov witnessing the signing of agreements between two countries, in New Delhi on May 18, 2011.

(Photo: BM Meena)