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Forty-five year old Premlata Aggarwal, a mother of two is all gung-ho about climbing the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro. Aggarwal is the second oldest member of the 10-member team led by Bachendri Pal (54), the first woman to scale Mt Everest, which will attempt to climb the 19,000 ft high mountain in Tanzania. At 54, Pal is the oldest. For Aggarwal, age is the least worrisome factor. Hailing from Jharkhand this housewife, who has undergone 10 operations for various gynaecological problems, has previously undertaken four mountaineering expeditions and recounts instances where she overcame numerous hurdles both on the personal front as well as those put up by society to pursue her passion. "I often felt that being a woman was difficult to pursue my passion for mountaineering. Even though my husband has been very supportive but my in-laws and some neighbours still do not approve," says Aggarwal who recounts participating in the camel safari last year where she trekked across the Thar Desert in her jeans with a sari draped around it. This music lecturer is just among a handful of women, who took inspiration from Pal and chose to follow in her footsteps, even though it defied conventions set by society. Pal, born to a farmer in Uttarkashi, herself went against her parents wishes when she chose to climb mountains instead of pursuing a teaching career after her Masters. — PTI
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