A first: 53-year-old Jammu woman conquers Everest

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 21

After last year’s narrow miss to conquer the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (29,035 ft), 53-year-old Sangeeta Sindhi Bahl from Jammu has brought laurels to the state this year. On May 19, she became the first woman from J&K and the oldest woman from India to scale the mountain.

Bahl, who was born and brought up in Jammu, was a finalist of the Miss India contest in 1985. The ace climber has now returned to the Everest base camp from where she will return to Kathmandu (Nepal) on Tuesday.

Bahl broke the record of her compatriot Premlata Agarwal who on May 20, 2011, became the oldest Indian woman to scale the Everest at the age of 48.

“I feel on top of the world after scaling the world’s highest peak”, she told The Tribune from the Mount Everest base camp.

When asked what her thoughts were during the expedition, she said, “There was no fear at all. Life is too short to keep thinking.”

On being questioned about restrictions of age, she said, “Age is just a number. Everything falls in place if you pursue your dreams at any age.”

Sangeeta is also the founder director of Impact Image Consultants based in Gurgaon. She and six other climbers were evacuated from the higher camps of Mount Everest in 2017 after they suffered high-altitude sickness. It was her maiden attempt then.

Fearless

On May 19, Sangeeta Sindhi Bahl became the first woman from Jammu and Kashmir and the oldest woman from India to scale the highest mountain. Born and brought up in Jammu, she was a finalist of the Miss India contest in 1985. When asked what her thoughts were during the expedition, she said, “There was no fear at all. Life is too short to keep thinking.”