Mother of two climbs Mt Everest

Forty-five-year-old Premlata, whose foray into adventure sports came by chance, successfully ascended the world’s highest mountain peak at 8,848 metres on May 20 after setting off for the quest on March 25. “When I reached the base camp, the Sherpa there told me why have you come for this journey, you will not be able to reach the summit. But I remained confident and did better than the younger lot accompanying me,” Premlata said. “I never told them of any problem as I feared that they may tell me to go back. I always recalled the encouraging words of Bachendri Pal who told me to always remain a step forward,” she added.

Bachendri, the first Indian woman to climb the peak, is elated at her ward’s success. “I am on top of the world, she has strengthened our belief and our faith in her. Psychologically it was not an easy job for her, age was always a factor besides the helping hands always made her realise that she was too old to climb the world’s highest peak,” the veteran mountaineer revealed.

Bachendri, who heads the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, said by helping Premlata climb the Mt Everest, she has done justice to whatever she has achieved. “I always wanted a woman from Jharkhand to scale the Mt Everest, her feat has made me feel that I am justifying the height I have gained.