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Premlata Agarwal
Premlata Agarwal is the oldest woman mountaineer of India who has scaled the seven summits of the world and broke many stereotypes about age and homemakers.

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Premlata Agarwal, Indian Woman MountaineerPremlata Agarwal is the oldest woman to climb Mount Everest, an enviable height of determination. A small encouragement from her mentor made Premlata Agarwal the oldest Indian woman to ever conquer the Everest.

Premlata Agarwal, is the 45-year-old Jugsalai homemaker and mother of two daughters, who had been a part of a 22-member eco-Everest expedition team. She was the one to become the first woman from Jharkhand to scale the 29,029ft peak of Mount Everest.

Career of Premlata Agarwal
Premlata"s sojourn in the mountaineering field started right after a brief time spell when she actively participated in a climbing competition at Jamshedpur. Prior taking decisive steps in mountaineering, she used to visit fitness centres until one day she took part in it. The realization hit her that she can pursue trekking approved by her good health. She wanted her daughters to join trekking club where destiny made her meet Bachendri Pal that changed her identity completely not only personally but also professionally. She understood trekking was a form of self discovery and breaking the stereotypical boundaries too put on women of her age.

Premlata Agarwal, Indian Woman MountaineerHer mentor suggested joining a basic course on mountaineering where the tenure was 28 days. Back in those times, people did not see women of her age to take up such sports. Anyway, she broke the stereotype and went for the course. She won a basic award during training days and the outcome was very positive. Later on, she started trekking with Bachendri pal in 2014 on Island Peak in Nepal. Gradually, she kept going for expeditions and treks and shooted her career.

The most important thing in her career of pursuing mountaineering happened when she got to scale the seven summits across the globe. She received various medals and awards for her achievements and became a known personality in the circuit of mountaineers. The summit climb was tentatively scheduled for May 13, but heavy snowfall and gale winds forced the team to abandon plans near Camp 4 (26,000ft) a day earlier and take the descent route to base camp (18,000ft). But the daredevils didn`t give up. Premlata perhaps remembered an oft-repeated lesson from her businessman father Ramawtar Garg. On May 16, the team once again trekked to Camp 2 (22,000ft) and then to Camp 3 (23,000ft) a day later. Camp 4 was conquered on May 18. A day`s rest and the mountain maiden, who had to opt for artificial oxygen at Camp 3 during their earlier quest on May 7, was ready to romance the Everest at sunrise.

Following are the seven summit climbing details of Premlata Agarwal:

Peaks Date Of Summit
Mount Everest 5/20/2011 12:00:00 AM
Aconcagua 2/10/2012 12:00:00 AM
Denali 5/23/2013 12:00:00 AM
Kilimanjaro 6/6/2008 12:00:00 AM
Mount Elbrus 8/12/2012 12:00:00 AM
Mount Vinson 1/5/2013 12:00:00 AM
Puncak Jaya 10/22/2013 12:00:00 AM

Achievements of Premlata Agarwal
Premlata started her trekking career at the age of 36 in 1999 initially. Keeping her enthusiasm and dedication constant, she has made to receive the Padma Shri Awards from the Government of India in 2013. Followed by that, she received the prestigious award of Tenzing Norgay National adventure in 2017.

Contributions of Premlata Agarwal
Premlata has attained a tremendous feat. It is a big step towards the grand vision of empowering women. She always had great faith and confidence in her skills as a mountaineer. She has reached to a professional level with her achievements and experiences. At present, she conducts treks and coaches children for mountaineering. She is also associated with social services like planting trees.

Personal life of Premlata Agarwal
Premlata is a native of Jharkhand whose father Ramawtar Garg is a businessman. Currently she is a housewife who lives in Jugsalai town, of Jamshedpur in East Singhbhum district in the state. She is married to Vimal Agarwal, a senior journalist. The couple have two daughters, one of whom is married. She is also the first woman from the Marwari community to scale Everest.


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