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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor most people in Chennai, Dr Priya Selvaraj is known as one of the city\u2019s leading reproductive medicine specialists, the daughter of Dr Kamala Selvaraj and granddaughter of legendary actor Gemini Ganesan. But this year, the 52-year-old added a remarkable new chapter to her story, summiting Mount Everest just months after climbing Manaslu.A JOURNEY BORN OUT OF GRIEF<\/span>Her relationship with the mountains began after the pandemic, at a time when she was looking for a way to heal, shares Dr Priya. \u201cThe years 2020-21 had taken a toll on me personally. I had lost my father to the first wave of COVID and I felt I needed to take a break in order to find myself,\u201d she says. A spontaneous decision to sign up for a Sandakphu-Phalut trek with a friend changed everything. \u201cI was 48 years old and was stepping into the world of trekking for the first time. It was a life-altering experience and from the on, every year the aim was to climb higher and learn more,\u201d she states.A PILGRIMAGE, NOT A GOAL<\/span>For her, Everest was never a box to tick. \u201cI never viewed it as one. I took it upon me as a pilgrimage,\u201d she says. The emotions at the summit were less about celebration and more about reverence. \u201cThe only thoughts that were constant was gratitude. The first instinct was to fold my hands in a prayer and thank Sagarmatha for enabling a safe arrival. Second, you feel like asking for forgiveness for trespassing\u2026 as there is a certain holiness you feel as though you have tread into a sanctum sanctorum,\u201d she recalls.EVEREST BEYOND THE INSTAGRAM POSTS<\/span>Having experienced firsthand, Dr Priya admits the validity of the criticism around overcrowding and commercialisation of the world\u2019s highest peak. \u201cOvercrowding is a fact. Camp 4 was in a deplorable state. Too much litter,\u201d she says, though she notes that measures to reduce pollution have improved conditions elsewhere on the mountain.She believes stricter norms are needed before climbers are granted permits. \u201cWe cannot be led by a social media fad but rather be sound with passion and preparation. This is a question of life and hence, there can be no compromise. The rule is you cannot risk the life of your Sherpa guide or yourself by being unprepared and defiant.\u201d\u2018AGE HAS NEVER BEEN A LIMITATION\u2019<\/span>Dr Priya doesn\u2019t subscribe to the idea that dreams come with an expiry date. \u201cFor me, age has never been a limitation. I have always wanted to grow older, wiser and stronger. I feel I have worked hard to make it my source of strength,\u201d she says and hopes her journey encourages others to embrace new ambitions later in life.\u2018Once a Chennaiite, always a Chennaiite\u2019<\/span>Despite spending weeks in the Himalayas, it was the flavours of home she missed the most. \u201cI am a hardcore fan of authentic South Indian food especially served on a banana leaf. I missed my variety rice and curd rice,\u201d she says, adding that a father-daughter duo from Chennai who climbed with her had packed rice mixes that became a welcome taste of home at base camp. And while the mountains may have transformed her, she believes the city built her. \u201cOnce a Chennaiite, always a Chennaiite,\u201d she quips and adds, \u201cYes, I feel this city did shape me, make me, inspire me and above all educate me.\u201dWritten By: <\/span>Aashna Reddy<\/span><\/div>\n