Her mountaineering passion came crashing down after being diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis four years ago. But 63-year-old Gangotri Soneji is undeterred and all set to leave for the Himalayas on Tuesday.
The gritty lady will traverse nearly 5,000 km in the Himalayan range for the next five months under the guidance of Padma Bhushan Bachendri Palthe first Indian woman to reach Mt Everest summit. “This is my last chance to trek in the Himalayas. I am never going to let anybody play a spoilsport and stop me from pursuing my passion. Bachendri and I have trekked together in the past, so we know each other well,”
Soneji, a resident of Vadodara, told TOI. She had even trekked to the Mount Everest base camp in 2018 and that gave her the confidence to attempt the Himalayas. “My two children encouraged me,” she added. Soneji was a national-level swimmer in younger days.
“I had to quit swimming due to a severe ear infection. So, I tried rock climbing at 18 in Mount Abu and instantly took to the adventurous sport. Later, I did about 15 expeditions in the Himalayas,” she recalled. But she had to take a long break from mountaineering after her marriage and shift to the US.
“When I returned to Vadodara in the late 1990s, I decided to pursue my passion again. I got in touch with Bachendri and we began trekking together. I also studied psychology at the age of 45 and pursued scuba diving,” said Soneji, who has also done bicycle ride from Kolkata to Kanyakumari in the past.
The gritty lady will traverse nearly 5,000 km in the Himalayan range for the next five months under the guidance of Padma Bhushan Bachendri Palthe first Indian woman to reach Mt Everest summit. “This is my last chance to trek in the Himalayas. I am never going to let anybody play a spoilsport and stop me from pursuing my passion. Bachendri and I have trekked together in the past, so we know each other well,”
Soneji, a resident of Vadodara, told TOI. She had even trekked to the Mount Everest base camp in 2018 and that gave her the confidence to attempt the Himalayas. “My two children encouraged me,” she added. Soneji was a national-level swimmer in younger days.
“I had to quit swimming due to a severe ear infection. So, I tried rock climbing at 18 in Mount Abu and instantly took to the adventurous sport. Later, I did about 15 expeditions in the Himalayas,” she recalled. But she had to take a long break from mountaineering after her marriage and shift to the US.
“When I returned to Vadodara in the late 1990s, I decided to pursue my passion again. I got in touch with Bachendri and we began trekking together. I also studied psychology at the age of 45 and pursued scuba diving,” said Soneji, who has also done bicycle ride from Kolkata to Kanyakumari in the past.