As brutal winds lashed Mount Everest’s base camp, an exhaustion set in and emotional reserves began to run low. Just then, the pop numbers of the 1980s and 90s, including classics by Culture Club and Michael Jackson, played in Dr Priya Selvaraj’s ears, urging her to push forward one step at a time, to claim the highest point on Earth.
The 52-year-old senior reproductive medicine specialist and director of GG Hospital set out on the Everest expedition on April 15 from Chennai. Though she started trekking to the base camp on April 17, unexpected delays stretched her stay on the mountain to nearly 45 days. Finally, at 10 am on May 27, Priya reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the only Indian woman above 50-years of age known to have conquered two 8,000 metre peaks within seven months, following her summit of Manaslu (8,163 metre) in 2025.
Remarking upon why she chose to trek the mountains in her 50s, Priya says, “I just feel the support system was missing at a younger age. How many people will encourage their child to be a mountaineer or an athlete or something else, especially when you have a different profession in the making at home?”
But she is quick to add that she does not blame her parents. Coming from a family deeply rooted in the field of medicine, her path naturally led towards healthcare. Ironically, it was that very career that eventually gave her the independence to pursue mountaineering.
“I have always wanted to learn something new, like surfing, skydiving, rock climbing, or any adventure sports, for passion, but (previously) life went on with education, family, and hospital, so I did not find time, and there were no finances. But now, being a fitness enthusiast and leading a healthy life, there is no restriction for passion or goal in life, especially starting something fresh,” she says.
Finance and passion aside, proper technical training plays a major role in mountaineering. Priya credits much of her training and preparation to her coach, Dr Sugapradeep, a dentist, national athlete, combat fitness coach, and strength and conditioning specialist, who has been training her for the past four years. He designed a structured programme — which changes every six months — focused on endurance, strength, altitude adaptation, recovery, and mental resilience. However, training from Chennai came with its own challenges, particularly the absence of high-altitude terrain.
“As a healthcare professional, training doesn’t happen in ideal conditions. It’s built between responsibilities, long days, and mental fatigue. There is no perfect terrain to prepare for this either. We used inexpensive facilities like home stairs, hospital ramps, and slant boards. I relied on my coach. I relied on my mind and body. And above all, I relied on trusting the process,” she says.
While reaching the summit was a win, Priya says the greatest battle unfolded long before summit day. Everest tested her physically, but even more so emotionally and mentally. “The weather’s uncertainty is a challenge,” she explains. “The waiting time is prolonged (because of weather conditions), and during that time, you’ll have many self-doubts. Why am I going through this? Why did I arrive here? You know the answers, but you still keep asking yourself, shall I go back home?”
But her peers and her love for music helped her. “We (Priya and her tent mate) both would look at each other and then we’d think, ‘So far we have endured and come. We have achieved the rotations — repeatedly climbing up and down the mountain. We have to do a summit push. Let’s give it our best and we’d motivate each other’,” she says.
Strong winds, blown off tents, and uncertain ropes repeatedly pushed back summit attempts after multiple rotations, forcing climbers into a longer period of waiting. The demanding camp rotations added to the strain. Every journey involved hours of climbing, only to descend and repeat the process days later.
Priya also recalls how, during her Khumbu descent, she experienced an injury due to the previous night’s icefall, leading to a ladder displacement. She adds that technical training and a safety rope saved her life.
Talking about the emotional rollercoaster, she says, “The mind plays games. You’re also in a low oxygen environment, so you’ll tend to think more, you’ll become more emotional, you can start crying, you can start wanting to give up.”
But standing atop Everest was only part of her story.
Alongside the Indian flag, Priya unfurled another banner, one carrying the name of the GG Fertility Research Foundation, an initiative she hopes will support young cancer patients seeking fertility preservation treatment.
As for what comes next, Priya does not offer definitive answers, she laughs saying that she has the desire to summit again but not for achievement sake. “I think my heart is in the Himalayan range,” she says. What is clear is the message she hopes her journey leaves behind. Throughout her climb, one thought stayed with her, “If the youngest can do, so can the oldest.”