NEW DELHI: Once a fashion designer and now a full-time traveller, Prakriti Varshney made the history of sorts as she became the first โvegan Indian womanโ to climb Mt. Everest when she reached the summit on May 12.
Reliving her journey, the 26-year-old said, โThe final climb totals 69 kilometres through ice and snow and with a constant risk of avalanches. Low atmospheric pressure makes it hard for climbers to breathe and exposure to high temperatures is a real concern when climbing during the day.โ
Despite the challenges, the youngster reached the peak in five days, after starting her journey at the Base Camp on May 7.
Talking about her climb, Varshney told The New Indian, โI feel normal maybe because my family is too modest, I donโt know. But one thing is clear โ it was a dream to climb Mt Everest when I was just 15 or 16. I never thought Iโd be able to do it. I didnโt feel real even when I left Delhi for Nepal. It still feels unreal. It seemed like it was a reality only for the 50 minutes when I was standing at the worldโs top.โ
โNo doubt, Iโm happy Iโve done something I always wanted to do and this will remain to be my โone big adventureโ,โ she added.
Growing concerns about the environment, especially after learning the devastating impact of the dairy industry, Varshney turned vegan five years back.
โI chose to be a vegan because I was shocked by what we were doing to the animals. I have been living in Himachal and I got to know some people leave the male calf astray because it doesnโt reap many benefits and is a burden to them,โ she said.
โAfter reading and learning more about Veganism, I decided to adopt it. Since then, I have chosen my meal judiciously, keeping the protein requirements of an athletic body in mind. My health has just improved through this and Iโm happy to have made the change,โ she added.
