For most people in Chennai, Dr. Priya Selvaraj is known as one of the city's 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
Her relationship with the mountains began after the pandemic, at a time when she was looking for a way to heal, shares Dr. Priya. "The 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," she says. A spontaneous decision to sign up for a Sandakphu-Phalut trek with a friend changed everything. "I was 48 years old and was stepping into the world of trekking for the first time. It was a life-altering experience and from then on, every year the aim was to climb higher and learn more," she states.
A Pilgrimage, Not a Goal
For her, Everest was never a box to tick. "I never viewed it as one. I took it upon me as a pilgrimage," she says. The emotions at the summit were less about celebration and more about reverence. "The 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… as there is a certain holiness you feel as though you have tread into a sanctum sanctorum," she recalls.
Everest Beyond the Instagram Posts
Having experienced it firsthand, Dr. Priya admits the validity of the criticism around overcrowding and commercialisation of the world's highest peak. "Overcrowding is a fact. Camp 4 was in a deplorable state. Too much litter," 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. "We 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."
'Age Has Never Been a Limitation'
Dr. Priya doesn't subscribe to the idea that dreams come with an expiry date. "For 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," she says and hopes her journey encourages others to embrace new ambitions later in life.
'Once a Chennaiite, Always a Chennaiite'
Despite spending weeks in the Himalayas, it was the flavours of home she missed the most. "I am a hardcore fan of authentic South Indian food especially served on a banana leaf. I missed my variety rice and curd rice," 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. "Once a Chennaiite, always a Chennaiite," she quips and adds, "Yes, I feel this city did shape me, make me, inspire me and above all educate me."
