IPS Officer Aparna Kumar becomes the first Indian woman to scale Mt Manaslu

An Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, Aparna Kumar on Thursday became the first Indian woman to scale Mount Manaslu, which is the eighth highest mountain peak in the world.

Exactly at 10.00 am on September 25, Kumar took up a mission to climb Mount Manaslu in the west-central part of Nepal.

A 2002 batch IPS officer, has already successfully scaled the highest peaks of six continents out of seven continents. In May last year, she climbed Mount Everest before scaling Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica.

Aparna Kumar, who just returned earlier today at Delhi from Kathmandu said, "The view is outstanding. It is the most beautiful mountain peak of the world. I had feelings of so much gratitude for Manasalu for allowing me, an ordinary nobody to reach the summit. This has been one of the toughest conquests as reaching camp four was quite challenging and exhausting. We started the journey on September 9 and submitted it on September 25."

"My eyes are set on Mount McKinley in Alaska in North America, the last of seven highest peaks," Aparna added.

Aparna started her mountaineering passion in the year 2013 when she was posted at UP's Moradabad, as Commandant of the 9th Battalion. She enrolled herself in a month long basic mountaineering course at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali.

In 2014, she scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest peak on the African continent.

This feat was followed by climbing a top Carstensz Pyramid peak in the West Papuan province of Indonesia, the highest in the Australia and Oceania region.

"I am thankful to my husband, Sanjay Kumar, who is also a civil servant and has supported me unconditionally through this dream journey. At times, it has been tough going through those gruelling fitness sessions day in and day out at this age but the immense family support and and encouragement kept me motivated," says the mother of two.

Hours after her success, UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath and IPS Association tweeted news of Aparna's feat and congratulatory messages started pouring in.

"Way to go Aparna for becoming an inspiration to thousands of women who are trying to achieve their dreams.