SCALING NEW HEIGHTS

Chennai-based entrepreneur, philanthropist and mountaineer VIDYA SINGH shares her historic Kilimanjaro summit with Kayal Arivalan

- Kayal Arivalan

On March 13, 2025, septuagenarian Vidya Singh stood tall on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro - at a height of about 5,895 metres above sea level. At 72, she had etched her name in history as the oldest Indian woman to summit Kilimanjaro.

It was in 2013 that she accepted an impromptu invitation from her friend Badri Vijayaraghavan at the Madras Club. “He and TM Krishna were heading out to Ladakh to trek to Stok Kangri and asked if I would like to go with them!” she recalls. “I did not hesitate for a moment; I just accepted the invitation. For me, that was a life-changing experience. Mountains seep into your soul and you find a tremendous peace as you trek and climb them.”