Aparna Kumar is an Indian mountaineer. She was awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2018 for land adventure by the President of India.^[1][2][1]

Career and training

Prior to mountaineering, Kumar was a 2002 batch IPS officer, of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, and commanded the 9th Battalion of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary which guarded the Chinese border before ITBP came into being).^[3][4] As an IPS officer, she had served in the high altitudes of Uttaranchal, manning the sensitive Indo-Tibetan border at Askot, Badrinath and Uttarkashi^[quantify], which In 1992, the charge of these posts were handed over to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).^[5]

Kumar was able to summit the Lobuche East peak (6,119 metres (20,075 ft)) in April 2013. In June 2013, Kumar successfully climbed Stok Kangri (approximately 20,182 feet (6,151 m)) in Ladakh, becoming the first-ever IPS/All India Service officer to do so.^{[citation needed]} Kumar is also known for her expedition of the Seven Summits.

Mountaineering conquests

Africa

On 30 August 2014, she successfully summited Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres (19,341 ft)) in Tanzania. According to her, the journey continued for 15 days. Kumar is the first IPS/ All India Service Officer summit Kilimanjaro.^[6]

Oceania

On 7 November 2014, Kumar successfully climbed Puncak Jaya Mountain (4,884 metres (16,024 ft)). Kumar became the first IPS/ All India Service Officer to summit Puncak Jaya.

South America

On 14 January 2015, she successfully summited Mount Aconcagua (6,962 metres (22,841 ft)).

Europe

Kumar is also known to have summitted Mount Elbrus in Russia (5,642 metres (18,510 ft)).

Antarctica

Kumar was part of a ten-member expedition team, with other members being from the USA, Canada, South Africa, the U.K., and Australia,^{[citation needed]} to climb the Vinson Massif in Antarctica. During the expedition, Kumar also reached the Union Glacier in Antarctica.

Asia

Kumar summited Mount Everest on 21 May 2016, at 11:02 IST.^[7]

North America

In 2019, she climbed Mount Denali in Alaska, which completed her Seven Summits challenge.^[8][9]

Awards^{[citation needed]}

• Director's Gold Medal in "Political Concepts and Constitution of India, 72nd Foundation Course-2002", Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie.
• Vandana Malim Trophy for Best Athlete - 2000 (LBSNAA) Mussoorie.
• Best Athlete Trophy 2003 from SVP National Police Academy (SVPNPA).
• The 51st Batch of Senior Course Officers' Trophy for the first position in Unarmed Combat 2003 SVPNPA.
• Vandana Malik Trophy for Dedication and Hard Work 2004, SVPNPA, Hyderabad.
• Best Battalion Trophy awarded to 9th Battalion of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) on 13 December 2013 when she was posted as Commandant 9th Battalion, PAC, Moradabad.
• Grade-A Certificate and Trainee of Best Rope, Basic Mountaineering Course 2013 awarded by mountaineering institute (ABVIMAS, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India).
• Grade-A Certificate Advanced Mountaineering Course 2014 awarded by mountaineering institute (ABVIMAS, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India).
• Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Veerta Puraskar - 2015^[10]
• Director General of Police (DGP) Commendation Disc. 2016.
• Yash Bharti Samman March 2016. The highest civilian award of the Uttar Pradesh state in India.
• Devi Award by Sunday Standard and Indian Express Group of Newspapers - November 2016
• Director General (DG), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Commendation Roll and Insignia Silver Disc 2018.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, 2018 for Land Adventure.
• Director General (DG), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Commendation Roll and Insignia Gold Disc 2021.

Personal life

Kumar is from Bengaluru and has two children. Mrs Kumar is married to Mr Sanjay Kumar, an IAS officer of UP Cadre. She is an alumna of Vijaya College, Jaya Nagar and National Law School, Bengaluru. She also did her schooling in Mysore. She speaks fluent Kannada and Hindi.