India, Aug. 30 -- For 43-year-old Shivani Mehrotra, raising her 18-year-old daughter, managing family responsibilities, and pursuing mountaineering have gone hand in hand as she continues to push her limits on some of the world's highest peaks.

A native of Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district and married in Lucknow at 24, Mehrotra, now based in Mumbai with her family, celebrated Independence Day this year by unfurling the Tricolour atop Mount Elbrus in Russia, Europe's highest peak.

Speaking to PTI over the phone while returning to India from Russia, Mehrotra shared that her journey to the summit on August 15 was as much a test of mental strength as it was of physical endurance.

"I always believe that age is just a number," she said, stres...