50th anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
19-May, 2015 16:51 IST
President of India to inaugurate 50th anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the 50thAnniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965 tomorrow (May 20, 2015) at a function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation is organizing this event to celebrate the historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965 by an Indian team led by Capt. M.S. Kohli.

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[Hindustani78]

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the inauguration of the 50th Anniversary of India’s First Historic Climb of Mt. Everest in 1965, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

 

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
20-May, 2015 15:15 IST

Speech by the President of India on the occasion of the inauguration of Golden Jubilee Celebration of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest

It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be present amidst you to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the first ascent of Mount Everest by an Indian Team in 1965. I extend my greetings and felicitations to all surviving members of the historic expedition and pay my homage to the memory of many courageous mountaineers of that expedition who are no longer with us today. I also pay my homage to all those mountaineers who have lost their lives in their valiant attempts to climb Mt. Everest over the years.

The majesty and the mystique of the mighty Himalayas have always had a special place in the hearts of the people of India. Only a few weeks back the Himalayan nation of Nepal was rocked by one of the most devastating earthquakes in the history of the region causing large scale damage to life and property of the people. I am certain that Indian mountaineers who have been enthusiastically going to the Himalayas for climbing, will use the same enthusiasm in the rebuilding of the lives of those affected by this great tragedy.

The call of the mountains has through the ages attracted pilgrims, poets, philosophers, scientists and adventurers. It is said that the real birth of mountaineering in India took place when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru set up the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling in the year 1954, soon after the first conquest of the Everest. The efforts of the pioneers of Indian mountaineering led to the spectacular Indian conquest of Everest in 1965 when a 21-man Indian Expedition, led by Lieutenant Commander M.S. Kohli, succeeded in putting nine climbers on the top of the Mt Everest between 20th and 29thMay 1965. It was a feat that stirred the imagination of the nation and made India one of the leading mountaineering nations of the world. It also created history by having the highest number of summiteers from any expedition to Everest, a record that stood for 17 long years.

India attempted to climb Everest for the first time in 1960. In that valiant attempt, our mountaineers were forced back on 700 feet from the summit. During the second expedition in 1962, they were beaten back only 300 feet from the summit. Tragedy was averted when one of the climbers slipped but was skilfully saved and the summit team had to spend a night at 28,000 feet which until today remains the highest known survival in the world.

Over the years our mountaineers have distinguished themselves not only by scaling the highest peaks but also as brave soldiers of the gallant armed forces which have included the ITBP. Many of them have served with great distinction during the Kargil conflict and continue to defend our highest frontiers with courage and with fortitude. Along with these great achievements, the first Indian conquest of Everest and the conquest by first Indian woman, Bachendri Pal, has found its place in many text books and has inspired several generations over the years.

We are honoured to have with us today, nine surviving members of the 1965 Everest Expedition. These historic mountaineers are Capt MS Kohli, Col Narinder Kumar, Maj. H.P.S. Ahluwalia, Mr CP Vohra, Mr Sonam Wangyal, Mr GS Bhangu, Brigadier Mulk Raj, Mr Gurdial Singh and Dr Lala Telang. I commend their indomitable spirit. I am sure that they will continue to inspire the youth of this country and the whole world with the vision and the tenacities, which they have displayed during those days.

The Indian Mountaineering Foundation that sponsored the Expedition in 1965 has come a long way since then and has grown to become an Institution that all adventure lovers look up to for guidance. It has always taken a broad and holistic approach in its mandate. In recent years the Indian Mountaineering Foundation has also been involved in environment protection works in the Himalayas. There is no greater service that it can do to this cause than by working for the preservation of the Himalayan ecology and the environment of the Himalayas.

I am happy that from very early on the mountaineering fraternity has encouraged women to take up this sport. The first mixed expedition successfully scaled Nanda Devi in 1981. Since Bachendri Pal reached the top of Everest a few years later, a number of Indian women have joined the elite club of Everesters.

Mountaineering integrates physical and mental challenges, promoting personal growth and awareness useful in other areas of life.It also helps in building a person’s self confidence and develop courage and risk taking capacity. In addition to stoking the spirit of adventure, mountaineering has a major role in generating a sense of purpose in the youth and also making them aware of ecological and environmental issues. Training for responding to major natural disasters can be effectively imparted through adventure training which includes various elements of emergency rescue and survival and living in harmony with nature.

I feel honoured to be here in the company of some of India's greatest mountaineers, explorers and adventurers. Your grit, determination and spirit of adventure are a source of inspiration for all our countrymen and women. Your feats epitomize the strength of the human spirit and the limits of human endurance.

With these words, I wish members of the 1965 Everest Expedition, the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the entire mountaineering community many years of productive contributions in the service of our nation. You have an important role to play in instilling in our youth the values and the character that make a good mountaineer and thereby a good citizen of our republic.

I conclude with these beautiful lines penned by Rabindranath Tagore which would inspire many adventurers :-

"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.”

‘Jai Hind’

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi releasing the book "The Great Himalayan Climb" on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the 1965 Everest Expedition, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meets the members of 1965 Everest Expedition on the golden jubilee of the occasion, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meets the members of 1965 Everest Expedition on the golden jubilee of the occasion, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh addressing at the felicitation ceremony of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian’s First Everest Expedition, organised by the Indian Army Adventure Wing, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

The Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh felicitated the Members and Next of Kin of the deceased Members of India's first ever Mt. Everest Expedition Team, at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian’s First Everest Expedition, organised by the Indian Army Adventure Wing, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

The Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh felicitated the Members and Next of Kin of the deceased Members of India's first ever Mt. Everest Expedition Team, at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian’s First Everest Expedition, organised by the Indian Army Adventure Wing, in New Delhi on May 20, 2015.

 

[Hindustani78]

HPS Ahluwalia's top shot everest expedition - The Hindu
As India celebrates 50 years of its first successful expedition to Mt. Everest, HPS Ahluwalia speaks about the challenges confronting the team.
Way back in 1965, when the India was making its third desperate attempt at scaling Mt. Everest, a number of questions were bothering its nine-member team. What if it turns out to be yet another unsuccessful bid what would be the reaction of the public and those in the corridors of power for it was the dream of Jawaharlal Nehru, who had just passed away, to see India’s tricolour flutter on the world’s highest point.. Equally, what kind of obstacles like an avalanche or a mythical Yeti would confront them during their quest for the Everest? Those questions might have cropped up in their minds but one member Major HPS Ahluwalia was single minded in his determination to conquer the world’s highest mountain.

It was his alertness, never say die attitude, along with resourcefulness, mental strength and camaraderie of other members that made India become the first nation to put nine men atop the Everest in a single expedition. Half a century later as India celebrates that momentous occasion , Ahluwalia, one of the surviving members of that historic expedition, says Everest taught him humility and has had a change in his character. To begin with, the third expedition began on an inauspicious note as an avalanche submerged Camp III and with it the life-sustaining oxygen cylinders.

“It seemed the avalanche had buried the hopes of our summit party reaching the top. The leader (Captain M. S. Kohli) had to call off the final attempt as without oxygen it was doomed to fail. I persuaded Captain Kohli that we should not give up as this was our last opportunity as Everest was to be closed for the next five years,” says Ahluwalia, sitting in his spacious room, well stocked with mountaineering books and memorabilia, at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in New Delhi.

After getting the consent from the leader, Ahluwalia and other members started relentless digging at Camp III.

“We were digging for two hours. It was exhausting and was soon turning out to be an exercise in futility. I kept praying ‘Oh! God please come to our rescue’ and suddenly my axe struck a cylinder. A few more whacks through the thick stone and we soon located two and three cylinders. Most Everest experts would describe it as good luck but is was nothing short of miracle for us.”

However, the ascent was not a cakewalk as high up on the altitude, Ahluwalia began gasping for breath as his cylinder, recovered from the avalanche, began leaking. “The pipe was unusually long and I, inadvertently, stepped on it. Consequently, it developed a hole and I could barely breathe. Normally at such an altitude one’s mind stops working but I quickly realised that I need to take out the adhesive tape from the camera and put it on the pipe. I did and starting inhaling the oxygen.”

Just when it looked that things were getting back into normal, Ahluwalia saw a tall figure moving towards him. “An excited Phu Dorjee told him it was Yeti. It was waving a hand at us and when it came near we were relieved to find out that it was one of our members.”

Amidst all this thoughts of fulfilling Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream were far from his mind.

“It was Pandit Nehru’s mission to see India’s tricolour flutter on the world’s highest point. The first two expeditions in 1960 and 1962 failed due to bad weather. There was pressure to emerge successful but my priority was the job at hand. As far as I was concerned there was me and the mountain. We would take one step and then rest and then continue. We would be greeted by a small ridge; we would cross one and then find another. Only God knows how many ridges we had to cross before breaking the world record,” says Ahluwalia.

Surprisingly, there was behavioural change in his personality. Before his world-record feat, he is brutally frank enough to admit that he would easily lose his cool.

“The good thing about Everest is that even if you scale it the success doesn’t go to your head. In fact, you become more humble. Earlier, I would lose my cool. It taught me humility. When you reach the top you feel that you are like a tiny insect. Also while descending you feel sad because you would never get to climb a higher altitude than Everest.”

Normally, after scaling the Everest there would have been euphoria and jubilation but Ahluwalia, who was 26-year-old then, had an onerous responsibility on his shoulders. As the official photographer, he had to capture as many pictures as possible. “We had to show that indeed we had conquered the world’s highest mountain. We were hungry and heaved a sigh of relief when I was offered coffee by team member Phu Dorjee.”

Ahluwalia’s never-say-die attitude continued as he refused to give up when a few months after the Everest conquest a bullet injury during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 confined him to a wheelchair. For someone, who by a cruel fate of destiny has become immobilised, has some advice for the youth – do outdoor activities. He feels it is high time that mountaineering as well as disaster management were made compulsory in schools.

Founder and Chairman of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Major H.P.S Ahluwalia . Photo: Prashant Nakwe

 

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