Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)

Gurdial Singh (born 1 January 1924) is an Indian mountaineer who led India's first mountaineering expedition to Trisul (7,120 metres) in 1951, and led the team that made the first ascent of Mrigthuni (6,855 metres) in 1958.[5][6] [7] In 1965, he was a member of the first successful Indian expedition team to climb Mount Everest.[8][9][10]

For the Punjabi writer, see Gurdial Singh.
Gurdial Singh
Personal information
Main disciplineMountaineer
Born (1924-01-01) 1 January 1924
Nationality Indian
Career
Notable ascents- Led the first Indian expedition to Trisul (1951)[1]
- First ascent of Mrigthuni (1958)[2]
- Member of the first Indian expedition to Mount Everest (1965)[3]
A colourised image of Gurdial Singh performing Shirshasana on the summit of Trisul in 1951. Mountaineer and chronicler Harish Kapadia has written in his book, Across Peaks & Passes in Garhwal Himalaya: "To my mind, it was when Gurdial Singh climbed Trisul in 1951 that was the beginning of the age of mountaineering for Indians."[4]

Singh also led many expeditions at The Doon School, where he was a teacher, and along with other Doon masters and students was instrumental in establishing a mountaineering culture in post-Independence India.[11]

Life and career

Gurdial Singh joined The Doon School in 1945 and it was here that he was influenced by Englishmen such as John Martyn, R.L. Holdsworth and Jack Gibson to take up mountaineering. The first headmaster of Doon Arthur Foot was a member of the Alpine Club.[12][13] Together, they scaled many peaks including Bandarpunch, Trisul, Kamet, Abi Gamin and Nanda Devi.[14][15] He was the first Indian member of the famed Alpine Club, which was "a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering".[14] In 1965, Singh climbed Mount Everest as a member of the first successful Indian expedition, led by Mohan Singh Kohli.

Awards

Apart from being the first Indian to be included in the Alpine Club, Singh was given the Arjuna Award in 1965 for his contributions towards Indian mountaineering. In 1967, Singh was awarded Padma Shri.,[14][16] the fourth highest civilian award in India. In 2007, Gurdial Singh was given a Lifetime Achievement Award and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for his contributions towards Indian mountaineering.[17][18][19]

See also

References
Notes
  1. "TRISUL, 1951 : Himalayan Journal vol.17/10". www.himalayanclub.org.
  2. "MRIGTHUNI, 1958 : Himalayan Journal vol.21/9". www.himalayanclub.org.
  3. Sengupta, Padmaparna Ghosh,Rudraneil (16 May 2015). "The first Indians on Everest". mint.
  4. Kapadia, Harish. Across Peaks & Passes in Garhwal Himalaya (1999). Indus Publishing. p.15
  5. site admin (31 October 1989). "New heights - Society & The Arts News - Issue Date: Oct 31, 1989". Indiatoday.in. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. The Times, Wednesday, 4 July 1951; pg. 5; Issue 52044; col B
  7. "Vertical limit - Travel". livemint.com. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  8. "50 years later, it's happily Everest after | India News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. Padmaparna Ghosh, Rudraneil Sengupta. "The first Indians on Everest". Livemint.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  10. "PM meets members of 1965 Everest Expedition on the golden jubilee of the occasion". Pib.gov.in. 20 May 1965. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  11. Anderson, Richard (2001). "Climbing with Doon School" (PDF). Alpine Journal. London.
  12. http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2001_files/AJ%202001%20197-201%20Anderson%20Doon%20School.pdf
  13. "Climb every mountain". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  14. "Early Years of Indian Mountaineering". Himalayan Club. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  15. "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Books". Tribuneindia.com. 3 February 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  16. "National Portal of India". India.gov.in. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  17. "'Olympic gold is my aim'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 August 2007.
  18. "City's old-but-young-at-heart citizens - Express India". Archived from the original on 22 January 2013.
  19. "IMF: News: Basic Climbers Training Camp".
Bibliography
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