HCS Rawat
Encyclopedia
Harish Chandra Singh Rawat( July 3, 1934 - January 20, 2008) was a mountaineer who scaled the Mt Everest
in 1965. He was the grandson of Pt Kishen Singh of Pandit brothers’ fame, who surveyed Tibet
.
, Kanglacha, Haathi Parvat
, Trishuli
, Rathong, Nandakhat and Nun Kun
.
In 1962, he led a party, including Sonam Wangyal, another Everester of the 1965 expedition to Kanglacha, 30 miles south of Leh. In 1963, Rawat climbed Hathi Parbat and a year later he was part of the Trisuli and Nanda Devi East expedition. In the pre-Everest preparations, he climbed Rathong.
During and after his Everest climb, Rawat participated in a joint expedition operation by the Indian Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA to Nanda Devi peak to explore Chinese nuclear possibilities.
In 1964, Rawat survived a 3500 feet fall in an avalanche during their Nanda Devi East Expedition.
In 1965, he climbed the Mount Everest along with Capt Ahluwalia and Phu Dorji.
As his partner Bahuguna could not proceed due to ill health, Bahuguna had developed rashes all over his body and had to return to the Advance Base Camp on 28 May afternoon.
On the 29th May, Rawat radioed the expedition doctor Capt Chakravarti at 4 in the morning to tell him he was leaving his camp.
Sh Rawat walked all alone through the death zone to join the other two climbers and is the only person to have achieved this feat in the world. He managed to join the others at the summit, thus making a world record because never before three members have reached the top together.also for the first time nine members of an expedition made it to Mt Everest.
Sh Rawat was a member of the Silk Route Expedition
, which followed Marco Polo
’s route in China
. He could identify some of the areas visited by his grandfather, both in Tibet as well as in central Asia
. He served in cabinet secretariat with distinction and was deputed as first secretary to the Indian embassies in Nepal
and Bhutan
. A recipient of Arjuna award, Sh Rawat had several other laurels like the Padma Shree
, Police Medal and IMF Silver Medal to his credit. For over two decades, he served the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and was instrumental in taking it to the international level and served as Vice-President there. In recent years, he was involved in a number of mountain-cleaning expeditions.
He was also an avid photographer. The legendary image of Maj Ahluwalia and Phu Dorji at the summit,with the Indian Tri-colour,that was later to become the stamp and symbol of the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition, was taken by Harish Rawat, a mountaineer nonparell.
He was fondly referred as 'Japani Sahib' by sherpas .
It was not only the mountains that got his attention, he was involved in greening of the high-altitude areas and took active interest in empowerment of women of Kausani and Munsiyari.He started an NGO by the name of HOPE-Himalayan Organisation for People and Environment.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
in 1965. He was the grandson of Pt Kishen Singh of Pandit brothers’ fame, who surveyed Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
Biography
Harish was born into a family of mountaineers. Rawat’s grandfather, Rai Bahadur Kishan Singh, known as AK Pandit, and his grandfather’s cousin, Nain Singh were the Indian pioneers to survey the country. They were with the Survey of India. Rai Bahadur went to the Pamirs through Nepal and surveyed the area and later explored Tibet for four years before coming back home to Pittoragarh in Kumaon Himalayas. Rawat was fired by the spirit of his family’s quest and drew inspiration from their exploratory deeds.Expeditions
Sh Rawat participated in a number of expeditions including Nanda DeviNanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...
, Kanglacha, Haathi Parvat
Haathi Parvat
Haathi Parvat, also known as Elephant Peak, is a mountain in the Garhwal Himalayas in India. It is located in the Chamoli District of India's Uttrakhand state. Its summit has an elevation of .-Legend:...
, Trishuli
Trishuli
Tirsuli is a Himalayan mountain peak in the Pithoragarh district of Kumaon Uttarakhand, India. It is part of the complex of mountains, including Tirsuli West, Hardeol, Dunagiri, Changabang, and Kalanka, which make up the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, in the Garhwal Himalaya. It rises...
, Rathong, Nandakhat and Nun Kun
Nun Kun
The Nun Kun mountain massif comprises a pair of Himalayan peaks: Nun, 7,135 m and its neighbor peak Kun, 7,077 m . Nun is the highest peak in the part of the Himalayan range lying on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir...
.
In 1962, he led a party, including Sonam Wangyal, another Everester of the 1965 expedition to Kanglacha, 30 miles south of Leh. In 1963, Rawat climbed Hathi Parbat and a year later he was part of the Trisuli and Nanda Devi East expedition. In the pre-Everest preparations, he climbed Rathong.
During and after his Everest climb, Rawat participated in a joint expedition operation by the Indian Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA to Nanda Devi peak to explore Chinese nuclear possibilities.
In 1964, Rawat survived a 3500 feet fall in an avalanche during their Nanda Devi East Expedition.
In 1965, he climbed the Mount Everest along with Capt Ahluwalia and Phu Dorji.
As his partner Bahuguna could not proceed due to ill health, Bahuguna had developed rashes all over his body and had to return to the Advance Base Camp on 28 May afternoon.
On the 29th May, Rawat radioed the expedition doctor Capt Chakravarti at 4 in the morning to tell him he was leaving his camp.
Sh Rawat walked all alone through the death zone to join the other two climbers and is the only person to have achieved this feat in the world. He managed to join the others at the summit, thus making a world record because never before three members have reached the top together.also for the first time nine members of an expedition made it to Mt Everest.
Sh Rawat was a member of the Silk Route Expedition
Northern Silk Road
The Northern Silk Road is a prehistoric trackway in northern China originating in the early capital of Xi'an and extending north of the Taklamakan Desert to reach the ancient kingdoms of Parthia, Bactria and eventually Persia and Rome. It is the northern-most branch of several Silk Roads providing...
, which followed Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
’s route in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He could identify some of the areas visited by his grandfather, both in Tibet as well as in central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. He served in cabinet secretariat with distinction and was deputed as first secretary to the Indian embassies in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. A recipient of Arjuna award, Sh Rawat had several other laurels like the Padma Shree
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
, Police Medal and IMF Silver Medal to his credit. For over two decades, he served the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and was instrumental in taking it to the international level and served as Vice-President there. In recent years, he was involved in a number of mountain-cleaning expeditions.
He was also an avid photographer. The legendary image of Maj Ahluwalia and Phu Dorji at the summit,with the Indian Tri-colour,that was later to become the stamp and symbol of the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition, was taken by Harish Rawat, a mountaineer nonparell.
He was fondly referred as 'Japani Sahib' by sherpas .
It was not only the mountains that got his attention, he was involved in greening of the high-altitude areas and took active interest in empowerment of women of Kausani and Munsiyari.He started an NGO by the name of HOPE-Himalayan Organisation for People and Environment.