Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)
Gurdial Singh (born 1 January 1924) is an eminent Indian mountaineer[1] who is credited with leading India's first mountaineering expedition to Trisul (7120 metres) in 1951.[2] [3]
Life
Gurdial Singh joined The Doon School in 1945 and it was here that he was influenced by Englishman such as John Martyn, R.L. Holdsworth and Jack Gibson to take up mountaineering. In fact, the first headmaster of Doon Arthur Foot was a member of the Alpine Club.[4][5] Together, they scaled many peaks including Bandarpunch, Trisul, Kamet, Abi Gamin and Nanda Devi.[6][7]
He was the first Indian member of the famed Alpine Club, which was "a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering".[8]
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.,[8][9] 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.[10][11][12]
References
- Notes
- ↑ "Gurdial Singh" (PDF). dsobs.net. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ The Times, Wednesday, Jul 04, 1951; pg. 5; Issue 52044; col B
- ↑ "Vertical limit - Travel". livemint.com. 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ↑ http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2001_files/AJ%202001%20197-201%20Anderson%20Doon%20School.pdf
- ↑ "Climb every mountain". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2002-02-24. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ↑ "Early Years of Indian Mountaineering". Himalayan Club. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ↑ "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum - Books". Tribuneindia.com. 2002-02-03. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- 1 2 Early Years of Indian Mountaineering | Himalayan Club
- ↑ http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php
- ↑ "'Olympic gold is my aim'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2007-08-30.
- ↑ City’s old-but-young-at-heart citizens - Express India
- ↑ IMF: News: Basic Climbers Training Camp
- Bibliography
- For Hills to Climb by Gurdial Singh, Nandu JayalPublished by Doon School Old Boys' Society, 2001.
- An Indian Englishman by Jack Gibson 2008 ISBN 9781435734616