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H. P. S. Ahluwalia | |
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| Born | (1936-11-06)6 November 1936 |
| Died | 14 January 2022(2022-01-14) (aged 85) New Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | St. George's College, Mussoorie College of Military Engineering, Pune |
| Years active | 1995–2022 |
| Board member of | Ex Chairman,Indian Spinal Injuries Centre |
| Spouse | Bholi Ahluwalia |
| Children | One |
| Parent(s) | Father- Mr. Sarjit Singh Mother- Mrs. Harbans Kaur |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Padma Shri Arjuna Award |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1958-1968 |
| Rank | Major |
| Service number | IC-11112[1] |
| Battles / wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |
Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia (6 November 1936 – 14 January 2022) was an Indian mountaineer, author, social worker andIndian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) officer.[2] During his career he made contributions in the fields of adventure, sports, environment, disability and social work.[3][4] He is one of six Indian men and the twenty first man in the world to climbMount Everest. On 29 May 1965, 12 years to the day from the first ascent ofMount Everest, he made the summit with the fourth and final successful attempt of the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition along withH. C. S. Rawat andPhu Dorjee Sherpa. This was the first time three climbers stood on the summit together.
Following his advanced training at theHimalayan Mountaineering Institute,Darjeeling, he climbed extensively inSikkim, Nepal. The 1965 Indian Army expedition was the first successfulIndian Expedition to Everest which put 9 mountaineers on top, a record which lasted 17 years, and was led byCaptain M S Kohli. He along withAvtar Singh Cheema,Nawang Gombu Sherpa,Sonam Gyatso,Sonam Wangyal,Chandra Prakash Vohra,Ang Kami Sherpa,Harish Chandra Singh Rawat andPhu Dorjee Sherpa summited the peak in 1965 and became the first Indians to successfully climb Mount Everest.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] During theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965, he suffered a bullet injury to his spine which resulted in his confinement to a wheelchair. He was the Chairman of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. He has written thirteen books and has also produced a serial,Beyond Himalaya, which has been telecast all over the world on Discovery and National Geographic channels.[12]
Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia was born on 6 November 1936 and brought up inShimla along with his two sisters and two younger brothers. His father was employed as a Civil Engineer in the IndianCentral Public Works Department.
For his academic career he went toSt Joseph's Academy, Dehradun andSt. George's College, Mussoorie. There, he discovered his interest in photography and rock climbing. Along with graduation, his interest in rock-climbing increased. Some of the places where Ahluwalia did his rock climbing areGarhwal,Sikkim,Nepal,Ladakh, and of course Mount Everest. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Mechanical engineering from theCollege of Military Engineering, Pune in 1964.[2]
After his graduation Ahluwalia joined the Indian Army as an officer, receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Electrical-Mechanical Engineering branch on 14 December 1958.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant on 14 December 1960 and to captain on 14 December 1964.[13][14] Seeing action during the 1965 war with Pakistan, he was wounded by a bullet in his spine, which left him confined to a wheelchair. He received an early discharge from the Army on 8 January 1968,[15] with the honorary rank of major.[16]
After treatment atStoke Mandeville Hospital in England, he continued to pursue his love of adventure by organising pioneering events such as the first Ski Expedition toMount Trisul, the first Trans-Himalaya Motor Expedition (1983),[citation needed] and the Central Asia Cultural Expedition (1994)[citation needed] following the Silk &Marco Polo's Route throughUzbekistan,Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan, entering China in the Asian City ofKashgar, Yarkhand and returned via Tibet andKathmandu.
Ahluwalia has also been the President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and Delhi Mountaineering Association. He was also the Chairman of Special Ability Trust (created to assist young achievers with disabilities with fellowships and scholarships), Youth Exploring Society (with its chapters in Ireland, West Germany and Italy), Rehabilitation Council of India (a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment), Chairman of Planning Committee of Persons with Disability of 12-year plan and Chairman of the Committee of Drafting Country Report.
Realizing the needs of persons withspinal injuries, Ahluwalia, with the support of his friends, set up the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) inVasant Kunj, New Delhi, India in 1993. He also served as anIOFS officer. His experiences have appeared in school books such as in theNCERT Class 8Englishtextbook. He met many great achievers such asIndira Gandhi,APJ Abdul Kalam et cetera.
MajorHari Pal Singh Ahluwalia died in Delhi on 14 January 2022, at the age of 85.[17][12]
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| Padma Bhushan | Padma Shri | Wound Medal | |
| Samanya Seva Medal | Samar Seva Star | Raksha Medal | 9 Years Long Service Medal |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
