Sonam Wangyal

Last updated

Sonam Wangyal
Born1942 (age 8182)
Ladakh, India
AllegianceIndia
Awards
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meets the members of Indian Everest Expedition 1965 on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of this on 20 May 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.jpg
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meets the members of Indian Everest Expedition 1965 on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of this on 20 May 2015
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meets the members of Indian Everest Expedition 1965 on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of this on 20 May 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 (2).jpg
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meets the members of Indian Everest Expedition 1965 on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of this on 20 May 2015
1965 Indian stamp dedicated to the 1965 Everest Expedition Everest Expedition 1965 stamp of India.jpg
1965 Indian stamp dedicated to the 1965 Everest Expedition

Sonam Wangyal (born 1942) is a former Indian paramilitary personnel and mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest in 1965 at the age 23, making him the youngest summiter. [1] [2] He was one of the nine summiters of the first successful Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed Mount Everest in May 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] He is the 3rd Indian man, and 18th man in world, to have climbed Mount Everest. On 22 May 1965, the first time that the oldest (Sonam Gyatso at age 42) and the youngest (Sonam Wangyal at age 23) climbed Everest together.

Contents

Currently, he is serving as a principal at Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute. [9]

Honors and awards

He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1965, [10] [11] followed by the Arjuna Award in 1965 and then Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2017 in lifetime achievement category. [12] He served as the Principal of the Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute in Gangtok (Sikkim) from 1976 to 1990. He retired as Assistant Director of the Intelligence Bureau in 1993, and now lives in Leh. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nawang Gombu Sherpa</span> India mountaineer

Nawang Gombu was a Sherpa mountaineer who was the first man in the world to have climbed Mount Everest twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. P. S. Ahluwalia</span> Indian mountaineer (1936–2022)

Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia was an Indian mountaineer, author, social worker and Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) officer. During his career he made contributions in the fields of adventure, sports, environment, disability and social work. He is one of six Indian men and the twenty first man in the world to climb Mount Everest. On 29 May 1965, 12 years to the day from the first ascent of Mount Everest, he made the summit with the fourth and final successful attempt of the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition along with H. C. S. Rawat and Phu Dorjee Sherpa. This was the first time three climbers stood on the summit together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohan Singh Kohli</span> Indian mountaineer

Captain Mohan Singh Kohli, is an Indian Navy officer and mountaineer, who led the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition, which saw nine men reach the summit of Everest, a world record for 17 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harish Chandra Singh Rawat</span> Indian mountaineer

Harish Chandra Singh Rawat was a mountaineer who climbed the Mt. Everest in 1965. He was one of the 9 summiters of the first successful Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed Mount Everest in May 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli. He is the 7th Indian man and 22nd man in world that climbed Mount Everest. On 24 May 1965 Vohra and Ang Kami Sherpa together reached the top of Mount Everest. On 29 May, 12 years to the day from the first ascent of Mount Everest the fourth and last summit team with Major H. P. S. Ahluwalia and Phu Dorjee Sherpa, Rawat reached on the summit. This was the first time three climbers stood on the summit together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avtar Singh Cheema</span> Indian alpinist (1933-1989)

Avtar Singh Cheema (1933–1989) was the first Indian man and the 16th person in world to climb Mount Everest. Along with 8 others he was a part of the third mission undertaken by the Indian Army, in 1965, to climb Mount Everest after two failed attempts. The Indian Everest Expedition 1965 put 9 mountaineers on the summit on 20 May, a record that lasted 17 years, and was led by Captain M S Kohli. Cheema's fellow summiters were Nawang Gombu, Sonam Gyatso, Sonam Wangyal, Chandra Prakash Vohra, Ang Kami, H. P. S. Ahluwalia, Harish Chandra Singh Rawat and Phu Dorjee. He was a captain in the 7th Battalion, The Parachute regiment at that time. Later he was promoted to colonel and commanded his battalion. He is also founder of Guru Harkrishan Public School in Sri Ganganagar District, Rajasthan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)</span> Indian mountaineer (1924–2023)

Gurdial Singh was an Indian schoolteacher and mountaineer who led the first mountaineering expedition of independent India to Trisul in 1951. In 1958, he led the team that made the first ascent of Mrigthuni . In 1965, he was a member of the first successful Indian expedition team to climb Mount Everest.

Colonel Narendra Kumar, PVSM, KC, AVSM, FRGS was an Indian soldier and mountaineer. He is known for his expeditions across various mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and Karakorams, and respective subranges such as the Pir Panjals and Saltoro Mountains. His reconnaissance efforts on the Siachen glacier were key to the Indian Army's reclamation of the forward posts of the glacier in Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the deputy leader of the first successful Indian Mount Everest expedition in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountaineering in India</span>

Mountaineering is quite popular in India, since the entire northern and north-eastern borders are the Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world. The apex body in India is the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, which is affiliated to the International Federation of Sport Climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandra Prakash Vohra</span> Indian geologist and mountaineer

Chandra Prakash Vohra is an Indian geologist, glaciologist and mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, in 1965. He was one of the 9 summiters of the first successful Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed Mount Everest in May 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli.On 24 May th 1965 Vohra and Ang Kami Sherpa together reached the top of Mount Everest,. He was the first Indian civilian to scale the peak a feat he accomplished on 24 May 1965. A winner of the Arjuna Award (1965), and the National Mineral Award, Vohra was honoured by the Government of India in 1965, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award,. He is the 4th Indian man and 19th man in world that climbed Mount Everest.

Darshan Kumar Khullar is an Indian mountaineer, writer and a former Brigadier of the Indian Army. He led the Everest expedition which included Bachendri Pal and Phu Dorjee that summitted the peak in May 1984. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonam Gyatso (mountaineer)</span> Mountaineer

Sonam Gyatso (1923–1968) was an Indian mountaineer. He was the 2nd Indian man, the 17th man in world and first person from Sikkim to summit Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. He was one of the nine summiters of the first successful Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed Mount Everest in May 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli. The first time that the oldest man at the time, Sonam Gyatso at age 42, and the youngest man Sonam Wangyal at age 23, climbed Everest together on 22 May 1965. He became the oldest person to scale the peak in 1965 and when he spent 50 minutes at the peak, he set a world record for spending the longest time at the highest point on Earth. The Government of India awarded him the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1965, for his contributions to the sport of mountaineering.

Ang Tshering was a sherpa known for his participation in the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition and the 1934 Nanga Parbat climbing disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 Indian Everest Expedition</span> First successful Indian summit of Mount Everest

The 1965 Indian Everest Expedition reached the summit of Mount Everest on 20 May 1965. It was the first successful scaling of the mountain by an Indian climbing expedition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phu Dorjee Sherpa</span> Nepalese summiter of Mount Everest

Phu Dorjee Sherpa was the first Nepali man and 23rd person in the world to climb Mount Everest. He was a member of the third Indian Everest Expedition 1965, led by Captain M S Kohli, which was the first successful Indian Everest Expedition. The group consisted of 21 major expedition members and 50 Sherpas. The initial attempt was at the end of April, when they returned to base camp due to bad weather and waited 2 weeks for better weather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ang Kami Sherpa</span> Indian mountaineer

Ang Kami Sherpa was the member of the third Indian Everest expedition, led by Captain M S Kohliin 1965 which was first Indian successful Everest Expedition climbed Mount Everest, consisted of 21 major expedition members and 50 Sherpas. The initial attempt was at the end of April 1965, when they returned to base camp due to bad weather and waited 2 weeks for better weather. Together with C. P. Vohra Ang Kami reached on the summit on 24 May 1965. He is the 5th Indian and 20th person in the world to have climbed Mount Everest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Balakrishnan (mountaineer)</span> Indian mountaineer

C. Balakrishnan was an Indian Keralite mountaineer who was the member of the third Indian Everest expedition, led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli in 1965 which was the first Indian successful Everest Expedition scaled the Mount Everest, consisted of 21 major expedition members and 50 Sherpas. He was the part of the first two Mount Everest expeditions by the Indian Army 1960 and 1962 was a wireless operator. In addition to mountain climbing, he won medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 1950 National Meet. In 1951, he finished fourth in the 400 m race at the first Asian Games held in Delhi. He played twice for Services in the Ranji Trophy first-class cricket championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award</span> Indian adventure sports award

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, formerly known as the National Adventure Awards is the highest adventure sports honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Tenzing Norgay, one of the first two individuals to reach the summit of Mount Everest along with Edmund Hillary in 1953. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The recipients are honoured for their "outstanding achievement in the field of adventure activities on land, sea and air" over the last three years. The lifetime achievement is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence and have devoted themselves in the promotion of adventure sports. As of 2020, the award comprises "a bronze statuette of Tenzing Norgay along with a cash prize of 15 lakh (US$18,000)."

Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute (SGMI) is a paramilitary mountaineering school, located in Gangtok, India.

References

  1. "Sonam Wangyal -". www.everesthistory.com.
  2. M.S. Kohli (2000). Nine Atop Everest: Spectacular Indian Ascent. Indus Publishing. pp. 228–. ISBN   978-81-7387-111-5.
  3. "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.istampgallery.com.
  4. "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.thebetterindia.com.
  5. "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.youtube.com.
  6. Kohli, M. S. (December 2000). Nine Atop Everest-First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-. ISBN   9788173871115.
  7. "The first Indians on Everest-First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.livemint.com.
  8. "The first Indians on Everest-First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.himalayanclub.org.
  9. "Sonam Wangyal: From Surviving a Chinese Ambush to Standing on Mt. Everest". The Wire. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  10. "Padma Shree for The first Indians on Everest on 1965-". www.dashboard-padmaawards.gov.in.
  11. "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs.
  12. "Arjuna Award for The first Indians on Everest on 1965-". www.sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in.
  13. M.P. Nathanael (7 July 2002). "He has lived a hero's life". The Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2014.

See also