Climbing Mt. Everest is one of the herculean and dangerous missions in the world. The mountain was earlier referred to as ‘Peak 15’. The name was later changed to Mount Everest in 1856. It is the tallest mountain in the world with an altitude of 8,848 metres (29,028.87 ft). The mountain was named after Sir George Everest who is the British Surveyor General of India.
Only very few people have managed to see the scenic beauty of the world from the highest point of earth. Even after many attempts and failures, some mountaineers or adventurers didn’t give up. To be able to put in great efforts to climb the big mountain is such a great thing. You need to carry the tent, food, supplemental oxygen and climbing equipment for a successful expedition. Well, there were very few who climbed the highest range without supplemental oxygen.
When Colonel Avtar Singh Cheema reached the peak
Indian Army is widely respected. Of all their operations, climbing the Mt.Everest was the toughest experience. Despite harsh weather conditions, redundancy in oxygen, Indian Army decided to climb the mountain with grit and determination for the first time.
They gave absolutely everything to make it to the top but unfortunately, they could not succeed in accomplishing the mission in their first two attempts. It was only in the third attempt on May 20, 1965, Colonel Avtar Singh Cheema reached the summit of the mountain. He was the first Indian to bring pride to the nation by climbing the tallest mountain.
In what was the most successful expedition, Avtar Cheema along with 8 others were able to touch the peak. Avtar Singh Cheema led the team by example in the 7th Parachute regiment at that time. Later, he was promoted to colonel. Colonel Cheema was conferred with Arjuna Award and the highest civilian award, Padma Shri, for his achievements.
Due to geographical uplifts, Mt.Everest grows 4mm higher every year. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were first ones to climb Everest on May 29, 1953.
