Role of The Doon School in Indian mountaineering

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The role of The Doon School in Indian mountaineering describes the formative links between

Nandu Jayal, were among the first to go on major Himalayan expeditions in a newly independent nation.[3] These early expeditions contributed towards laying the foundation of mountaineering in an independent India.[4][5]

History

Doon's founding

Indian Express, the Indian mountaineer, author and editor of Himalayan Journal, Harish Kapadia stated, "There were very few Indians in the club initially [the Himalayan Club]. In 1947, when the British left, people thought that mountaineering and the club will not hold up in India. Then in 1951, a Doon School teacher, Gurdial Singh, and few others went on a trek to the Trisul peak in the Kumaon region. That’s how Indian mountaineering took off."[10]

2012 Mont Blanc expedition

Western Garhwal

Kapadia describes in his book, Across Peaks & Passes in Garhwal Himalaya, how Doon's masters and pupils first explored the Western Garhwal region, which comprises peaks like Bandarpunch and Kalanag.[11] In Tourism in Garhwal Himalaya, mountaineer Harshwanti Bisht further discusses the school's early expeditions to Badrinath, Kamet and Jaonli.[12]

Present day

Doon's students and faculty continue the mountaineering tradition in the form of 'midterms', established by the British masters. Midway through each term, students go on treks in the Himalayas or abroad.

Mount Everest base camp, Mount Kilimanjaro.[citation needed
]

Major expeditions

The 1984 expedition to Kalanag or Black Peak (6387m)
  • 1946, 1950 – Bandarpunch (6316m). (In 1937, Gibson and Martyn climbed Bandarpunch along with Tenzing Norgay. Later, in his autobiography, Norgay would refer to Bandarpunch as the "Doon School mountain".)[15]
  • 1951 – Trisul (7120m) (First Indian expedition, led by the Doon master, Gurdial Singh)[16]
  • 1952 – Kamet (7756m) [17]
  • 1953, 1955 – Abi Gamin (7355m) [17]
  • 1955 - Kalanag (6387m) or 'Black Peak'. First ascent by Gibson and Doon's pupils.[11][18]
  • 1958 - Mrigthuni (6855m). First ascent by a team led by Gurdial Singh; Aamir Ali, another Doon master, was a member of the expedition.[19]
  • 1961 – Devistan I (6678m) Members included Gurdial Singh, Hari Dang, Suman Dubey [20]
  • 1961 – Nanda Devi (7816m, summit not reached). Members included masters Gurdial Singh, Hari Dang and former pupil Suman Dubey [21][22]
  • 1965 – Kalanag (6387m)[23]
  • 1965 - Jaonli (6632m), expedition led by Hari Dang[24]
  • 1984 - Kalanag (6387m) or 'Black Peak'
  • 1996 - Kedar Dome (6832m), student expedition led by master S.C. Biala[25]

References

  1. ISBN 9788173871351
    . p.290, Much of the credit for early interest in mountaineering among Indians goes to the Doon School, largely because of some distinguished British mountaineers on its staff like J.A.K. Martyn, J.T.M. Gibson, R.L. Holdsworth...In 1951, Gurdial Singh of the Doon School climbed the 7,120 metres high Trisul. This was the first Indian summit.
  2. ^ vdt15 (24 February 2002). "Climb every mountain". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 September 2002. Retrieved 19 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ISBN 9789350099698
    . Jack Gibson began introducing schoolboys to the mountains... The School began to 'create' mountaineers
  4. ^ Anderson, Richard (2001). "Climbing with Doon School" (PDF). Alpine Journal. London.
  5. ^ Gibson, Jack (1964). "Twenty-Five Years of Schoolboy Expeditions in the Himalayas" (PDF). Alpine Journal. London.
  6. ISBN 9789350097373
    . The school's position at the foothills of the Himalayas helped it attract some of the country's best mountaineers to its faculty. Doon's heroes...were men like Gurdial Singh and R.L. Holdsworth, both magnificent mountaineers who took every advantage of the school's location...Singh was part of that maiden [Everest] ascent.
  7. ^ "50 years later, it's happily Everest after | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  8. ^ Rudraneil Sengupta (30 May 2013). "Vertical limit". Livemint.com. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  9. ^ Katherine Indermaur (13 September 2018). "An interview with Suman Dubey about his memories of the 1961 Indian expedition to Nanda Devi". Alpinist.com. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Mountain Man: Author Harish Kapadia on his adventures in the Himalayas". Indianexpress.com. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  11. ^
    ISBN 9788173870972
    . The area first came into prominence when the Doon School masters—R.L. Holdsworth, J.T.M. Gibson, J.A.K. Martyn and Gurdial Singh—used this area to offer climbing experience to their wards during summer holidays. In fact the first ascent of Bandarpunch was by Jack Gibson...Gibson and his boys also made the first ascent of Kalanag in 1955.
  12. ISBN 9788173870064
    . The credit of creating interest of mountaineering among Indians goes to the Doon School Dehradun. In 1942, Holdsworth took three teenagers to BAdrinath, Mana village and Arwa valley. In 1946 Nandu Jayal...attempted Bandarpunch. Due to bad weather, they had to abandon their attempt of Banderpunch, but climbed Hanuman. Real mountaineering started in India soon after the establishment of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute at Darjeeling in 1954. Nandu Jayal was the first principal and Tenzing was the first director of field training there.
  13. ^ vdt15 (24 February 2002). "Climb every mountain". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 September 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "India'S Old School Tie: Harrow By The Himalayas - The New York Times". The New York Times. 12 November 1985. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  15. ISBN 9781447400288
    . It was to Garhwal. Back to Bandar Punch, "the Doon School mountain," with my old friend Mr Gibson.
  16. ^ p.198, Anderson (2001)
  17. ^ a b Nalni D. Jayal. "Early Years of Indian Mountaineering : Himalayan Journal vol.62/16". Himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  18. ^ W. J. Powell. "KALANAG EAST FACE EXPEDITION, 1986 : Himalayan Journal vol.44/14". Himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  19. ^ "The HJ/21/9 MRIGTHUNI, 1958".
  20. ^ http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196227202/Asia-India-Attempt-on-Nanda-Devi-Ascent-of-Devistan-I-Maiktoli-and-Trisul-Garhwal
  21. ^ Katherine Indermaur. "An interview with Suman Dubey about his memories of the 1961 Indian expedition to Nanda Devi". Alpinist.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  22. ^ Hari Dang. "A SUMMER TRIP TO NANDA DEVI : Himalayan Journal vol.23/14". Himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Asia, India–Garhwal, Kala Nag – AAC Publications – Search The American Alpine Journal and Accidents". Publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  24. ^ Lt Col. D. K. Khullar (29 May 1977). "A HIMALAYAN ADVENTURE: JAONLI : Himalayan Journal vol.36/18". Himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  25. ^ "The Doon School on Kedar Dome".

Bibliography

External links
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