Avtar Singh Cheema was an Indian mountaineer and Indian Army officer, best known as the first Indian to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He achieved the feat as a member of the successful 1965 Indian Mount Everest Expedition led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli, becoming part of a small group of climbers who placed India among the early nations to summit the world's highest peak.
Key Facts
| Name | Avtar Singh Cheema |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Profession | Mountaineer; Indian Army officer |
| Known for | First Indian to summit Mount Everest (1965) |
| Expedition | Indian Mount Everest Expedition, 1965 |
| Expedition leader | Captain M. S. Kohli |
Background
Cheema served in the Indian Army and was associated with mountaineering training establishments that produced several of India's prominent Himalayan climbers in the 1960s. He was selected for the national Everest team on the basis of his climbing record on high-altitude peaks in the Himalaya.
1965 Indian Everest Expedition
The 1965 Indian expedition to Mount Everest was organised under the auspices of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and led by Lt Cdr (later Captain) M. S. Kohli. The expedition followed the South Col route from Nepal, the same line pioneered by the 1953 British expedition.
On 20 May 1965, Avtar Singh Cheema and Sherpa Nawang Gombu reached the summit of Mount Everest, making Cheema the first Indian and Gombu the first person to climb Everest twice. The expedition went on to put a total of nine climbers on the summit across multiple summit days, a record that stood for several years.
Significance
Cheema's ascent was a landmark in the history of Indian mountaineering. It came after two earlier unsuccessful Indian attempts on Everest in 1960 and 1962, and it established India as a serious presence in Himalayan high-altitude climbing. The 1965 success encouraged the further institutional growth of mountaineering in India through bodies such as the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi.
Honours
For his role in the 1965 expedition, Cheema was conferred the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, along with other members of the summit team.
Related topics
- Mount Everest
- 1965 Indian Mount Everest Expedition
- Mohan Singh Kohli
- Nawang Gombu
- Indian Mountaineering Foundation
- Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
- Padma Shri
References
- Wikidata entity: Q4829540
- M. S. Kohli, Nine Atop Everest: Story of the Indian Ascent.