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Sonam Gyatso (mountaineer)

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Not to be confused with the Sikkimese politician, Sonam Gyatso Lepcha.

Sonam Gyatso
Everest Expedition 1965 stamp of India
Born1923
Kewzing, Kingdom of Sikkim
Died22 April 1968 (aged 44–45)
New Delhi, India
OccupationMountaineer
Years active1946–1968
Known forEverest summiting
SpouseKunzang Choden
Children5
AwardsPadma Bhushan
Padma Shri
Arjuna Award
Indian Mountaineering Foundation Gold Medal
Pema Dorji Award
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
1965 Indian stamp dedicated to the 1965 Everest Expedition

Sonam Gyatso (1923–1968) was an Indian mountaineer.[1] 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.[2][3] 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.[4][5][6][7][8][9] 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.[10] The Government of India awarded him the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1965, for his contributions to the sport of mountaineering.[11][12]

Biography

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Born in 1923 at Kewzing, a south Sikkimese village at the foot of Kangchenjunga in Northeast India, Sonam Gyatso started his career in 1946 as a school teacher at Lachung, in the northern part of the state.[13] After three years of service, he joined the Frontier Constabulary Force of the Indian Air Force as a head constable in 1949 which gave him the opportunity to attend a basic mountaineering course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling in 1954.[10] His first chance at mountaineering came in 1957 when he was selected for the Nanda Devi expedition, but the attempt was unsuccessful. However, he completed his first successful expedition when he scaled the 26,897 ft Cho Oyu peak in 1958, as a member of an all-Indian expedition, the first time an Indian team climbed a peak of that height.[13]

Gyatso followed his Cho Oyu success with several successful climbs such as Annapurna III in 1961, Kanchengyao in 1961,[14] Hathi Parbat in 1963, Rathong peak and Langpo Chung in 1964.[10] In between, he attempted Mount Everest twice, in 1960 and 1962, but could not scale the peak on both attempts, though he reached up to 700 ft and 400 ft to the summit.[13] Subsequently, he attempted Everest through the S Col-SE Ridge route and on 22 May 1965,[15] he reached the summit at the age of 42 as a member of the first all-Indian Everest expedition,[16] thus becoming the first person from Sikkim and the oldest person among all mountaineers to summit the peak.[17] He spent 50 minutes at the top without oxygen supply which was then a world record.[10] His record stood for over 13 years till Pierre Mazeaud summitted the peak on 15 October 1978 at the age of 49.[18] The attempt also set another world record for the highest number of successful climbers in a single expedition; the team strength of nine members broke the record set earlier by an American expedition of six members.[19] India Posts issued a postage stamp in commemoration of the achievement.[20] Later, he also scaled the Siniolchu peak.[21]

Gyatso was married to Kunzang Choden and the couple had five children.[10] Gyatso was serving as the founder principal of Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute (SGMI) when he died on 22 April 1968 at a hospital in New Delhi, at the age of 45, succumbing to frost bite suffered during one of his trials.[13][22]

Awards and honors

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After two successful expeditions and before his second failed attempt on Everest, the Government of India awarded Gaytso the honor of the Padma Shri in 1962.[12] The government followed it up with the higher award of the Padma Bhushan in January 1965, four months before his successful Everest climb in May. The Government of Sikkim honored him with one of their highest civilian awards, the Pema Dorji Decoration the same year; and he received one more honor, the Arjuna Award from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the second highest Indian sports award.[23][24] He also received the Gold Medal from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), in 1960 after his first attempt on Everest.[13] The Old Tibet Road in Gangtok has since been renamed as Sonam Gyatso Marg in his honor.[25] The mountaineering institute in Rathong, Sikkim where he served as the founder principal, is now known as Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute since 1968.[26]

Notable expeditions

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Peak Height Year Result Additional info
Nanda Devi
25,643 ft
1957
 failed first mountaineering attempt
Cho Oyu
26,906 ft
1958
 successful first successful climb
Everest
29,029 ft
1960
 failed reached up to 700 mt to the summit
Annapurna III
24,787 ft
1961
 successful highest climb by an Indian expedition till then
Kanchengyao
22,603 ft
1961
 successful leader of the expedition
Everest
29,029 ft
1962
 failed reached up to 400 mt to the summit
Hathi Parbat
22,070 ft
1963
 successful leader of the expedition
Langpo Chung
21,850 ft
1964
 successful leader of the expedition
Rathong
21,911 ft
1965
 successful pre-Everest trial
Everest
29,029 ft
1965
 successful oldest person to summit the peak
Siniolchu
22,598 ft
 successful

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pete Takeda (25 November 2013). An Eye at the Top of the World. Basic Books. pp. 268–. ISBN 978-0-7867-3287-6. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Sonam Gyatso -". www.everesthistory.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  3. ^ "SGMI turns 50, celebrates smart bouquet of achievements". Sikkim Now. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  4. ^ "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.istampgallery.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  5. ^ "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.thebetterindia.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  6. ^ "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ Kohli, M. S. (December 2000). Nine Atop Everest-First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-. ISBN 9788173871115. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  8. ^ "The first Indians on Everest-First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.livemint.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  9. ^ "The first Indians on Everest-First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". www.himalayanclub.org. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Sonam Gyatso - Everest History.com". Everest History.com. 2016. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Padma Bhushan for The first Indians on Everest on 1965-". www.dashboard-padmaawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Padma Bhushan Sonam Gyatso". Government of Sikkim. 2016. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  14. ^ Sonam Gyatso (1961). "Expedition to Kangchen Jau". The Himalayan Journal. 23. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  15. ^ "List of successful climbers". Everest Summiteers Association. 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Salute to first boots nation put on Everest". The Telegraph. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  17. ^ M.S. Kohli (1 December 2000). Nine Atop Everest: Spectacular Indian Ascent. Indus Publishing. pp. 18–. ISBN 978-81-7387-111-5. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Everest and age". Adventure Stats. 2016. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ "Did you know that 50 Years ago 9 Indians Held a Record for Climbing Mount Everest?". Better India. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  20. ^ "Postage Stamps". Web portal. Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  21. ^ "Mountaineering". Sikkim Travel. 2016. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  22. ^ "Everest Hero Gyatso Dead". The Indian Express. 23 April 1968. p. 1. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Arjuna Award for The first Indians on Everest on 1965-". www.sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Team spirit at its peak for Arjuna". The Telegraph. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  25. ^ "Sonam Gyatso Marg". Travel Guru. 2016. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  26. ^ "Mountaineering Information of Sikkim". Tour Sikkim. 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
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Further reading

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