ASIAN ALPINE E-NEWS
Issue No 67. May 2020

From July 31st to August 8th, 2019, Graham Zimmerman, Steve Swenson, Chris
Wright and Mark Richey made the first ascent of Link Sar (7,041 meters) in theCentral Pakistani Karakoram via its 3,400-meter Southeast Face. Having been
the object of at least nine expeditions, the first ascent of this peak has been ahighly sought-after prize for the climbing
community.

C0NTENTS
The Himalayan Club E-Letter, Volume 39, May 2020
edited by Nilay Chakraborty.

1Page 2 ~43

THE HIMALAYAN CLUB E-LETTER
Volume 39  May 2020

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Contents Volume 39, May 2020
ANNUAL PROGRAMME.............................................................. 3
IN MEMORIAM
Joe Brown................................................................................................. 7
Magan Bissa........................................................................................... 11
Nalni Dhar Jayal...................................................................................... 13
Meher H Mehta....................................................................................... 15
Trevor Braham......................................................................................... 18

CLIMBS, TREKS AND EXPLORATIONSIMF Trishul Expedition 2019................................................................... 19
First Ascent of Link Sar.......................................................................... 26

ARTICLES
2019 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition Winner - Matagi......... 28
Pahari Wilson’s Palatial Cottage............................................................. 31

NEWS AND PERSONALITIES
Motup Chewang Goba........................................................................... 36
Tanil Kilachand........................................................................................ 37
Talk at Fort William, Kolkata................................................................... 37
Himachal’s Dhauladhar mountain ranges from Jalandhar.................... 39
Brit scales ‘indoor Everest’ - with help from frozen peas...................... 39

CLUB NEWS
Arun Samant Memorial Lecture Series 2020......................................... 40
Front Cover: Enroute summit of Trishul 1

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Annual Programme 2020
Wing Commander Sudhir Kutty
Hon Secretary, The Himalayan ClubThe Himalayan Club held its Annual Programme on 15 and 16 February
2020. On 15 Feb 2020 the Annual General Meeting of the Club washeld at SRCC Centre for Child Development where the General Body
confirmed the appointment of Motup Chewang as the new President of
The Himalayan Club.
As a curtain raiser to the Annual Programme, after the meeting we had
a panel discussion on the subject: “Not Only Everest - Safety in the
Mountains”. The session was moderated by Joanna Croston - climber, skier
and the Programme Director at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
The panelists included Col R S Jamwal, an accomplished mountaineer
from the Indian Army; - Steve Long, Chairman of the UIAA Training
Standards Panel; Motup Chewang the new President of The Himalayan
Club and owner of Rimo Expeditions; and mountaineer Sharad Kulkarni
who while summiting Everest in 2019, suffered a tragic loss, when his
wife lost her life on her return from the summit. The panelists and theaudience had a lively interaction on issues such as overcrowding in themountains, probable causes for climbing accidents, safety concerns andthe options for sustainable mountaineering.

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On 16 Feb 2020, the daylong Annual Programme wasinaugurated at Swatantryaveer
Savarkar Auditorium, Dadar by
Chief Guest Brigadier Ashok Abbey
AVSM, who is the current Presidentof the Indian Mountaineering
Foundation
(IMF)
and
past
President of The Himalayan Club.
In his welcome address, Motup
Chewang presented his vision for
the Club. Brig Abbey reiterated theneed for synergy between IMF and
The Himalayan Club to take up
meaningful initiatives to promotesustainable mountaineering.
This was followed by the Kaivan Memorial Lecture by Joanna Croston.
Joanna gave an insight to the audience about her life in the mountains
and the history of the iconic Banff centre in Alberta Canada.
Joanna’s talk was followedby Steve Long’s talk titled “A
mountaineering trainer’s journey
towards enlightenment”. Stevestarted with his youthful quests foradventure and then moved on to
discuss his quest for meaning andvocation, and finally capitalizingon the opportunity to act as
an ambassador for adventure
training and sustainable mountainleadership.
Steve’s talk was followed by
the Jagdish Nanavati awards
ceremony.
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The next session was the Kekoo
Naoroji Book Award. Deborah
Baker, the recipient of the award
spoke on what motivated her towork on this book. The concluding
session was an entertaining
account of a lifetime of travels by
Mandip Singh Soin.

The Himalayan Club Awards
Kekoo Naoroji Book Award for Himalayan Literature
Deborah Baker received the 2020 Kekoo Naoroji Book award for her
book “The Last Englishmen: Love, War and End of Empire”. The Jury for
the Award were Stephen Goodwin, Rama Goyal and Nandini Purandare.
The Award was presented by Pheroza Godrej and Rishad Naoroji.

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Jagdish Nanavati Award for Excellence inMountaineering 2020
The Jury for the Award comprising of Chairperson Lindsay Griffin, Akhil
Bakshi and Anindya Mukherjee did not recommend any expedition for
the Award as none of the entries met the standards of excellence in
exploration and style.

Jagdish Nanavati Garud Medal
The Garud Medal was presented to Nim Dorjee Sherpa from Darjeeling,for his service to the mountaineering community since 2005. The Citation
for the Award is as follows:“The Garud Medal is awarded to
Nim Dorjee Sherpa for exemplary
service to mountaineers over thelast 15 years. He has assisted
Indian Navy, ITBP, Police and civilian
teams on Everest Expeditions inaddition to several international
Korean, Nepalese, Russian andChinese teams in his formidable
list of 15 Everest expeditionsin this span of climbing.
He
also assisted the International
climbing team to Mt Dhaulagiri(7500 m) in 2018. He has summited
Everest eight times which includes ascents from the North, South & SouthWest Face. He has also summited Mt Manaslu (8156 m). He was alsopart of the World’s Highest Rescue Team on Everest during the tragedy
of 2016.
Nim Dorjee is a strong mountaineer and a humble and diligent humanbeing. His climbing prowess, professionalism and wonderful attitude
during each expedition have brought success to his companions andclients alike.
The Himalayan Club is proud to honour Nim Dorjee Sherpa”
Picture Credits: Alka Kedia
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In Memoriam
Joe Brown, British Climbing Colossus(1930-2020)
Alison Osius
In 1964, at Curbar Edge on the gritstone of Derbyshire, Geoff Birtles started
up the striking Elder Crack, which at mid-height widened to offwidth—just before a roof. He was forthwith so exhausted that he “slithered,” ashe put it, back down the crack to the ground.
Joe Brown had established the route in 1950, protected only by slung
machine nuts.
As Birtles wrote in Hard Rock, a book that inspired a generation, he later
asked Brown, of the route:“You did it, didn’t you?”“Yeh!”“Who did it with you?”“Can’t remember!”“It says in the old pink guide that it was VS” [5.7-5.8].
“Well, it is, isn’t it?”
Elder Crack was later boosted up beyond Very Severe (VS) and beyond
Hard Very Severe (HVS) to Extremely Severe 5c, or 5.10+.
As Birtles, longtime editor of the great British climbing
magazine High, informed Joe Brown “died peacefully at his home in
Llanberis” on April 15. “He was arguably the greatest ever all-roundclimber,” Birtles wrote. “His new rock climbs in Britain commencing in
the late 1940s were the hardest in the world.”
Brown was 89 and had been ill.
Birtles also listed the Fissure Brown on the West Face of the Aiguille deBlatiere, Chamonix Mont Blanc, done in 1954 with Brown’s many-year
partner Don Whillans, as “possibly the hardest single mountain pitch
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climbed to that date,” while Brown and George Band’s first ascent of
Kangchenjunga (8586 m), in 1955, “was a great high-altitude achievement,along with other Himalayan climbs, such as the first ascent of Trango.”
Brown’s career had incredible breadth: Trango, done with Martin Boysen,
Mo Anthoine and Malcolm Howells, was in 1976. He, Tom Patey, Ian
McNaught-Davis and John Hartog had made the first ascent of the west
summit of Muztagh Tower (7276 meters), in 1956—20 years earlier.
Joe Simpson (UK) recalls: “Joe Brown was an amazing man, surprisingly
quiet, shy even, but a gentle man for all his renowned hardness. He wasprobably my first British rock and mountaineering hero along with Don
Whillans. Chris Bonington, Doug Scott and Dougal Haston were also in
the loop but Joe and Don were at the very top. At the time, 1940’s to50’s, his UK rock routes ranked as some of the hardest in the world andall were climbed with what today would be regarded as woefully basic
equipment.
Brown had physical abilities on rock unlike those any of his peers had seen,such that he was revered nearly from the start. The great Scottish climber
Tom Patey, in his classic and comedic One Man’s Mountains, publisheda ballad about Brown. The refrain
went:“We’ve sung it once/ We’ll sing it
twice / He’s the hardest man in the
Rock and Ice / He’s marvelous—
he’s fabulous / He’s a wonder man
is Joe.”In car parks years earlier or in his
home, he was quiet, courteousand rather wide-eyed, almost
innocent, with an occasional slow
but big smile. I’d been told by
one of his friends, Dave Alcock,chief instructor at the nearby
Joe Brown at the great sea cliffs Gogarth,
North Wales. Photo John Cleare.
Plas y Brenin mountain center, that8

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Brown was sometimes given to exaggeration, and when questioned,
would insist, “No, honestly!”
Born in 1930, Joe was one of seven children in a family in Manchester.
His father died when he was an infant, and his mother took in washingand later cleaned houses, eschewing the dole. Brown left school at 14
and started climbing at 16. He was a plumber and builder by trade, andput in a stint in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. It was upon completionof that duty that he truly exploded on the rock, scooping the best lines
in his region. He was inventive, too, taking nuts found on railroad tracks,
threading them with sling, and placing them in the rock for pro—thefirst to do so. He and his friends—Whillans and their compatriots in the
Manchester-based Rock and Ice club—climbed 5.10 and protected it(or ran it out) with pitons, slings over flakes and spikes, and threaded
pebbles. Joe would tuck small stones into his balaclava and take themout to place and sling as chockstones.
Possibly his greatest route was Cenotaph Corner (5.10+), 1952, on which
his first attempt, at age 18 in 1948, ended when at 90 feet he dropped
his piton hammer (actually a mason’s hammer) and flattened his belayer;
Joe had to hasten down the rope hand over hand to check the damage.
The area is rife with Joe Brown routes, and when I lived there, and I am
sure even now, if you were deciding what route to do and someone said,“Well, it’s a Joe Brown route,” that was enough.
As John Cleare says: “It’s the end of an era.
Reproduced from Rock and Ice, abridged, with kind permission fromthe author. Full version available at :https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/joe-brown-british-climbingcolossus-dead-at-89/?cn-reloaded=1
Photograph in the article reproduced with kind permission from John
Cleare.

Editors Note: with kind permission from © Royal GeographicalSociety (with IBG) adding these three photographs of Joe Brown
from the 1955 Kangchenjunga Expedition.
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George Band (left) and Joe Brown (right)
Possibly taken by John Jackson, Kangchenjunga Expedition 1955.
Image courtesy:© Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

Joe Brown climbing

Joe Brown on the summit

Taken by George Band, Kangchenjunga Expedition 1955. Image Courtesy:© Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).
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Magan Bissa(1954-2020)
Ramesh Sharma
India has lost one of its best climbers, Magan Bissa . I have losta good friend and a wonderful human. Apart from attempting
Everest thrice in 1984, 1985 and 2009. He was Director of National
Adventure Foundation (Rajasthan Chapter) and President of Rajasthan
Adventure Foundation, World renowned parasailing controller
Is gallantry awardee, has done his Masters in Commerce of Business
Administration from Univ. of Rajasthan, Jaipur, worked as Officer(Adventure Programmes) in TATA Steel, Jamshedpur.
He did his Basic Mountaineering course and Advanced Mountaineeringcourse from H.M.I. Darjeeling, and attended the IMF Advanced Climbing
Camp held at Goumukh.
He did his basic Snow-Skiing and Water Skiing course at IIS&M Gulmarg
in 1983. Learned Sky-Diving in 1982, from Indian Sky Diving Federation,
Agra.
He was appointed as Liaison Officer with Spanish, Japanese Expedition
to Mt. Bathartoli, Meru Mt. Chaturangi, and he was one of the members of
the Japanese Rescue
cum Search teamto Mt. Nandakhat
to search for seven
missing persons ofJapan.
From1979
to1986 he remainedCamp
Leader,Establishment Officer
and Joint Director of
National Himalayan
Trekking Programme.
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He lead the very First Expedition from Rajasthan, named as
Desert to Snow, to Mt. Gangotri II and Mt. Rudragara in 1981.
In 1982 he lead the team for Pre-Everest Expedition to Mt. Gangotri I.
He participated in the Indian Everest Expedition to Mt Everest, opened
the route to South Co1, reached South CoI thrice, reached upto 28,000
ft to support summit team in1984.
Lead Mt. Deo Tibba Expedition from Rajasthan in 1985.
Appointed Dy. Leader of Indo-Australian Expedition to Mt. Rimo
(Karakoram Range) and opened the tough technical route (max) in 1985.
Participated in Indo-British Army Mt. Saser Kangri Expedition (Karakoram
Range) in 1987 and climbed the mountain directly from the advancebase camp in a single 8 hour push with 6,000 Ft. lead.
Lead Tata’s Mt. ShriKailash Expedition in 1988. Explored as Climbing
Leader and Summiter Indo-Russian Mt. NandaDevi East Expedition in 1991.
He was hit by the avalanche during an expedition to Mount Everest,
organised by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 2009.Bissa wasaccompanied by wife Dr Sushma.Had they succeeded in scaling theworlds highest mountain,they would have been the first couple to do so.
Awards honored to Shri MaganBissa

1. SENA Medal by the President of India 1986
2. IMF Silver Medal 1985.
3. Rajasthan Meritorious Award 1987.
4. Rajasthan State JC’s outstanding young person award 1991.
5. IMF Gold Medal 1993.
6. Youth Hostel Assoociation Gold Medal 1995.
7. Maharana Pratap Sports award Rajasthan Government 1998.
8. Bharat Gaurav award at National Adventure FestivalChandigarh 2000
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Nalni Dhar Jayal(1927-2020)
Debabrata Mukherjee
An Officer and a Gentleman could be a cliche, but that’s what comesto my mind whenever I think about Nalni-ji. An IAF fighter Pilot in his
younger days Nalni Dhar Jayal was a good photographer too. And it
was him who took the first all around aerial photo of Mt. Everest on 6thof June, 1953.
“In fact the IAF’s team was requested by Royal Air force of UK to help
them carry the Expedition team’s luggage and take photographs. I was
appointed for taking the photographs at the last monwnt. We had the plan
to take the photos on 30th May”, his eyes were glistening while tellingme that story one afternoon at his residence. “But at the last moment wechanged our plan when we learnt that the summit team of the Everest
expedition will be attempting on those days. We thought that the soundof our aircraft might bring down the avalanches on those mountaineers.
So we finally took those on 6th June. Back in Delhi IAF got the printed
copies of those first aerial view of Mt. Everest and presented those to
the members of that expedition when they were in Delhi on the way backhome. All the members signed on those. And I got a copy of that too”.
He went upstairs to his bed-cum-study room and brought down that old
a little bigger than A4 size B&W photograph with signature of John Hunt,
Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay
and all other members of that 1953
First successful team on Everest.
I can’t tell my feelings now when
I got to touch that original photoand the original autographs of all
those Mountaineering legends.
And even more overwhelmed
when next morning we were in themarket and he went to a studio forsomething. And in the afternoon I
Image Courtesy: Mrs. Reiko Terasawa
got a copy of that photograph with13

THE HIMALAYAN CLUB E-LETTER VOLUME 39

the autographs on its side. I can always feel his voice ringing in myears whenever I look at that prized possession of mine gifted by thephotographer himself.
In 2009, Mrs. Reiko Terasawa my Japanese mountaineer sister asked
me to accompany her to Dehradun to visit Mr. Nalni Jayal on his 82ndbirthday. I felt so lucky and counted my days for that visit as I had always
wanted to meet the person who was instrumental for India’s Ministry ofEnvironment and forming of the Nandadevi Biosphere and sanctuary. He
came to Dehradun station and drove us by himself to his house in VasantBihar area with a fantastic view of the lush tea garden of Dehradun. What amagnificent place to live for a Nature Lover and environmentalist. I had thechance to spend 5 days with him. (And next 6 consecutive years for similar
periods). So about a full month of my life I had the luck to converse with him
Breakfast till dinner. I learnt so many things from him about Mountaineering,
Nature, Environment, Administration (He was the first DC of NEFA and laterof Kinnaur) and what not. A storehouse of knowledge Nalni-ji had a delicatesense of humour and respect for all. I am nowhere nearby to his astounding
stature yet he used to behave with me as equal. I felt elated when I visited
him 2014 and he congratulated me for crossing the Chaukhamba col andasked about the details of the route, environment, flora & fauna etc. He

Image Courtesy: Debabrata Mukherjee
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told me that, he studied on that expedition in IMF journal and was waiting
eagerly to get information from me. He was always very passionate about
the nature and environment. So many memories coming to my mind now.
He took me to Doon school where he was a student of the first batch withhis famous Mountaineer cousin Major Nandu Jayal and Amir Ali. He told
us about the first Indian Mountaineering expedition with Gudial Singh to
Trisul and his time with Doon school teacher Mr. Holdsworth (after whosename the Holdsworth col came into being). We used to go to Mussorie,
watched movies, had ice-creams together and enjoyed walking in front of
his house along the tea garden. It’s hurting to know that those moments
would never come back. I will remember you Nalni-ji as one of my Gurus
who was a friend too.
I know you are now in your dreamland where is no environmental pollution.
Oum Shanti.

Meher H Mehta, FRGS
(1930-2020)
Prabhat Ganguly
Meher was born in a Parsi family of Kolkata on 20th September, 1920.
After graduating from St. Xaviers College, Kolkata he joined Llyods Bank
which after merger with Grindlays Bank became ANZ Grindlays Bank
where he served continuously for few decades. He retired from the bankas a Director of Human Resources.
Inspired by Aspi D Moddie, one of the pillars of The Himalayan Club,
Meher became the member of the club in 1953. He served the club invarious capacities. Became Hon. Secretary in 1971 and Vice President in
1981-82. He played a great role in raising funds for the first ever Scientific
Expedition ‘Neora Valley Biosphere Reconnaissance’ in 1982 led by
Kamal K Guha.
In 2003 Meher Mehta became the Vice President for the second term
and continued for long 4 years till 2006-2007. During this period he took15

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challenge to rejuvenate the Kolkata
Section by introducing young
and enthusiastic members to theclub and started mountaineering
expedition from Kolkata Section.
Under the leadership of AVM(Retd) Apurva K Bhattacharyya
expeditions were organised toTinchenkang, Papsura, Kamet andNilkantha.
In 2003, under his Vice President
ship the 75 Years of the club wascelebrated at Kolkata for threedays where many distinguishedspeakers and guests participated.
Meher H Mehta (Photo Dr. Rupamanjari
Jagdish Nanavati and Harish
Biswas)
Kapadia came from Mumbai. An
exhibition of mountaineering books, equipments and other allied activities
was also organised.
Next year in 2004, Meher took initiative to start Pandit Sarat Chandra Das
Memorial Lecture. The first of such memorial lecture was delivered bynone other than Aspi Moddie, the past President of the club. The Kolkata
Section is still continuing this legacy and many notable speakers havedelivered the memorial lecture.
Meher Mehta also celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the first ascentof Kanchendzonga at Kolkata in a day long programme which wasattended by George Band,Norman Hardie and Antony Streather.The
programme was also attended by Col. Narendra Kumar, Dorjee Lhatoo,
Harish Kapadia and Dr. M.S. Gill.
He was also instrumental in bringing many notable mountaineers andscholars to Kolkata to meet the young mountaineers here and show
slides of their climbs and explorations. Thus, we were lucky to havespeakers like Tom Nakamura, George Rodway, Col. Ashok Abbey (now
Brig) and others.
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Meher was ailing for last few years and left suddenly in the morning of
27th February, 2020 leaving his wife, son, daughter and grandchildren.
He was 89.
At his sad demise, the members of The Himalayan Club lost an efficientorganiser and a good administrator. My heartfelt condolences to thebereaved members of the family.
From the Editor’s collection:

Mr. Mehta handing over the National and Club flag to the Neelkantha
expedition team.
Picture courtesy: Late Mr. Guenter Wehrmann-The then German Consulate
General in Kolkata and The Himalayan Club member.

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Trevor Braham(1922-2020)
Harish Kapadia
Mr Trevor Braham, Hon. Memberof The Himalayan Club, passed
away on 2 March 2020 peacefully
at Switzerland, aged 97 years. He
was born on 22 March 1922.
Mr Braham was a member of
the Club since 1946 and was
associated in many capacities:
Hon.
Secretary(1950-1955),
MemberoftheManaging
Committee (1956, 1967 to 1974),
Hon. Librarian (1957), Hon. Editorof the Himalayan Journal (1957
to 1959), Vice President (1958 to1965). The Club had elected him
as Honorary Member.
Trevor Braham (Photo Harish Kapadia)

He visited Mumbai for the 80thYear celebrations of the Club. I and all editors before me had manyexchanges of letters with him. It was an honour for me to meet him few
times at Switzerland, visit his home and interact with him at Mumbai.
He wrote two best selling books;Himalayan Odyssey and When the Alps
Cast Their Spell each a major reference on his Himalayan exploratorytreks and early climbs-explorations in the Alps, respectively
He was also Hon. Member of the Alpine Club (London) and honoured
by many other world organisations. Funeral will take place at Lausanne,
Switzerland.

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Climbs, Treks and Explorations
IMF Trishul Expedition 201928 August - 25 September 2019
Col Anil Goth (Retd)
As a prelude to the planned Everest Massif Expedition 2020, the IMF
decided to conduct a climbing cum selection Camp to Trishul Peak with
two aims.

One
To expose and train the participants on Trishul Peak to prepare them for
the Everest Massif Expedition.

Two
To attempt the Peak and select the team out of 53 participants who had
been selected for the second stage of the preparation after the screening
camps held at NIM, Uttarkashi and JIM, Pahalgam in June 2019.
The handpicked and strong team of 40 young boys and 13 girls’
representing 14 states/UTs from the country assembled at IMF over25th and 26th Aug. After collecting the expedition stores,followed by amotivation talkby President, IMF Col H S Chauhan, SM, VSM (Retd) and
Shri Prem Singh DIG, ITBP on 27 Aug, the team left for Dehradun on 28thmorning in two chartered buses. Anshu Jamsenpa, Iqbal Khan, Chander
Negi, all mountain instructors at JIM and self-made up the IMF reps
accompanying the expedition. We reached Ghat after dark trans-shippingfrom the buses to jeeps for the last 35 kms of road journey through Sitel,
eventually reaching Sutol village, the road head at around midnight after
a 15 hour long journey, to be received by the NIM Advance Party.
The team spent a day at Sutol (2200m) to give rest to our jolted bodies
after the bus journey. We also took a short acclimatization walk till Tatra
village above Sutol and carried out preparations for the approach Marchnext day. Dr. Parag Shah,our MO carried out a medical check-up of all
members and took stock of the medical stores. The teams strengthen with19

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joining of Sub Maj Limbu, SISS Bhandari, Deep Sahi, Anil Kumar and theadvance party from NIM, and was to go up further to 80 with Shri Loveraj,
Asst. Comdt BSF, Col IS Thapa, SM VSM, Principal JIM who would join
us a few days later... the kitchen staff and HAPs / porters in themselves
made up a strength of 15... making us a very large group,perhaps thelargest most of us had been with in the mountains.
Sutol had a road built a few years back, electricity supply,running tap
water, net connectivity for which one had to walk up just 15 mins, aprimary school, some fine shops and newly constructed houses with
RCC roofs... making an odd remaining old house with slates, stone
masonry and intricate wood work stand out for its natural beauty andold time charm.
Sutol to Lata Kopri (3085m) was a gradual uphill walk of 4-5 hours ,initiallythrough cultivated fields of Amaranth (Rajgira) and Kidney Beans(Rajma)
in the vicinity of Sutol and Tatra and then through a beautiful dense
green forest of Spruce, Oak, Texas, Blue Pine, Tosh, Rhododendron and
Dwarf bamboos . The slush we encountered during the approach wasa small price to pay for the great natural beauty of the trail. Lata Kopri
is a gently sloping, fairly large clearing about the size of a hockey field
which was covered with leafy wild Rhubarb family plants- during theseason. On the way back, Loveraj identified these plentiful plants as
edible and they quickly went into our cooking pots to be relished as themost delicious fare on the expedition. Lata Kopri also had a proper metal
sign board indicating the place and elevation, a cemented area the sizeof a badminton court which we used to set up the cooking and dining
area and also a make shift mandir erected out of small rocks. The stream
being lower,the water source was a natural spring close by which justabout sufficed the needs of our large group.
The trek from Lata Kopri to Chandniya Ghat (3685m) was shorter thanbetween Sutol and Lata Kopri but very wet due to rain. We had to build
a bridge over the stream formed from the waters of the Shila Samundarglacier and Nanda Ghunti snows.. out of birch tree logs,the trees growing
in abundance in the vicinity, giving us and our ponies safe and dry passage
over the stream,leading to Chandniya Ghat camp site, about 50 metres
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above the bridge. The route between Lata Kopri and Chandniya Ghat led
us across slopes of wild flowers,numerous waterfalls and streams which
we could step across.
There was also a large snow patch before the log bridge after which thetrees gave way to alpine vegetation. The campsite at Chandniya Ghat
was in a hollow besides a stream . It was also marked by a sign board
similar to the one at Lata Kopri and had remnants of bamboo frames forpoly shelters... left by villagers who occupy the camp site for collectionof ‘Kira Jadi ‘ in May - Jun. Due to administrative reasons,we decided to
split the team into two groups for the moment leading to occupation of
Chandniya Ghat by the first group on 2nd Sep.
BC (4212m) a little short of HomKund was occupied by Col Amit
with the first group on 4th Sep at
yet another beautiful camp site with
the imposing Nandaghunti forming
the backdrop. Before leaving themountain on 7th Sep for his visit to
Chamonix, France, Col Amit gave
speed and energy to the teamdrawing on his experience of climb
of Trishul in 2013...for our benefit.
Loveraj, with seven times ascentof Everest to his credit joined thenext day while Col IS Thapa, SM,
VSM Principal JIM, an outstanding
sportsman, a decorated soldier anda very experienced mountaineer
reached BC,on 12th Sep. At the
BC we had divided the team
into five balanced ropes on thebasis of age, experience, genderand state representation. The
administration,route opening, fixed
Scree shute between Homkund and Camp 1 route and setting up of camps
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being pre decided and organized efficiently by NIM we decided on thefollowing broad outline plan.
One - A simple plan for all individuals to be given an opportunity toclimb. Acclimatization and minimum one load ferry to Camp 2 before
occupation of Camp 2.
Two - Summit attempts by each rope on consecutive days subject toweather -involving one day stay at Camp 2 -move up to Camp 3/ SummitCamp next day -a short bivouac at Summit Camp - Summit attempt after
midnight -upward climb latest till 11 o’ clock and descent to lower camps
thereafter in coordination with remaining ropes for them to move up andtake their slots for following summit bids.
Three - Each rope to carry own butane gas and climbing food for use
above Camp 2 from BC for in built administration.
The weather so far had been anything but clear on any day, with rain
on most days. The overcast sky did not interfere with our movement on
the mountain. Rather, the team felt that the conditions were more in ourfavour since they helped us conserve energy.
Camp 1 (5055m) was occupied on 7th Sep. The route involving a climbof three - four hours lay over an obliterated trail from BC along the ridge
leading to Hom Kund and then along a steep scree chute to the Eastover the ridge line separating the Ronti glacier from Hom Kund valley.
The Camp was a few metres below the ridge,in a flat area with rock slabs
on the west bank of Ronti glacier .
Camp 1 provided adequate space for camping and easy availability ofwater. From the camp, looking East across the Ronti glacier we had agrand view of ramparts of the Trishul with the ridge connecting Bethartoli(6352m) towards North . Our route to Camp 2 lay along the head of theRonti glacier fraught with danger of hidden crevasses which had to benegotiated carefully, roped up. Camp 2 (5920 m) with three tents was
occupied by Anil’s rope on 10 Sep. However,due to bad weather, it wascalled back to BC the next day. On 12th Sep,weather being clear, with
forecast of further fair weather conditions obtained from our weatherman
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Camp 2Wg Cdr Sudhir Kutty at IMF, the next rope under Iqbal occupied Camp
2. Anshu, a very strong climber, with five ascents of Everest, including a
repeat of the climb in astounding five days, who was earlier with Anil’s
team had joined Iqbal’s team in the meanwhile. By now, the four HAPs
had fixed the route to the Summit Camp (6300m) using nearly 2 kms.
of fixed rope. As planned, Iqbal’s rope occupied the summit camp on
13th Sep , spent a few hours for some rest and preparation, setting out
for the summit bid at 2.30 am to reach the top by 7 am of 14th Sep, theremaining section being fixed on the way. The main difficulties of the final
climb was the very corniced ridge a little below the top. Following thesame pattern, we made four more summit attempts out of which threeattempts were successful on 15th and 19th while the attempt on 18th Sep
had to be called off from 6850 m due to high winds and bad weather. The
climb by Anil’s team was made in one push directly from Camp 2.
The team also wound up all the higher camps and concentrated safely
at BC on 19th Sep itself. We were a very happy team with large numberof participants having climbed their first 7000 m Peak. The team left BC
on 21st Sep and was back at Sutol on 23rd for celebrations and camp
fire. The next morning had the peculiar strained atmosphere of parting
and return to civilization.
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View of cornice and Trishul 2 and 3 to the left

List of Summiters –14 Sep - Iqbal Khan ( Rope Leader), Anshu Jamsenpa, Gyalbo Sherpa,
Pitamber Chandola, Chaman Lal, Uday Veer Singh, Stanzin Chosdan,
Tikam Ram, Karan Sachu, Manik Slathia, Manita Pradhan and Nanda(12).
15 Sep - Chander Negi (Rope Leader), Ranveer Singh (HAP) Skalzang
Rigzin, Wallambok Lyngdoh, Dr Lalit Mohan, Nischay Attri, Parveen
Dahiya, Rajendra Singh Nath, Gaurav Pant and Sheetal (10)15 Sep - Anil Kumar (Rope Leader), Dawa Norbu Sherpa, Nawab
Moazam Khan, Kamal Joshi, Amit Negi, Stanzin Desal, Hemant Gupta,
Prince Kumar, Jigmat Tharchin, Savita Kanswal and Sabita Mahato (11)19 Sep - Shri Loveraj Singh Dharmshaktu (Rope Leader) Indra Rai (HAP),
Stanzin Norboo, Shahid Khan, John Mohammad Iqbal, Lalit Kumar (UK),Dr Rajan Chhetri, Parmender Sharma, Manish Kashniyal, Palkesh Kalma
Baljeet Kaur, Stanzin Youthog and Gunbala Sharma (12).
18 Sep - Members who climbed to 6850m Deep Sahi, Hem Raj, Khimi
Ram, Gh Mohammad Wani, Montu Kumar, Parmender Sharma, Dhruv
Joshi, Shanti Rai, Unnati Pandey, Ambreen Fatima and Amrita Das.
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Support Members –Dr. Parag Shah, Priyanka Chinchorkar, Neeraj Chaudhary, Maneesh
Kumar and Bhupesh Kumar. These participants climbed high on themountain as climbing members initially. It was only incidental that they
had to take on the support role above Camp-I and Camp-II subsequently.

Permanent Adm and Kitchen Staff –Shishpal Singh and Vijaypal Singh (cooks), Narendra Sahi (helper),Himmat Singh, Prabal Sahi, Kulendra Sahi, Ramesh Sahi, Naru Sahi,
Dhan Sahi, Tirth Sahi, Hira Singh and Surinder Singh.

Org Committee from IMF / Mountaineering Institutes –Col Anil Goth (Retd), Col I S Thapa, SM, VSM, Principal JIM,Col Amit
Bisht, SM Principal NIM, SI SS Bhandari, Sub Maj Limbu and Shailendra
Semwal (NIM).

Second summit on 15th
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First Ascent of Link Sar
Steve Swenson

Link Sar

Climbing towards the Summit
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Graham Zimmerman on Summit

From July 31st to August 8th, 2019, Graham Zimmerman, Steve
Swenson, Chris Wright and Mark Richey made the first ascent of Link
Sar (7,041 meters) in the Central Pakistani Karakoram via its 3,400-meter
Southeast Face. Having been the object of at least nine expeditions,the first ascent of this peak has been a highly sought-after prize for the
climbing community. The team is calling their route the Southeast Face
(M6+ WI 4 90°, 2300m), but the grade does a poor job of portraying thechallenge of this route that Karakoram veteran Swenson calls “one of themost complex and difficult routes I have ever climbed.”
Editor’s Note: A detailed report of the climb will be published in theforthcoming Himalayan Journal.
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Articles2019 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition Winner28

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Matagi
Javier Corso
Matagi are traditional hunters living in small villages and settlements in
the highlands of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. From its
origins, back in the middle of the XVI century, they have made a living by
selling meat, skins and other products derived from the hunting. Its main
prey is the Japanese black bear, a subspecies classified as vulnerable
and threatened according to the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN).
Nevertheless, the matagi never face hunting as a recreational or sporting
activity. They only capture what is necessary for regulated sale and selfconsumption, or for the purpose of protecting rural and agricultural
settlements from wild animals. These communities recognize nature as aconscious presence that sustains them, but expects responsible behavior
in return. Matagi believe that they can hunt because the Mountain Deity(Yama-no-Kami) allows it, and therefore, hunting is carried out with asense of utmost reverence and respect for the natural balance.

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Following the Fukushima incidents in 2011, the State banned manymatagi communities from marketing bear meat, mostly in the prefecturesof Gunma, Tochigi and Fukushima itself, because of the high risk of being
intoxicated by radiation. Recently the Japanese authorities lifted the veto,and the matagi have been able to resume what has been their maineconomic activity for centuries.
In the context of a highly globalized, industrialized and metropolized
Japan in the midst of the 21st century, matagi face a more than likely
extinction of their cultural heritage. The global aging of the Japanese
population, legal and regulatory limitations on hunting, and attachment
to values that no longer germinate among the younger generations who migrate massively from the rural to the urban environment - aresome of the main reasons that leave these hunters without much hopeof preserving their legacy.

“The unforgiving, unrepentant compositional style seems toreflect the photographers sense of urgency and conflict indocumenting these hunters and their practice. Corso questions
us - what do we value - the “vulnerable” species of bear or
the endangered cultural tradition? These are delicate questions
and in each image Corso has masterfully uncovered different
layers of regard to help the viewer probe the territory.”– 2019 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Jury

Pahari Wilson’s Palatial Cottage
Bill Aitken
In the Mahabharat the Pandavas stayed in a Palace of Lac whichthough situated on the banks of the Yamuna could not prevent it frombeing burned down by their enemies. In the 1850’s also in Garhwal apalace fashioned from the sacred deodar was built in Harsil alongside the
Bhagirathi Ganga and would suffer a similar fiery fate. The magnificent
log mansion was built by the legendary Angrez adventurer Frederick
Wilson (1816-1883) known locally as “Hulson Sahib”. In a 2010 review of31

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Robert Hutchinson’s fictional life of this rags to riches Raja of Harsil, Dilip
Bobb writes “the higher you go the taller the tale” and almost everything
written about the versatile larger than life Wilson adds to the deliberately
distorted legend of a foreign environmental carpet bagger accused ofsingle-handedly stripping Tehri Garhwal of its forest cover, rare wildlife
and modest maidens.
The fictional life of Wilson proves that fake news was in vogue as early as
Queen Victoria’s reign and used effectively by the colonial administrationin India to damn the reputation of any Gora like Wilson who let theside down. This Wilson had done when he   married hill women of
the lowly drummer caste and went on to become a successful timber
contractor and money lender . Accused of having    brought the prestigeof the white rulers into disrepute Wilson needed to be taught a lesson.
By sowing slander about him the colonial power guaranteed almost
everything written on Wilson thereafter would damn him as a dangerous
subversive who deserted from the East Indian Company army undermurky circumstances. The insinuation was he had bolted to the hills
after murdering a fellow officer. As a parting colonial kick in the ribs an
updated version of Pahari Wilson’s shortcomings (to accommodate his
wealthy status) made him out to be “a womanising capitalist”.
The only reliable version of Wilson’s life (minus the masala) is to befound in the biography written by D.C. Kala (2006) which went on to
win jointly the Kekoo Naoroji Award of the Himalayan Club. As a
Garhwali and former news editor of the Hindustan Times Durga Kala’s
sifting of the evidence reveals Wilson’s image of unregenerate macho
scoundrel is ludicrously off target. Born in Wakefield in the West Riding ofYorkshire Wilson was an ensign in the John Company army whose weak
constitution and sickly looks was the occasion for him to be invalided
back to England. [I can claim a fleeting criminal connection with Wilson’shome town after I was sent to do time in the famous high security Wakefield
jail. When my Leeds University lecturer was indisposed he sent me as astand in for an Adult Education course teaching comparative religion to
the prisoners. They displayed a rare sense of humour suggesting theywould have preferred a Tibetan Lama who keeping in view the height ofthe prison walls could have given them practical lessons in levitation.]32

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Photos of the bushy bearded Wilson reveal a bright eyed pragmatist andthough small and physically frail he was the archetypal Yorkshiremanpossessed of a steely resolve worthy of Geoffrey Boycott. After his discharge
in pursuit of a commercial idea Wilson would sail again to Kolkata under
his own steam employed as the ship’s purser. To prove   further intent hewalked all the way from Kolkata to Tehri Garhwal to hatch his plan toexport furs and exotic birds. When Dr Salim AIi boasted of shooting
eight sparrows in seven days as a ten year old he was applauded asa budding scientist but if it had been Pahari Wilson he could expect tobe reviled as a mass slaughterer. Wilson was in fact a well-informed
wild lifer who contributed information to the famous ornithologist Allan
Octavian Hume in Shimla and was also an accomplished taxidermist. He
co-authored the book A summer Ramble in the Himalayas and acted as
guide to shikhar parties.
Part of the dismay Wilson aroused was caused by envy of his Midas
touch. Whatever he put his hand to he made a fortune out of. As a multitalented individual Wilson’s genius ranged from natural history expertiseand do-it-yourself engineer to financial wizardry and property magnate.

Editor’s Collection
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He brought prosperity to the Harsil region introducing apples andpotatoes and the Wilson apple is still going strong in the local orchards
perhaps the only reminder of his residence apart from the rupee coins
he minted (something that not even Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos can hope toaspire to). Sadly, Wilson’s splendid Harsil home the greatest work of his
career skillfully designed and constructed by its owner almost entirelyof fragrant deodar timber no longer stands. Referred to misleadingly as“Wilson Cottage” it was in fact a magnificent timbered palace, the largest
and most aesthetic log building in the Himalaya and ultimate ode tosylvan architecture. I stayed in the rambling mansion for a night in 1983
as the guest of an army officer and saw framed photographs of the Wilson
family on the wall. It seems the official custodians were unaware of or
indifferent to the building’s provenance as a unique heritage building
and of the need to provide proper safeguards against fire. As a resultin 1999 this aesthetically outstanding but vulnerable structure despite
being near the river shared the fate of the Pandava Palace of Lac andsuccumbed to fire.
In the strait laced Victorian age Wilson had unforgivably married into
the drummer family at Mukhba the winter seat of Ganga Maharani
downstream of Gangotri. When his first wife could not have children,
following local custom Wilson married her rosy-cheeked niece by which
the latter became known as Gulabi. During the annual procession between
Mukhba and Gangotri the doli of Ganga Maharani had to make thedangerous descent between Lanks and Bhaironghati to the confluenceof the Bhagirathi and Jadh Ganga. To avoid this hazard Wilson built abridge and to prove its safety (and encourage the pilgrims to pay to useit) he galloped his horse across. Legend has it that Gulabi was so thrilled
at the inaugural puja ceremonies she gave birth to Natthu (her first of
three sons) nearby. As child birth in the hills signifies the worst kind ofpollution the Gangotri priests are said to have invoked a local god tocurse Wilson’s mleccha progeny.
Even more infamy has attached to Wilson’s contract with the Maharaja
of Tehri to fell whole stands of mature deodar (Himalayan cedar) whose
virtues made them in the first flush of the railway age highly sought afteras track sleepers. Those who have traveled in the comfort of a railway
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carriage who denounce Wilson’s knack to make profits forget they are thebeneficiaries of his enterprise. Sunderlal Bahuguna the Chipko leader
who hails from Tehri lambasts Wilson’s rape of Dev Bhumi overlooking it
was the custodian of the sacred Badri-Kedar shrines - the Maharaja of
Tehri - who shared the proceeds.
Following his successful career in timber logging and floating the logs down
to his saw mill in Rishikesh, Wilson shifted his business  to  Dehradun andMussoorie. He became a banker and acquired several large properties
including the Astley Hall complex in Dehradun and Charleville (now theLal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration) in Mussoorie. Wilson
and his wife Gulabi are buried in Mussoorie’s Camel’s Back cemeteryas a reminder  that Gulabi in her own right was as remarkable as herenterprising husband. The ease with which she landed on her feethaving being flung from an interior village into the whirl of high society
is commendable and with so many grand properties at her command
she was chosen to  be hostess to the very picky Vicereine Lady Dufferin(notable for remarking that  Victoria Terminus in Mumbai was “too goodfor the natives.”) It is amusing to read in Robert Hutchinson’s fictional lifeof a supposedly murderous deserter that because of his wealth Wilson
may have received an ungazetted pardon by the British Raj. Despite
British social censure he was simply too important to be ignored.
Folklore  prefers the masala version  of his life  but with a variation.  Pahari
Wilson is viewed as  a deserter but from British snobbery.

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News & Personalities
Motup Chewang Goba, (Padma Shri)
Harish Kapadia
The Himalayan Club elected
Motup Chewang Goba as its new
President of the Club. It was proud
moment as Motup is from themountain area of Ladakh. A fineclimber himself, he was recently
honoured with Padma Shri award,
one of the high honours in India.A
new beginning with a young new
President for the HC to usher in a
new era.
Hailing from then remote village in
the Nubra valley of Ladakh, as a
Photo from Lt Nawang Kapadia Collection young boy he crossed the high passof Khardung la on foot many times
to go to Srinagar for studies and back. He worked for a trekking agency fora few years where he met his wife Yangdu, daughter of legendary Nawang
Gombu Sherpa. They both established Rimo Expeditions and since thenthey have never looked back.
He has remained a mountaineer at heart- crossing the dreaded Khumbu
Icefall almost 25 times in one expedition in 1985 at a young age, carrying
full loads. He has climbed and trekked in almost all parts of the Indian
Himalaya and travelled to many countries in the world. A well-known
name in foreign and Indian mountain circles, he has done lot for his own
Ladakhi Community. He organised Ice Hockey tournaments for Ladakhis
and training for young children of Ladakh for long distance running. In
last Mumbai Marathon, Ladakhi youngsters stood 5th in ranking.
All this growth in one generation, from a village boy to be a world citizen,
Motup is a great achiever. I am proud to call him our family friend. Morestrength to you!!
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Tanil Kilachand
Harish Kapadia
Tanil Kilachand was President of The
Himalayan Club for last six years. These
were crowded six years and as the
President he did a lot for the Club. Thanks to
Nileemaben, his energetic wife, an annual
dinner was held at his home in grand style.
He loved the Himalaya deeply and even atage of 80 regularly treks to the range.
Being a leading industrialist, he used his
contacts deeply to raise funds for the Club.
Photo from Lt Nawang Kapadia He loved the Club and cared for it, neverCollection
forgetting the historical aspects of the Club.
He was always polite, maintained a good balance between the old andthe new and guided the Club away from any potential conflicts.
He has many other interests too. A leading patron of the arts, speciallythe Indian Classical music, you will find him at most concerts. As the
Presidents of few trade organisations he participated in many events.
Many major projects were initiated by him for the Club and completed.
Tanil has handed over the club to his successor in robust shape andgrounds ready to push it ahead.

Talk at Fort William, Kolkata
EditorThe Indian Army Eastern Command HQ at Fort William, Kolkata, invited
Harish Kapadia, Editor Emeritus of the Himalayan Club, to deliver a
special lecture to its officers in March 2020. The talk was held at thehistoric venue, “The Kitchener House”, past residence of several British
Viceroys during the Raj.
Harish Kapadia spoke on “Life and Times of Sir Frances Younghusband”,
a great explorer during the Great Game in the West Karakoram, andhe later led the Mission to Lhasa, “The Younghusband Mission”, which
opened Tibet to the world.
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The illustrated lecture was hosted by the GOC in C, the Eastern Army
Commander Lt Gen Anil Chauhan and was attended by all Core
Commanders of the area. It was broadcast live to all units in the Eastern
Command.
Few members of The Himalayan Club, Kolkata Section were speciallyinvited to attend.

Harish Kapadia at Fort William, Kolkata

The Kitchener House
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You can now see Himachal’s Dhauladhar mountain
ranges from Jalandhar, thank the lockdown

The Dhauladhar range in Himachal Pradesh is now visible from Jalandhar. (Express
photo by Anju Agnihotri Chaba)

The elevation of the Dhauladhar ranges widely from 3,500 m to nearly
6,000 m. The range curves towards Mandi from the banks of the Beas
river in Kullu. It then passes through Barabhangal towards the north andjoins the Pir Panjal range after which it moves into Chamba.
Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: April 4, 2020 12:21:47 pm

Brit scales ‘indoor Everest’ - with help from frozen peas
The anti-coronavirus lockdown may have left plenty of Britons ready to scale
their walls in frustration, but runner John Griffin has put his pent-up energy
to better use by climbing the height of Mount Everest up his staircase. It
took Griffin four days to climb 41,000 steps at his three-story house in West
Sussex, equivalent to the 8,850 metres that the world’s highest mountainmeasures. His effort has so far raised £3,500 ($4,340) for a charity that
supports more than 1,200 UK food banks. Using a computer programmedby his neighbour to track his progress, he almost came unstuck on day threewhen his knee began to hurt, but took his wife’s advice to tape frozen peas
to it and managed to push on, finally reaching the ‘summit’ after 29 hours
of “climbing’. His family was waiting on the rooftop terrace when he ran up
the stairs for the final time. “It was a real sense of achievement,” he added.
Reuters
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Club News
Arun Samant Memorial Lecture Series 2020
Wing Commander Sudhir Kutty
Hon Secretary, The Himalayan ClubThe Arun Samant Memorial Lecture
for the year 2020 was organizedon 11 Jan 2020 at Sathaye College
Auditorium, Vile Parle. A packed
audience was enthralled by the 3illustrious speakers..
“Polar Woman” Dr Madhubala
Joshi Chinchalkar was the first
speaker, whose talk titled “Amazing
Antarctica” gave an insight to her
experience of spending a year in
Antarctica at the Indian Research
Station Maitri. She accompanied the36th Indian Scientific Expedition to
Antarctica as the Doctor, providing
medical care to her team members. The highlight of her talk was her
account of the Polar night is for 3 months, when the sun does not rise.
Peter Van Geit had the audience spellbound with his incredible storyof exploring 120 passes across
Uttarakhand, Himachal and Ladakh
in as many days (4 months).The
entire journey was alpine style - selfplanned, self-supported, mostly
solo and minimalist ultra-paced. It
was an amazing journey throughmesmerizing natural beauty andunseen hospitality with shepherd’s
and mountain tribes.
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The last speaker for the day
wasintrepid
explorerandalpinist, Anindya Mukherjee, whoshared highlights from his two
expeditions to climb Nanda Devi
East (7434m) in 2013 and 2014.
He also capped off a review on
the various happenings on Nanda
Devi East during the summer of2019 including details of Martin
Moran’s ill-fated team and a Polish
expedition which succeeded in
putting two climbers on the summit.

Caption41

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Edited by : Nilay Chakraborty

Email: nilay24@gmail.com
Published for the Himalayan Club
Himalayan Club Centre, 314, Turf Estate, Shakti Mills Lane,
Off Dr. E. Moses Road, Mahalaxmi [West], Mumbai 400011, India.
Phone: [91-22] 24912829

www.himalayanclub.org
If you do not wish to receive the e-letter, please let us know at info@himalayanclub.org(For private circulation only)42