Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's address at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation Celebrations

"It gives me great pleasure to be here amidst you at this function to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. On this historic occasion I extend my greetings and felicitations to all members of the IMF. I pay my homage to the memory of those courageous mountaineers and adventurers who are not with us today.

The majesty and the mystique of the mighty Himalayas have always had a special place in the hearts of the people of India. As Major Ahluwalia just now put it so eloquently the Himalyas through centuries have been the abode of Gods and a source of spiritual awakening for this ancient land of ours. An ancient sage had observed that, "The Himalayas is the king of the mountains ... and is seen to rise aloft like a cloud in the centre of the earth." The Himalayas are an eternal part of India's ancient but living civilization.

The call of the mountains has through the ages attracted pilgrims, poets, writers, scientists and adventurers. Pandit Nehru's love for the Himalayas and for mountaineering are well known. It is said that the real birth of mountaineering in India took place when he set up the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling in the year 1954, soon after the first conquest of Everest. Later, through his efforts, the Indian Mountaineering Foundation was established. In later years, our former Prime Ministers both Indiraji Gandhiji and Rajiv Gandhiji gave the same encouragement to our mountaineers.

Official encouragement and the efforts of the pioneers of Indian mountaineering led to the spectacular Indian conquest of Everest in 1965. It was a feat that stirred the imagination of the nation and made India one of the leading mountaineering nations of the world.

Over the years our mountaineers have distinguished themselves not only by scaling the highest peaks but also as brave soldiers of the gallant armed forces included the ITBP. Many of them have served with great distinction during the Kargil conflict and continue to defend our highest frontiers with courage and with fortitude.

We are honoured to have one such brave soldier and mountaineer here with us today. Maj. H.P.S. Ahluwalia is much more than a mountaineer. As he has written in his moving and inspirational book, he has indeed scaled a peak "Higher than the Everest". I commend his indomitable spirit. I am sure that he will continue to steer the activities of the IMF with the vision and the tenacities, which he has displayed for many many years to come.

The IMF has always taken a broad and holistic approach of its mandate. In recent years the IMF has also been involved in environment protection works in the Himalayas. There is no greater service the IMF can do to its cause than by working for the preservation of the Himalayan ecology and the environment of the Himalayas.

It is a matter of deep concern that the Himalayas are being threatened by climate change. The Himalayan eco system supports the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar regions. The glaciers in the Himalayas alone cover an area of 33,000 square kilometers, they feed three major river systems of South Asia and support over a billion people.

There is evidence that the Himalayan glaciers are receding but studies have so far been inconclusive on the extent of change and whether climate change is a significant contributory factor. We need to develop more expertise and capabilities in Himalayan glaciology. But even the threat of environmental damage should spur our nation to action. We must take all precautionary measures so that the danger which lurks in the background does not materialize.

In June this year, our Government announced a National Action Plan on Climate Change. Within the ambit of this Plan we have launched a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco system. We must mobilize all our resources to protect the Himalayas. The IMF should be an important part of this gigantic national effort.

I am happy that from very early on the mountaineering fraternity has encouraged women to take up this sport. The first mixed expedition successfully scaled Nanda Devi in 1981. Since Bachendri Pal reached the top of Everest a few years later, a number of Indian women have joined the elite club of Everesters.

I feel honoured to be here in the company of some of India's greatest mountaineers, explorers and adventurers. There life and there mission are a source of inspiration for the generations to come.Your grit, determination and spirit of adventure are a source of inspiration for all our countrymen and women. Your feats epitomize the strength of the human spirit and the limits of human endurance.

With these words, I wish the Indian Mountaineering Foundation many many years of productive contributions in the service of our nation. The last fifty years have been a very productive period in the history of the Foundation. But I sincerely hope and pray that the next fifty years will be still more productive in terms of their service to the cause of our nation. You have an important role to play in instilling in our youth the values and the character that make a good mountaineer and thereby as a good citizen of our republic.

I conclude with these beautiful lines penned by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru while regretting that he was getting too old to fulfill his dream of going up to Kailash and Manasarovar :

'But the journey is always worth the making even though the end may not be in sight' May your path be blessed."