| Students climb Mt. Everest, add a slew of records to their name |
15th Jun 2013
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Above: Students on their climb to the summit. | Below: At the base camp
even students from the Lawrence School Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh, registered a series of first-time-ever feats after climbing the highest mountain peak in the world, Mount Everest. Each member has created the record of being in the list of top 10 youngest people to climb Mt. Everest. The Sanawar boys have become the first ever school team to climb Mt Everest, while Raghav Joneja has become the youngest Indian and the second youngest in the world to climb Mt Everest. Ajay Sohal has become the youngest from Himachal Pradesh, and the second youngest Indian, to climb Mt. Everest. Fateh Singh Brar has become the youngest from Punjab to climb Mt. Everest. Shubam Kaushik has become the youngest from Haryana to climb Mt. Everest.
"We would never have accomplished this without the help of our parents, school fraternity, and the sherpas. It was not individual but collective effort and team work that helped us achieve this feat. We are really grateful to our friends and all the well wishers who stayed in touch with us and kept encouraging us through Facebook," said the boys while interacting with Guardian20.
About the whole operation, Col. P. S. Grewal, expedition coordinator, said, "During the training phase 12 students were trained, out of which 7 were selected for the summit. Though everyone was lucky, Hakikat Singh had to abort his trek mid-way as he complained of chest pain due to some fault in his oxygen cylinder. This achievement has changed their outlook towards life."
After arriving at the Nepal base camp at a height of 17,500 feet the team surpassed camp 2 and 3 situated at a height of 21,500 and 23,500 feet respectively and finally made it to camp 4, at a height of 26,500 feet, which is the last camp before the summit, and eventually reached the peak on 21 May.
"The students have not only brought laurels to the school but have made India proud by this achievement. It is a matter of national pride. All of them are in the 15-17 year age group. They underwent a basic and advanced mountaineering training initially at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, and I believe it was their strong will power and hard work that helped them reach the top," said Praveen Vashisht, the headmaster of Lawrence School.
While describing the experience, a student said, "Adventure sports are a part of the school curriculum and we have attended various camps and have done trekking, skiing etc. Before going to the expedition we were not nervous but were eager to accomplish it at the earliest. The medical hazards were always there in our mind but with apt planning, ensuring minute specifications, and with the help of experienced sherpas who carried our oxygen cylinders, and expensive mountaineering clothing this became possible."
Adding further to the achievement Col. Grewal, said, "This expedition gave the boys an appropriate platform to explore their talent. Such exposure has never been provided by any other school. It taught them to love Mother Nature, besides imbibing in them team spirit and camaraderie. It made them responsible to make decisions under real situations. It taught them to live in harmony with the forces of nature."
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