Major H. P. S. Ahluwalia was an Indian mountaineer. During his career of 45 years, he had made contributions in the fields of adventure, sports, environment, disability and social work.
Following his advanced training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, he climbed extensively in Sikkim, Nepal and later he climbed Mount Everest on 29 May 1965. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he suffered a bullet injury which resulted in his confinement to a wheelchair. He was the Chairman of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre.
He had written thirteen books which includes his autobiography Higher than Everest, which ran into several editions and languages. Eternal Himalaya, Ladakh-The Hermit Kingdom, Climbing Everest, Faces of Everest, Himalaya, Everest, where Snow Never Melts, Nubra-A Forbidden Valley and the book titled Tracing Marco Polo’s Journey of the Silk Route was recently released.[when?] He had also produced an award-winning serial, Beyond Himalaya, which had been telecast all over the world on Discovery and National Geographic channels.
Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia was born on 6 November 1936 and brought up in Shimla along with his two sisters and two younger brothers. His father was employed as a Civil Engineer in the Indian Central Public Works Department.
For his academic career he went to St. Joseph’s Academy and St. George’s College, Mussoorie. There, he has discovered his interest in photography and rock climbing. Along with graduation, his interest in rock-climbing increased. Some of the places where Ahluwalia did his rock climbing were Garhwal, Sikkim, Nepal, Ladakh, and of course Mount Everest.
After his graduation Ahluwalia joined the Indian Army as an officer. Along with time most of the people changed and so do their hobbies and interests. But Ahluwalia’s love for mountaineering never went in tandem with his professional life.
Ahluwalia has also been the President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and Delhi Mountaineering Association. He was also the Chairman of Special Ability Trust (created to assist young achievers with disabilities with fellowships and scholarships), Youth Exploring Society (with its chapter in Ireland, West Germany and Italy), Rehabilitation Council of India (a Statutory Body under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment), Chairman of Planning Committee of Persons with Disability of 12-year plan and Chairman of the Committee of Drafting Country Report.
After treatment at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, he continued to pursue his love for adventure by organising pioneering events such as the first Ski Expedition to Mount Trisul, the first Trans-Himalaya Motor Expedition (1983), and the Central Asia Cultural Expedition (1994) following the Silk & Marco Polo’s Route through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, entering China in the Asian City of Kashgar, Yarkhand and returned via Tibet and Kathmandu.
Realizing the needs of persons with spinal injury, Ahluwalia, with the support of his friends, set up the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, India in 1993.
