The Nature’s wonderful heights have always made me feel shortened –both in stature and pride! Nevertheless, I’ve been always in love with them, then be it the immense peaks of the mountains or the “ Delhi Heights ” of the college wall and nearby natural rocks where the college’s thrillionaires often pay their climbing visits- its all ….just indescribable. Climbing is the act of going up a mountain, hill, any steep terrain, or artificial wall. Climbing comes in many types, each having its own features and methods. There are several ways to categorize it. For instance, it can vary based on the area you are climbing. Using this category, its types include: Mountaineering or Mountain Climbing, Ice Climbing, Indoor Climbing, and Rock Climbing. Rock Climbing has become a major sport generally a risky sport, which needs physical strength and endurance, it poses a different kind of challenge, excitement, and adrenaline rush. This is probably one of the many reasons why a lot of people (me included) are so excited about this activity. The lovely ropes (as I like to call them) along with all those equipments including the artistic D shaped carribeners, are your life line once you begin climbing. The regular wall climbing sessions at the college wall and the occasional natural rock climbing have provided me great quality with these equipments to stay as far away from any mishaps as possible. But even after that there are a lot of things that one needs to keep in mind, the most important being the mandatory, “climbing” echoed by “climb on” to make sure the bilayer is ready! It is then followed by the most exciting part of the game-brisk movements of the steely hands on those varied holds providing the fashionable lizard-like climb over the footholds, discs et al; till your hands give up or the view of the top overwhelms you! The climbing, seemingly daunting, is actually one of the basic acts in the Adventure World! But still, the adrenaline rush, every time you get a bird’s eye view of the world beneath, with only you up there with the birds and the breeze, will suffice even the most veteran of the climbers.So, what are you waiting for?
CLIMB ON…!!
HARSHIT NARANG
Thursday, August 13, 2009
NATURAL ROCK CLIMBING(AT DHAUJ)
We had all come to this beautiful, though scant in vegetation, rocky(ing) place in Haryana to have a full day,on 21st of December 'O8,of exotic adventure climbing. The hour and a half journey in the completely packed car was, surprisingly, not at all tiring!Therefore, we did not waste even a minute on reaching the destination ,and
began exploring the rocks for the fittest route to have an encouraging start. The route located,the rope was tied to a huge boulder, with a double eight and two safety knots on the harness, the climbing began.The pumping heart ,the heavy sinews as the climb proceeded, and the thrill of climbing a natural rock more than ten times your own height was just too good. One after the other, fourteen climbers (though novice)took turns at scaling the rocks. The morning saw a frenzy mob as fourteen boys and girls from the college tried to fit themselves in one single Innova which had already accommodated all the ropes, harnesses et al plus the driver, the seven seater took off from the Rudra gate only to stop at Dhauj-our final destination. And now, an hour had passed,the route changed but the excitement was still the same especially because now we were to climb up and then rappel down the same route. Mean
while, a few of us had a relaxing time at the edge of the nearby natural lake; taking turns at the lake and the rocky wall. Evening was approaching and we were all lost in the fun of the rocks,the nature’s immense heights, the spirit to scale them and above all in the lighthearted mood of the group, from playing silly games to interviewing each other on cameras(cellphones) as common villagers.The day had left us all as one family and we could feel the strength and love that our stephanian family holds.The morning might have had a few famous ‘snobs’ but the evening had us all in one hue trying to humble nature by our feats at various places in Dhauj. Packing ourselves one atop the other, we began with our ride back to college..lost in the fun that the group had to offer on the way back, and only to regain consciousness when the driver called us off at the college gate. Nature had had its toll over us in return for our toppling over it!
began exploring the rocks for the fittest route to have an encouraging start. The route located,the rope was tied to a huge boulder, with a double eight and two safety knots on the harness, the climbing began.The pumping heart ,the heavy sinews as the climb proceeded, and the thrill of climbing a natural rock more than ten times your own height was just too good. One after the other, fourteen climbers (though novice)took turns at scaling the rocks. The morning saw a frenzy mob as fourteen boys and girls from the college tried to fit themselves in one single Innova which had already accommodated all the ropes, harnesses et al plus the driver, the seven seater took off from the Rudra gate only to stop at Dhauj-our final destination. And now, an hour had passed,the route changed but the excitement was still the same especially because now we were to climb up and then rappel down the same route. Mean
while, a few of us had a relaxing time at the edge of the nearby natural lake; taking turns at the lake and the rocky wall. Evening was approaching and we were all lost in the fun of the rocks,the nature’s immense heights, the spirit to scale them and above all in the lighthearted mood of the group, from playing silly games to interviewing each other on cameras(cellphones) as common villagers.The day had left us all as one family and we could feel the strength and love that our stephanian family holds.The morning might have had a few famous ‘snobs’ but the evening had us all in one hue trying to humble nature by our feats at various places in Dhauj. Packing ourselves one atop the other, we began with our ride back to college..lost in the fun that the group had to offer on the way back, and only to regain consciousness when the driver called us off at the college gate. Nature had had its toll over us in return for our toppling over it! 
Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial Wall
A recent addition to the facilities of College is the Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial Climbing Wall. This artificial rock climbing wall, situated outside the Gymnasium, was funded by a former member of the Club in memory of Eshwaran Bharatan, President of the Hiking Club in 1979-80, who was tragically killed while on an expedition in the Mulkilla range in Lahaul.
The construction of the wall was carried out by Mohit Oberoi. It is 11m high and 5m wide. The lower half consists of moulded ‘3-dimensional’ panels and the top half has flat panels. It has two overhangs at different angles, and there is also the possibility of climbing on the side panels. Route lengths of up to 17m can be set by utilizing the full width of the wall.
The wall has been a great attraction for aspiring, as well as seasoned, climbers because of its accessibility. Its well-shaded location has made it a welcome alternative to outdoor trips, especially during the summer months. Since its inauguration in March 2004, dozens of climbers have been honing their skills on it at all times of the day - before, between and after classes. In September 2004, the Club organized and hosted the 10th North Zone Sport Climbing Competition, on behalf of the North Zone Sport Climbing Committee, on this wall. Students from College participated enthusiastically in the Men’s and Women’s categories, and three of them – Isha, Mehak and Pianjeli - were selected to represent North Zone at the National competition in November. This was particularly commendable considering their lack of previous experience in such competitions.
Our success at hosting this competition has inspired us to try to institute an annual sport climbing competition – to be known as the St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition – for the best climbers from Delhi and neighboring areas. At present we are in the process of raising funds for this proposed competition, which we hope to be able to host from this year onwards.
The construction of the wall was carried out by Mohit Oberoi. It is 11m high and 5m wide. The lower half consists of moulded ‘3-dimensional’ panels and the top half has flat panels. It has two overhangs at different angles, and there is also the possibility of climbing on the side panels. Route lengths of up to 17m can be set by utilizing the full width of the wall.
The wall has been a great attraction for aspiring, as well as seasoned, climbers because of its accessibility. Its well-shaded location has made it a welcome alternative to outdoor trips, especially during the summer months. Since its inauguration in March 2004, dozens of climbers have been honing their skills on it at all times of the day - before, between and after classes. In September 2004, the Club organized and hosted the 10th North Zone Sport Climbing Competition, on behalf of the North Zone Sport Climbing Committee, on this wall. Students from College participated enthusiastically in the Men’s and Women’s categories, and three of them – Isha, Mehak and Pianjeli - were selected to represent North Zone at the National competition in November. This was particularly commendable considering their lack of previous experience in such competitions.
Our success at hosting this competition has inspired us to try to institute an annual sport climbing competition – to be known as the St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition – for the best climbers from Delhi and neighboring areas. At present we are in the process of raising funds for this proposed competition, which we hope to be able to host from this year onwards.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Yearbook Report (2008-2009)
This year two members of the Hiking Club decided to cycle from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, crossing some of the highest motorable mountain passes in the Himalayas. With the expedition turning out to be a great success the Club is now planning to organise similar trips to other parts of the country as well (a cycling trip on the Konkan Coast is in the pipeline for the coming year!). Besides the cycling expedition, the Club also organised two treks. In October, fifteen members of the Club (many who had never seen snow!) made an attempt to cross a relatively lesser known mountain pass, the Pangchi Galu Pass, in the Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh. Unfortunately, heavy snowfall forced the team to abandon the trek but, what now seems like a blessing in disguise, the team decided to cross the Chandrakani Pass giving the team an opportunity to visit the mysterious village of Malana. In December, the 4th St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition was held at the Easwaran Memorial Climbing Wall. The event, coupled with a photo exhibition of the Club’s recent activities, was a great success. With participants coming from as far as Jammu and Bangalore, the competition clearly seems to be gaining popularity among climbers from across the country.This year we decided to restart the weekend treks as many members were unable to make it to the October treks. So a small team of students accompanied by the Staff Advisor trekked from Barsu to Dayara Bugyal. This was a great opportunity for those who had never trekked before. Based on past experiences of heavy oversubscription for the rafting trips we decided to organise two rafting trips in February this year. The trips were quite eventful (with rafts flipping over on ‘The Wall’ and an encounter with a floating dead body!) and we would like to thank Vaibhav Kala (a Hiking Club alumnus) and his team at Aquaterra for giving us this exciting opportunity year after year. Other than these annual features, the Club held regular climbing sessions on the climbing wall and also organised a natural rock climbing trip to Dhauj in Haryana. In January, current members of the Club along with some alumni members got together for a prayer meeting in memory of Rohan Kanhai Dutta (popularly known as ‘Kan’), one of the most enthusiastic climbers of the Club. His presence will be missed by all those known to him.
Dayara Bugyal Trek
The night bus to Rishikesh and then an early morning jeep to be changed on the way by another one was all the transport that our six member team took to reach the foot of our weekend trek-Barsu ,at around 3 in the cold afternoon of the garhwal hills. We aimed to reach the Dayara Bugyal the next day so without any further delay, we took some meal from the village of Barsu and hence in another half an hour we all set forth on to our 8 km trek to the bugyal (meaning a meadow).
It was a steep trek and we were pushed to the limit after all that traveling even to finish the three km that we targeted before the night. the steep path, with a meandering stream here and there was a lovely sight even to our hard stressed minds.As, the sun set,we had a hard time groping our way but that was not to last for long because soon we saw some Gujjar huts in the village of Barnala,which had been vacated owing to the harsh winter,and therefore we spent the night in there.We cooked our own food on ‘choolha’-each one eagerly taking their place near the fire(not because of the cooking part essentially but because the cold was so intense that staying in any other part of the little hut would have been a mere foolery! Our novice hands soon showed up their mistakes as the process carried;soon the whole hut was full of amoke-so we made a small chimney ny plugging out some stones from the extreme end of the hut. After having that simple food., which seemed better than any feast to our hungry stomachs,we prepared our beds and soon were all set to sleep. But, perhapsthe slumber was not that eager to follow us to our sleeping beds for the major part of the night was spent gazing here and there by all of us ;envying the other to have fallen asleep so easily;but the truth came forth in the morning when it was made overt that we all had actually spent an almost sleepless night and thereby giving us all a chance to have a hearty laugh!
Next morning after a speedy breakfast, we all put our foot on the next trail to our final destination. It took us around two hours to cross Gorganda and thereby reach our final destination-the Dayara village in another hour from Gorganda.The second part of the trail was not that steep and since we were all full of rest and had also acclimatized by now,so this part was cheerfully welcomed by one and all.Soon ,we found ourselves in another Gujjar hut with bits of snow surrounding our domain.We took a brief break and again began our seemingly neverending walk to the Bugyal itself which was just a fifteen minutes walk from our newly found home.
Located at a height of 3,048 metres above Uttarkashi, the magnificence of this rolling meadow surprised us all. Endless tracts of yellowish-green grass speckled white flowers and snowflakes undulate the landscape, framed by soaring jagged peaks capped with snow.
Dayara Bugyal is what every trekker and nature lover would yearn for. Dayara Bugyal is a most unspoilt wonder. In the coming months of winter, it was to receive heavy snowfall(as told to us by the guide) and was to be soon converted into a dream destination for skiiers. It is one of the best ski slopes in India and offers alternatives to the regular, crowed slopes of Auli, Manali and Gulmarg. Still cocooned from commercial tourism, Dayara is clean and offers skiing slopes spread over 28 sq km.
We spent some nice time at the Bugyal-lying on the sun filled hill top and later even took a small walk with the guide to the adjacent Kana Tal(lake) which remained frozen during this time of the year.The beauty of the Nature overwhelmed us and we just did not want to leave.But evening and with it –the cold was approaching,which pushed us back on our way to the little hut that was to be our home for a night.Once back in the tent ,the whole night was spent in jovial mood-cooking,singing songs ,playing games et al.
Morning approached and before six we were all on the path back to Barsu.It was dark in the jungles but otherwise the full moon showed us the way.The hill tops surrounding us dazzled in the moonlight and gave us a great view of the area.In another three hours we had walked down straight to the village of Barsu.We boarded the bus back to Rishikesh and from there to Delhi;but the beauty of the hills and the sundry picturesque views that we had just refused to leave us.
It was then that I truly understood the meaning of Keat’s line:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
-Harshit Narang
It was a steep trek and we were pushed to the limit after all that traveling even to finish the three km that we targeted before the night. the steep path, with a meandering stream here and there was a lovely sight even to our hard stressed minds.As, the sun set,we had a hard time groping our way but that was not to last for long because soon we saw some Gujjar huts in the village of Barnala,which had been vacated owing to the harsh winter,and therefore we spent the night in there.We cooked our own food on ‘choolha’-each one eagerly taking their place near the fire(not because of the cooking part essentially but because the cold was so intense that staying in any other part of the little hut would have been a mere foolery! Our novice hands soon showed up their mistakes as the process carried;soon the whole hut was full of amoke-so we made a small chimney ny plugging out some stones from the extreme end of the hut. After having that simple food., which seemed better than any feast to our hungry stomachs,we prepared our beds and soon were all set to sleep. But, perhapsthe slumber was not that eager to follow us to our sleeping beds for the major part of the night was spent gazing here and there by all of us ;envying the other to have fallen asleep so easily;but the truth came forth in the morning when it was made overt that we all had actually spent an almost sleepless night and thereby giving us all a chance to have a hearty laugh!
Next morning after a speedy breakfast, we all put our foot on the next trail to our final destination. It took us around two hours to cross Gorganda and thereby reach our final destination-the Dayara village in another hour from Gorganda.The second part of the trail was not that steep and since we were all full of rest and had also acclimatized by now,so this part was cheerfully welcomed by one and all.Soon ,we found ourselves in another Gujjar hut with bits of snow surrounding our domain.We took a brief break and again began our seemingly neverending walk to the Bugyal itself which was just a fifteen minutes walk from our newly found home.
Located at a height of 3,048 metres above Uttarkashi, the magnificence of this rolling meadow surprised us all. Endless tracts of yellowish-green grass speckled white flowers and snowflakes undulate the landscape, framed by soaring jagged peaks capped with snow.
Dayara Bugyal is what every trekker and nature lover would yearn for. Dayara Bugyal is a most unspoilt wonder. In the coming months of winter, it was to receive heavy snowfall(as told to us by the guide) and was to be soon converted into a dream destination for skiiers. It is one of the best ski slopes in India and offers alternatives to the regular, crowed slopes of Auli, Manali and Gulmarg. Still cocooned from commercial tourism, Dayara is clean and offers skiing slopes spread over 28 sq km.
We spent some nice time at the Bugyal-lying on the sun filled hill top and later even took a small walk with the guide to the adjacent Kana Tal(lake) which remained frozen during this time of the year.The beauty of the Nature overwhelmed us and we just did not want to leave.But evening and with it –the cold was approaching,which pushed us back on our way to the little hut that was to be our home for a night.Once back in the tent ,the whole night was spent in jovial mood-cooking,singing songs ,playing games et al.
Morning approached and before six we were all on the path back to Barsu.It was dark in the jungles but otherwise the full moon showed us the way.The hill tops surrounding us dazzled in the moonlight and gave us a great view of the area.In another three hours we had walked down straight to the village of Barsu.We boarded the bus back to Rishikesh and from there to Delhi;but the beauty of the hills and the sundry picturesque views that we had just refused to leave us.
It was then that I truly understood the meaning of Keat’s line:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
-Harshit Narang
Rafting at Shivpuri...by Shauna Rodrigues
For those who wondered what rafting trips are like – they are incredibly exhausting, extremely taxing on both the mind and the body; involves eating, sleeping and peeing in tents, and having the best time of your life! On our trip to Shivpuri, we also got to experience an Uttaranchal Bus Transport Strike and therefore got to travel in a luxurious Volvo vehicle with a blaring T.V set and seats that could lean all the way back and stopped at the U.P –Uttaranchal border at 4 in the morning, in the middle of a reserve forest so that we could switch buses. But nothing beat getting into the water and rafting through the whipping waters of the Ganga. What happens is this: we’re initially given our rafting gear which includes helmets, insanely tight life jackets which make us all feel like proud 36-D’s and bright yellow paddles. We’re instructed to wear shorts – the philosophy behind this wise idea is that shorts dry much faster than pants; hold on to the ends (T-grips) of our paddles and are given lessons on the correct manner of front paddling, back-paddling and moving to the high side of the raft incase of instability, before our rafts are pushed into the water. If you are on a raft with a bunch of over-enthusiastic swimmers, then you are bound to be pushed into the pristinely clear and freezing waters of the river Ganges as soon as the preliminary puny rapids are crossed. But the shock of hitting the cold water and being lugged back into the raft all shivering and cold is totally compensated for when one rafts through rapids which have probably existed for centuries. One doesn’t need to be particularly fond of the water to thoroughly enjoy the experience of riding over a rapid in an inflatable plastic raft. There is something unbeatable and exhilarating and about maneuvering through swirling waters and fighting gushing waves that makes you want to repeat the entire process again and again. We did several grade 3 rapids (there are higher levels of rapids going on to grade 5 and grade 6 for which we scrawny beginners are too inexperienced), some of them with very interesting names like ‘The Golfcourse’ and ‘three blind mice’. Our rafts would dive into the churning waters and we generally came out unscathed though on some occasions we had to fish out lost paddles, grimy crocks of a fellow rafter and on one instance our logic lecturer from the water. No amount of volleyball on the beach or building sandcastles or having peanuts and krackjack biscuits or grumbling about sore arses and aching shoulders prevented us from tackling ‘The Wall’ the next day. ‘The Wall’ was the toughest rapid we encountered through the 40 kilometres of rafting that our trip included.It is famous for the stealthy way in which it comes upon a raft, one cannot really see it as we glide through the waters, but it pounces on you after a quiet corner and the raft suddenly plunges into happily churning waters with a particularly nasty eddy rotating its way underwater.
Rafting straight into this rapid was, by infinite amounts, the best moment of the trip.We watched as a couple of rafts ahead of us flipped through the massive waves, throwing their passengers into the deep blue before we went into the evilly grinding waters ourselves. We nearly flipped, our star rafter was thrown into the water, the paddlers on the right side of the raft were pushed to the left side, a couple of rafters lost their paddles but the puniest people on the raft responded well to the screaming guide’s instructions to back paddle and steered us to safer waters. It was brilliant, unforgettable. The rafting was not the only activity that made this trip so amazing though. We camped on the banks of the Ganga in tents and experienced the intricacies of using sand-pit loos (too long to explain), sleeping in tents under the most comfortable quilts and having amazing food under a star filled sky. Several of us spent long, productive hours after rafting playing poker and resorting to winning on luck and getting beaten by novices who have just learnt to play the game. One raft even sighted a body floating through the waters of the sacred Ganges precariously close to ‘The Wall’. Several of us jumped off a 15 foot high cliff into the river below, some of the girls needed a lot of convincing before they agreed to jump off and did everything the instructors told them not to do (like look down instead of looking straight ahead n screaming with their mouths wide open) but everyone came out of the water looking absolutely thrilled and ready to take the jump again. Between worrying about sore ankles and pimples, we had a dazzling experience. The adventure and the mere thrill of overcoming a rapid was extraordinary. It was good to wake up in the morning and see the blue river flowing peacefully just a few metres away from our tents. It was good to know that even though individually we are scrawny and ridiculously helpless with a paddle, as a team of 7-8 people, we were quite strong. It is good to know that even though we are small, compared to the might of the Ganga and the huge mountains of the Himalayas surrounding us, we could cross the waters and made it to the other side.
Rafting straight into this rapid was, by infinite amounts, the best moment of the trip.We watched as a couple of rafts ahead of us flipped through the massive waves, throwing their passengers into the deep blue before we went into the evilly grinding waters ourselves. We nearly flipped, our star rafter was thrown into the water, the paddlers on the right side of the raft were pushed to the left side, a couple of rafters lost their paddles but the puniest people on the raft responded well to the screaming guide’s instructions to back paddle and steered us to safer waters. It was brilliant, unforgettable. The rafting was not the only activity that made this trip so amazing though. We camped on the banks of the Ganga in tents and experienced the intricacies of using sand-pit loos (too long to explain), sleeping in tents under the most comfortable quilts and having amazing food under a star filled sky. Several of us spent long, productive hours after rafting playing poker and resorting to winning on luck and getting beaten by novices who have just learnt to play the game. One raft even sighted a body floating through the waters of the sacred Ganges precariously close to ‘The Wall’. Several of us jumped off a 15 foot high cliff into the river below, some of the girls needed a lot of convincing before they agreed to jump off and did everything the instructors told them not to do (like look down instead of looking straight ahead n screaming with their mouths wide open) but everyone came out of the water looking absolutely thrilled and ready to take the jump again. Between worrying about sore ankles and pimples, we had a dazzling experience. The adventure and the mere thrill of overcoming a rapid was extraordinary. It was good to wake up in the morning and see the blue river flowing peacefully just a few metres away from our tents. It was good to know that even though individually we are scrawny and ridiculously helpless with a paddle, as a team of 7-8 people, we were quite strong. It is good to know that even though we are small, compared to the might of the Ganga and the huge mountains of the Himalayas surrounding us, we could cross the waters and made it to the other side.
Hiking Club
A Brief History
Founded in 1949, the Hiking Club of St. Stephen’s College is one of the oldest mountaineering clubs in India, second only to The Himalayan Club in Bombay. It is older than such institutions as the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the Delhi Mountaineering Association. Its list of achievements too is unmatched by any similar college-level club.
Although it was initially formed with the aim of introducing students to outdoor activities in general, the Hiking Club quickly graduated to more serious mountaineering activities, especially under the guidance of the late Mr. Balbir Singh of the Department of Economics, who was the Staff Adviser through the 1960s.
By the end of the 1980s, the Club had an unrivalled record of high-altitude treks, many done under the guidance of Mr. Balbir Singh and his successors as Staff Adviser. Many of the routes the Club did were truly pioneering, done in the years before the development of infrastructure made them popular and accessible.
The Club also has a fine record of climbing. Though a complete list of all expeditions undertaken is not possible, some significant achievements have been as follows:
first passage through the lower Rishiganga gorge into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (while attempting one of the Devistan peaks), in 1977
first entry by a climbing team into the Kalabaland glacier system
ascent of Deo Tibba (6001 m) in 1980 by an all-girls expedition
first ascent of a 21,800 ft (6645 m) peak in the Chango valley in Spiti in 1982, which was named “Ninjeri” (Pure mountain) by the team
ascent of the Bagini Pass leading to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 1984
ascents of various other peaks, including Bandarpunch (6316 m) and Hanuman Tibba (5928 m)
Closer to home, many of the rock climbing areas around Delhi that are now popular with all climbers were actually discovered and first climbed by the active members of the Club in the seventies and eighties, like Rohan Kanhai Dutta, Mandeep Singh Soin, Yousuf Zaheer and Sanjeev Saith. Well-known climbers among the Club’s alumni also include people such as Suman Dubey, Hari Dang, P.M. Das, Romesh Bhattacharji and Ajay Tankha.
All in all, the Hiking Club a great legacy to live up to. In the recent past, the emphasis of its activities had shifted somewhat from high altitude climbing to trekking, but it has been the intention of the present members to revive that tradition. Still, the Club remains committed to introducing students to a wide range of adventure sports. After all, we have always been involved in many different activities, perhaps best exemplified by one of our former Presidents, Ajeet Bajaj, who was once described as “the only Indian to have rafted down three Indian rivers and climbed Jogin III who can play the saxophone”!
Founded in 1949, the Hiking Club of St. Stephen’s College is one of the oldest mountaineering clubs in India, second only to The Himalayan Club in Bombay. It is older than such institutions as the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the Delhi Mountaineering Association. Its list of achievements too is unmatched by any similar college-level club.
Although it was initially formed with the aim of introducing students to outdoor activities in general, the Hiking Club quickly graduated to more serious mountaineering activities, especially under the guidance of the late Mr. Balbir Singh of the Department of Economics, who was the Staff Adviser through the 1960s.
By the end of the 1980s, the Club had an unrivalled record of high-altitude treks, many done under the guidance of Mr. Balbir Singh and his successors as Staff Adviser. Many of the routes the Club did were truly pioneering, done in the years before the development of infrastructure made them popular and accessible.
The Club also has a fine record of climbing. Though a complete list of all expeditions undertaken is not possible, some significant achievements have been as follows:
first passage through the lower Rishiganga gorge into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (while attempting one of the Devistan peaks), in 1977
first entry by a climbing team into the Kalabaland glacier system
ascent of Deo Tibba (6001 m) in 1980 by an all-girls expedition
first ascent of a 21,800 ft (6645 m) peak in the Chango valley in Spiti in 1982, which was named “Ninjeri” (Pure mountain) by the team
ascent of the Bagini Pass leading to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 1984
ascents of various other peaks, including Bandarpunch (6316 m) and Hanuman Tibba (5928 m)
Closer to home, many of the rock climbing areas around Delhi that are now popular with all climbers were actually discovered and first climbed by the active members of the Club in the seventies and eighties, like Rohan Kanhai Dutta, Mandeep Singh Soin, Yousuf Zaheer and Sanjeev Saith. Well-known climbers among the Club’s alumni also include people such as Suman Dubey, Hari Dang, P.M. Das, Romesh Bhattacharji and Ajay Tankha.
All in all, the Hiking Club a great legacy to live up to. In the recent past, the emphasis of its activities had shifted somewhat from high altitude climbing to trekking, but it has been the intention of the present members to revive that tradition. Still, the Club remains committed to introducing students to a wide range of adventure sports. After all, we have always been involved in many different activities, perhaps best exemplified by one of our former Presidents, Ajeet Bajaj, who was once described as “the only Indian to have rafted down three Indian rivers and climbed Jogin III who can play the saxophone”!
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