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India.com
5 days ago
- India.com
10 Fascinating Facts About Dehradun You Never Knew
Dehradun City of Uttarakhand is the capital of India, where rich culture and modern development meets natural beauty. The city is situated in the Doon Valley, with the Himalayas to the North and Shivalik hills to the South. There is something to offer to everyone from nature lovers, and history enthusiasts to people seeking solace. Let us look at some of the most inspiring facts about Dehradun that showcase its beauty and significance. 1. Dehradun has a tale behind its name The word 'Dehradun' is the combination and abbreviation of 'Dera' which stands for campsite and 'Doon' which refers to a valley. In the 17th century Guru Ram Rai, who was the eldest son of Guru Har Rai, the seventh siekh Guru, settled here giving reason for this name. The area was known as Sudhnagar before it became Dehradun. 2. It Serves as the Gateway to Several Tourist Destinations Dehradun serves as a point of access to some key locations in India including the temples of Mussoorie, Auli, Nainital, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and in Addition to these above mentioned temples, there is the Char Dham pilgrimage area. Given its position, it is also very convenient for passerby tourists who make journeys in Uttarakhand. 3. Home to Prestigious Educational Institutions Dehradun is sometimes called the 'school capital of India' and for good reason. The Doon School, Welham Girls' School, Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Forest Research Institute (FRI), Indian Military Academy (IMA) are just some of the big names in this area. The quality of these institutions brings in a lot of students from different parts of the nation and enhances the reputation of the city. 4. Rich Biodiversity and Natural Beauty With the city's location at the Himalayan foothills, it is plausible that there is rich biodiversity. Dehradun is a city of green forests, the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, Rajaji National park and other wildlife sanctuaries around it. What also makes Rajaji National park special is the vast variety of flora and fauna that resides in it. Elephants, tigers, leopards, over 300 birds are just a small portion of what makes the park such a delight. 5. Forest Research Institute – A Heritage Site Dehradun has the Forest Research Institute (FRI), which is the foremost institution in India in the area of forestry research and boasts exceptional architecture. Its main building, constructed in 1906 during the British raj, is considered one of the largest wooden structures in the continent. In 2014, FRI was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the title of 'Modern Heritage'. 6. Birthplace of Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev The city of Dehradun is the birthplace of Yoga guru Swami Ramdev who is well known across the globe for practicing and popularizing Yoga, and Ayurveda through Patanjali Ayurved Limited. His endeavors have impacted the health and wellness of people around the globe. 7. Robber's Cave – A Unique Geological Wonder One of the iconic places of Dehradun is also Robber's Cave / Guchhupani. It is a natural cave with a stream running through it, and where water disappears quite suspiciously. The site is also well known for its association with some Hindu fables like Lord Rama believed to have meditated here during his exile. 8. Nearby Tehri Dam Reservoir Dehradun may not host the Tehri Dam in its vicinity, but what it does have is extremely close access to this engineering wonder which is roughly 100 kilometers away. The Tehri Dam on the Bhagirathi River is one of the tallest dams in the world and holds significance in hydroelectric power generation as well as irrigation in Northern India. 9. A Hub For Adventure Activities Adventure lovers, both domestic and foreign, are very much interested in getting to Dehradun because that means they will have relatively easier access to places like Mussoorie, Chakrata and Dhanaulti. An endless array of trekking, paragliding, river rafting, camping and skiing all await these adventurers throughout the year in the region. These activities become even more remarkable with the breathtaking views the region offers. 10. Climate and Agriculture Dehradun has a temperate climate, which is suitable for agriculture. The cold winters along with moderate summers leaves space for Basmati rice, litchis, mangoes and many others to flourish in the rich soil of the Doon Valley. Additionally, this region becomes an attraction for most expatriates and retirees who want to settle down in a tranquil environment surrounded by greenery, due to the nature infused lifestyle they offer. Conclusion Now you know that Dehradun is much more than the capital of Uttarakhand; it is a combination of culture, education, spirituality, and adventure all neatly packed into one location. The city is filled with opportunities for exploration and discovery, ranging from its historical roots, and notable institutions, to its surreal natural beauty and landmarks. If you are looking for a place to go on vacation, wanting to relocate, or you just want to learn more about this wonderful city, these facts highlight the reasons why Dehradun is one of the most loved places around the world.
Mint
17-05-2025
- Mint
How Indian mountaineering came of age with a historic ascent of Mount Everest in 1965
'But the slope led on and on. Heavens, was there no end? And then, suddenly, there was an end—no more little humps, only a white little dome curving slightly above us. Incredible! It was the summit of Everest," writes Captain H.P.S. Ahluwalia in his book Higher Than Everest (1973). On 29 May 1965, Ahluwalia, H.C.S. Rawat and Phu Dorji climbed the highest mountain in the world. It was the first time three mountaineers had stood together on Everest's summit. This was another feather in the Third Indian Everest Expedition's hat. Over 10 days, nine members had reached the summit, the most until then from a single team. Nawang Gombu, who had seen success with the 1963 American expedition, became the first man to climb the mountain twice. And at 23 years, Sonam Wangyal was the youngest summiteer at the time. The world sat up and took notice of this remarkable feat. Since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's first ascent in 1953, just two other expeditions—the Swiss in 1956 and the Americans in 1963—had climbed Everest from Nepal. A Chinese team's claim of having summited from Tibet in 1960 was disputed. Also Read The first Indians on Everest Indian teams had made two previous attempts, but had fallen short. Though Tenzing, a resident of Darjeeling, had been celebrated by India, the success in 1965 was special. As President S. Radhakrishnan explained, the first man to climb Everest 'was also an Indian, although he shared the honour with his companion from New Zealand". However, 'this conquest is entirely an Indian effort and is therefore more thrilling". Sixty years ago, in the world of mountaineering, was the period of 8,000ers. Between 1950-60, thirteen of the fourteen 8,000-metre mountains of the world saw first ascents. There was a constant rush of various teams trying to 'reserve" a mountain. With national glory at stake, each success produced overnight heroes who until then either took to climbing as a passion or, like in Tenzing's case, a profession. THE ORIGINS OF INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING India's mountaineering history runs back many years. Like Tenzing, young Sherpa men had migrated from Nepal to Darjeeling in India in search of employment. They were at ease on the mountains and it took little time for them to prove their worth on various expeditions to different parts of the Himalaya. Tenzing too was a part of three British and two Swiss expeditions on Everest, before he finally climbed the mountain in 1953. Closer to home, he joined teams from the Doon School in Dehradun, who would regularly set off on explorations and climbs in the Indian Himalaya. These were small teams with modest resources that craved adventure rather than success. No summit, no problem. They would simply await the next opportunity to set off again. Nandu Jayal, a student at the Doon School and a prolific climber who went on to become the first principal of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), put their approach in perspective in the book For Hills to Climb (2001), edited by Aamir Ali. 'A mountaineer is always the gainer even if he does not reach the summit." The tradition of setting off during the school's mid-term breaks continued after India's independence. In 1951, a team featuring three members from Doon School summited Trisul (7,120m) in the Garhwal Himalaya. It was only the third ascent of the mountain and gave Indian mountaineering the iconic image of assistant master Gurdial Singh's headstand on the summit. 'It was when Gurdial Singh climbed Trisul that the age of mountaineering for Indians began," wrote explorer and climber, Harish Kapadia, in the Himalayan Journal in 2000. Also Read The great Everest mystery: 100 years of the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine Away from the mountains, Tenzing soaked in the adulation and fame that came with the 1953 Everest ascent. He travelled the world, rubbing shoulders with everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Kishore Kumar. Back home, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave his assent to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) in Darjeeling to 'produce more Tenzings". The government-backed expeditions that were launched had deep pockets, a contrast to the small resourceful teams that had been climbing until then. For instance, the Trisul summit in 1951 had been attained on a budget of ₹4,000; just the imported items for the 1965 Everest expedition added up around ₹1 lakh. India longed to be part of the prestigious 8,000m club. That moment arrived in 1958 as the first Indian team set off for Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. Every detail of the expedition was managed by a Sponsoring Committee, which in 1961 was recognised as the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), the governing body for mountaineering in India. Sonam Gyatso and Pasang Dawa Lama's summit success, only the second ascent of Cho Oyu, was dampened by the death of Jayal early on during the expedition. But an Indian team had shown the ability to climb an 8,000m mountain. The stage was set for Everest. In 1960, Gyan Singh, a brigadier in the Indian Army and principal of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute from 1958 to 1962, led the first Indian expedition that returned about 200m short of the summit due to bad weather. More drama was to follow two years later. For three nights, Mohan Singh Kohli, a commander in the Indian Navy, Hari Dang, an assistant master at the Doon School, and Sonam Gyatso, a mountaineer from Sikkim, were stranded at around 8,500m in inclement weather. It didn't get any better when they had the chance to proceed higher up and they turned around 100m short of the top. Though Everest remained elusive, Indian climbers succeeded on challenging climbs elsewhere during these years. Narinder 'Bull" Kumar, deputy leader of the 1965 Everest expedition, led the first ascent of Nilkantha (6,596m) in 1961. The same year, Kohli, Sonam Gyatso and Sonam Girmi made the first ascent of Annapurna III (7,555m) in Nepal, a climb that has only seen 10 other successful summits since then. Right before the third Everest attempt, Kumar led the second ascent of Nanda Devi (7,817m) after two previous unsuccessful attempts by Indian teams. SUMMITING EVEREST These expeditions created a pool of strong mountaineers. Kohli was selected to lead the third Everest expedition with clear instructions from S.S. Khera, president of IMF. 'We have attempted Everest twice and failed. I want Everest climbed," he told Kohli, as mentioned in the latter's 1969 book Nine Atop Everest, while discarding a proposal to attempt the daunting West Ridge route as well. Given all that was at stake, a trial was organised to pick out the cream of Indian mountaineering. The previous year, three expeditions had set off for Nanda Devi, the Panchachuli massif, and Nanda Devi East and Tirsuli. Those who had done well were invited to the pre-Everest climb on Rathong, a peak in Sikkim. Though 11 climbers reached the summit, success this time around was measured in terms of performance, efficiency and compatibility. After much deliberation, 13 climbers were selected for Everest that included two doctors and one member to manage communications. Four others were later added to the team. Along with Kohli and his deputy, Bull Kumar, the team added up to 19 in all. The average age of the team was 31; nine had been to Everest before. It was by no means a modest expedition and resources were in abundance to ensure the success of the climb. Most of the gear was manufactured by the Ordnance factories around the country. The major imports were oxygen equipment and eiderdown used primarily for the sleeping bags. Meals were a lavish spread fit for a king, featuring everything from meat and fish to pudding and cakes. For the first time, they also had pre-cooked, dehydrated food at their convenience. Also Read How Mount Everest was mapped For supplementary oxygen, around 125 cylinders were ferried to South Col, with about a hundred available for the summit attempts. Forty-six high-altitude Sherpas led by Ang Tshering supported the primary team, besides 10 others who helped open the route through the Khumbu Icefall. Over 800 porters were needed to haul the supplies to base camp. It was akin to a seasonal migration, as a train of men set off from Jaynagar, a town near the Indo-Nepal border, on a march that took close to a month. By 22 March, base camp had been established, the only team to attempt Everest that season from the south side. As Kohli writes in Nine Atop Everest, 'We got busy putting the place into shape with the same zest as marks the newly-married couple while setting up a new home." Over the next few weeks, the team got busy opening the route and stocking camps with the essentials. By 16 April, climbers had reached South Col. All that remained now was setting up a final camp en route the summit. But bad weather pushed the team back to base camp. Kohli and Kumar worked on the dynamics of the summit teams, each comprising four climbers on two ropes, supported by other members. The focus early on was to get one climber to the summit, though before leaving for the mountain, Kohli had told his wife that he hoped to put at least eight men on top. The first party comprised A.S. Cheema and Tenzing Norgay's nephew, Nawang Gombu, alongside Sonam Gyatso and Sonam Wangyal. On 22 April, a farewell party of sorts gathered a short distance from base camp to see them off. Though they made it as far as South Col, the forecast predicted high winds over the next few days, forcing the team to return. There was little to do but wait out the rough weather. The day started at leisure with a delectable breakfast spread of 'parathas or poories with a dish of potatoes, eggs, butter, jam, a lot of pickle and, at times, liver", according to Nine Atop Everest. They kept busy with card games and indulging in idle banter. To beat lethargy, they explored and took on short climbs around base camp. After a prolonged wait, they received news of calm weather from the India Meteorological Department on 14 May. A couple of days later, they set off for the top again, well aware that they had just about two weeks before the monsoon arrived. Three days later, the first party reached South Col without any challenges. By the next afternoon, they had established summit camp on the south-east ridge. At 5am on 20 May, Cheema and Gombu set off for the top; by 9.30am, they had reached the summit of Everest. Also Read 4 great treks, from the Sahyadris to the Himalaya A severe blizzard stalled the duo's descent. Cheema had lost his goggles and was almost snow-blind when he entered camp. The two Sonams knew they had their task cut out and tried to keep warm at South Col that evening. The following morning they took on the arduous task of cutting steps in the fresh snow all over again. A tedious slog of eight hours got them to summit camp where they found their tent buried. It took a while for them to settle in, blasted by strong winds throughout the night. But their prayers were answered when first light brought calm weather. After six hours of climbing, they were finally on the summit. With bad weather on the horizon again, C.P. Vohra and Ang Kami made a mad dash up the mountain and were the third party to get to the top on 24 May. Lower down the mountain, the final team took stock of the oxygen left. By the time they set off from Advance Base Camp on 26 May, it was clear that they would have time for just one attempt. When B.P. Singh felt uneasy on the Lhotse Face, he was promptly replaced by Phu Dorji, who had been on both previous Indian expeditions. He set off on a rope with Ahluwalia, followed by H.V. Bahuguna and Rawat, arriving at summit camp two days later. On 29 May, they set off for the top. A short distance from camp, Bahuguna slowed down considerably. He soon unroped himself to allow Rawat to continue alone. Above them, Ahluwalia had developed a leak in his oxygen cylinder, which was ingeniously patched by Phu Dorji using adhesive tapes from a carton in his haversack. It gave Rawat enough time to catch up. At 10.15am, the trio was on the summit of Everest, exactly 12 years since Tenzing and Hillary had stood there. A party unfolded at base camp over the next couple of days. At Delhi's Palam airport, they were received by dignitaries amid great pomp. These men were celebrated in India and around the world. Rewards came in the form of opportunities and promotions. In the time ahead, a few continued going to the mountains; for others, it was the one climb that came to define their lives. Because much like it is for a lot of climbers even today, it doesn't get higher than Everest. Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer. Also Read Looking for Nanda Devi: Remembering the iconic 1934 Himalayan expedition
The Print
09-05-2025
- General
- The Print
Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, Dehradun's Doon & Welham schools allow students to return home
In an email to parents Thursday evening, Doon School Headmaster Jagpreet Singh informed that while they 'continue to be safe and secure on campus', the school had received requests from several parents wishing to bring their sons home, anticipating possible disruptions to flight services. Multiple explosions were reported in parts of Jammu Thursday evening as Pakistan launched an aerial attack, using at least four loitering munitions, prompting several states and UTs, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, to announce closure of schools, colleges and universities for the coming days. New Delhi: With the tensions between India and Pakistan escalating, top boarding schools in Dehradun, including The Doon School and Welham Girls' School, have allowed students to return home after receiving multiple requests from concerned parents. 'As a result, the School has decided to permit all boys whose parents wish to have them back home, to depart from campus starting at 6.00 am on Friday, May 9,' he wrote, advising parents opting for the arrangement to get in touch with their children's housemaster. Singh further said that parents within driving distance of Dehradun could plan to collect their children by road. For others, the school will provide transportation and escorts to both Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and IGI Airport in New Delhi. 'School will also organise transport to Delhi, for those who wish to pick up their boys in Delhi,' he added, saying that full travel details would follow soon. The headmaster also reassured parents, who preferred their sons to remain at school until the end of term: 'The School will continue to function, and all our facilities will remain operational.' He emphasised that students taking IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) and IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams will continue without disruption, and that provisions would be in place for boys who might be stranded due to flight cancellations. 'Be assured that the entire staff, both teaching and administration, is working round the clock to ensure that your sons are safe and well taken care of,' Singh said, adding that the school is in close contact with central and state authorities for updates and guidance. 'The city of Dehradun remains safe and secure and continues to function in a normal and calm manner. All essential utilities are available.' Similarly, the principal of Welham Girls' School, Vibha Kapoor, emailed parents late Thursday, offering them the option to pick up their daughters immediately, in response to growing concerns over the tense situation at the border. 'Over the past few days, we have received several requests from concerned parents wishing to pick up their daughters from school. In light of these concerns and the escalating situation at the borders, the school is offering parents the option to collect their wards with immediate effect, should they choose to do so,' Kapoor wrote. She also clarified that the school would remain open and continue normal operations until 17 May, the scheduled start of the summer break. 'Parents are kindly requested to inform their respective House Mistresses of the date and time they plan to pick up their wards,' she added. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Pakistan targets Jammu with loitering munitions, airport and vital installations targeted
