sikhpride

Haripal Singh Ahluwalia was born on 06.11.1936 at Sialkot (Now in Pakistan). He was mainly brought up in Shimla. When he went to Saint George’s College, Mussoorie, by that time he has developed interest in Rock climbing and photography. He joined Army after doing his graduation, but, his adventurous spirit led him to become a well known climber (his rock climbing include Garhwal, Sikkim, Nepal and Ladhakh) and when the first Indian team dared the Mount Everest, he was one of the member of this team. It was on29.05.1965, when he climbed Mount Everest. Unfortunately, in the Indo Pakistani War of 1965, he suffered a bullet injury which affected his spinal cord and confined him to a Wheel-chair. However, his high spirit did not allow him to give in.He thought of dedicating his life in the service and re-habilitation of those affected by Spinal injuries. Since then, he is the chairman of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, which is a unique institution of its kind in Delhi. He remained associated with various Associations working in this direction. For example, he has been a member of Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation) in collaboration with AISPO-ITALY and Patron, Spinal Cord Society, India. For his adventurous spirit and achievements, he has been honoured with Arjuna Award – 1965, Padma Shri – 1966, Padma Bhushan – 2002 and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for lifetime Achievement -29.08.2009.