Himalayan Club Celebrates 80th Anniversary
March 2008Nawang Gombu and Teresa Richey celebrate in Mumbai, India.
Harish Kapadia reports:
The 80th Year celebration of the Himalayan Club in February started with members from around the world and Mumbai climbing and trekking at the Pachmarhi Hills of Madhya Pradesh in central India. This five-day excursion was bursting with activities. We went for long, sprawling walks through the hills during the day, and in the evening explored the bazaar of Pachmarhi, where you get some authentic food. And of course there are rocks and more rocks to climb. Mark Richey and Vinay Hegde climbed many long pitches, joined by Rajesh Gadgil. The surprise was George Band, 79 years old, who inspired all of us with his climbing skills. Age has not mellowed him at all!
Back in Mumbai, the Annual General Meeting (February 15) saw a good turn-out of members from India and abroad, many of them very senior members of the club. Discussions on current activities and ideas for the future of the club were exchanged. Divyesh Muni, after praiseworthy work for more than a decade as Hon. Secretary, retired, and Vijay Crishna took over the reins.
The morning of Saturday, February 16, started with guests onboard a special cruise in the Mumbai harbour. The cruise started from Gateway of India and gave a tour of the harbor. Dr. Ravi Mariwala (member of the Managing Committee and a sailor) enlightened all about the surroundings and islands near Mumbai. This was followed by a meeting at the Indian Merchants’ Chambers (our cosponsors), where Aamir Ali, Honorary Member of the club, and Juerg Meyer suggested many ideas for protection of the Himalaya.
The main event was inaugurated by the leading industrialist Mr. Adi Godrej, on the evening of the 16th of February. Harish Kapadia made a short presentation about the history and activities of the Himalayan Club. One of the senior-most members of the club, Trevor Braham (author, explorer, and editor), delivered a talk called Himalayan Playground, covering the history of the club from 1946. The "Kaivan Mistry Memorial Lecture" was delivered by Mark Richey, former president of the American Alpine Club and a leading climber, who spoke about his climbs in the Karakoram, especially Latok I. The film Americans on Everest was screened. Nawang Gombu, holder of the Tiger Badge of the club, who had climbed to the summit on this 1963 expedition, was present. A book on Nawang Gombu’s life, compiled by his daughter, was released in the presence of his family.
That evening, a grand club dinner was held at the Yacht Club. It was a unique gathering, with the most senior members mixing with the young.
February 17 was the 80th birthday of the Himalayan Club, to the day. We had a screening of the film Beyond Everest, covering the work of the late Sir Edmund Hillary for the Sherpa community. Juerg Meyer, an environment specialist from the Swiss Alpine Club, spoke about environmental protection of the Himalaya. This was followed by a talk called "Summit: 150 years of the Alpine Club," by George Band, mountaineer and author from London, and Honorary Member of the Himalayan Club, and his lecture was full of humor and historic pictures.
Tamotsu Nakamura, the explorer from Japan, was next, speaking about his great explorations in Southeastern Tibet. The climax of the celebrations was a talk by Mark Richey. "My Hardest Climb" covered stupendous wall climbing, with pictures that were equally as stunning.
As it should be at every such gathering, the meeting of the young with the historical personalities of the club was of prime importance. Climbing, trekking, a cruise, lectures, discussions, and good food—the essence of celebrations!
Click here to see a selection of photos from the Himalayan Club's 80th anniversary.