Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Ajay Kothiyal,
KC,
SC,
VSM (Retd) is an Indian politician and a former officer of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
. He is a BJP leader, earlier he was leader of
Aam Aadmi Party
The Aam Aadmi Party (; AAP) is a political party in India, as one of the national political parties. The AAP was founded in November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, popular ...
(AAP) and was the CM Candidate for
2022 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly elections. Kothiyal lost the election to BJP candidate in
Gangotri Assembly constituency. In May 2022, he resigned from AAP and joined BJP.
He is also a
mountaineer
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...
and philanthropist, and was the principal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM),
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
.
He was the head of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering,
Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi, meaning Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spiritual and ...
when the institute was given the task of rescue and rehabilitation around the
Kedarnath temple
Kedarnath Temple (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ मंदिर, IAST: ''Kēdāranātha Mandira'', ) is a Hindu temple roughly 1200 years old dedicated to Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river ...
, after its destruction by a
flash flood in 2013. Kothiyal is unmarried. His non-profit trust, "Youth Foundation" trains young boys and girls from Uttarakhand to join the Indian Army. He was given the
Uttarakhand Ratna award in 2016 for his contribution to uplift and provide employment to youth of Uttarakhand.
Early life
Kothiyal was born on 26 February 1969, as the eldest son of Inspector General (Retd.) Satyasaran Kothiyal,
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...
and Sushila Kothiyal. His alma mater include
St. Joseph's Academy, Dehradun,
Brightlands School,
Kendriya Vidyalaya
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,248 schools in India, and three abroad in Moscow ...
Dehradun,
D.A.V.Post Graduate College Dehradun and
Indian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...
.
Military service
After completing his graduation, he cleared the CDS exam and joined the Fourth Battalion of
Garhwal Rifles
The Garhwal Rifles, formerly known as the Royal Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became part of the British Indian Army, and a ...
Regiment as Second Lieutenant in 1992. In 1994, Colonel Kothiyal started training in 'basic mountain warfare' from
High Altitude Warfare School
The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is a defence service training and research establishment of the Indian Army. In 1948, the Indian Army established a ski school in Gulmarg that later became the High Altitude Warfare School, which speciali ...
(HAWS).
Colonel Kothiyal (then Major) was part of the first team of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
that successfully summited the
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
in 2001, under the leadership of Brigadier Krishan Kumar
AVSM
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...
.
On 12 May 2003, Indian Army had carried out its first surgical strike in Pulwama district under the leadership of Major Kothiyal. He was wounded in the operation, in which seven terrorists were neutralized. He was awarded
Kirti Chakra
The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...
. He still has two bullets inside his body.
In 2011, he decided to scale the eighth highest peak in the world,
Mt. Manaslu. No Indian had ever successfully climbed this mountain. Fighting harsh weather and inhospitable conditions, his team unfurled the Indian Flag at the peak of Manaslu on 9 May 2011. He was awarded "
Vishisht Seva Medal
The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces.
From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize excep ...
".
In 2012, Colonel Kothiyal led a team of seven female officers from Indian army and successfully scaled the world's highest peak for the second time. Mrs Pratibha Singh
Patil,
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
at that time, awarded him
Shaurya Chakra
The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, sometimes posthumously ...
.
In 2013,
Kedarnath temple
Kedarnath Temple (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ मंदिर, IAST: ''Kēdāranātha Mandira'', ) is a Hindu temple roughly 1200 years old dedicated to Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river ...
, India's pilgrimage shrine was hit by natural disaster in which many lost lives. Colonel Kothiyal and his team were among the first to reach the affected area. He was given the responsibility of search and rescue operations. Under his supervision, Kedarnath was rebuilt and restored to its pristine form. He is credited with taking charge of the restoration process of Kedarpuri the shrine area at Kedarnath, at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet supervising more than 1000 workers who worked hard in harsh sub zero climate.
In the same year, he also started a nonprofit trust called ''Youth Foundation'' to help the rural youth in
Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India:
Places
*Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas
*Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom
* Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India
*Gar ...
region to join the Indian Military and Para Military Services. The Foundation also helps in providing medical facilities to the poor people in Garhwal region.
Social work
While working in Kedarnath, Colonel Kothiyal had recruited a few young men from nearby villages to assist him. He observed that the youth of Garhwal wanted to join the Indian Army but lacked proper training to do so. To bridge the gap, Colonel Kothiyal started a training program for such people. He self-funded the cause. The first batch had only 11 trainees, and the Army recruited all of them. In 2013, 28 out of the 30 youths he had trained were recruited in the
Garhwal Rifles
The Garhwal Rifles, formerly known as the Royal Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became part of the British Indian Army, and a ...
. This success drew huge number of youth to seek his guidance and training. As a result, in 2015 he registered "Youth Foundation" as a charitable not-for-profit trust.
In 2018, Colonel Kothiyal took voluntary retirement from army to focus on social work through Youth Foundation.
Political career
He joined the
Aam Aadmi Party
The Aam Aadmi Party (; AAP) is a political party in India, as one of the national political parties. The AAP was founded in November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, popular ...
on 19 April 2021. He was the Chief Ministerial candidate from Aam Aadmi Party in
2022 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Uttarakhand on 14 February 2022 to elect 70 members of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 10 March 2022.
Background
The tenure of Uttarakha ...
. He contested from
Gangotri Assembly constituency of Uttarakhand and came third with the BJP candidate winning the seat. He left the Aam Aadmi Party on 18 May 2022.
Six days later on 24 May, 2022 he joined the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
while describing it as a "course correction".
Military decorations
Awards
*
Uttarakhand Ratna
* Salaam India Awards - Special Award
See also
*
Indian summiters of Mount Everest - Year wise
The first attempts to summit Mount Everest by Indians were in 1960. The first Indians to reach the summit were a group led by Captain M.S. Kohli in 1965. 422 Indians made a total of 465 attempts between 1965 and 2018. These include 43 repeat at ...
*
*
List of Mount Everest records of India
This is list of Mount Everest records of Indian nationals have achieved.
Records
* Chhanda Gayen became the first Indian to climb to the summit of any two Eight-thousanders - Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in one go on 18 May 2013. She compl ...
*
List of Mount Everest records
This article lists different records related to Mount Everest. One of the most commonly sought after records is a "summit", to reach the highest elevation point on Mount Everest.
Records
Highest number of times to reach the summit
Other ...
*
Garhwali people
The Garhwali people are an Indian ethnolinguistic group native to the Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, who speak Garhwali, an Indo-Aryan language.
Etymology
In modern usage, "Garhwali" is used to refer to anyone whose linguist ...
*
List of Regiments of the Indian Army
This article lists the regiments of the Indian Army, including the various corps of supporting arms and services.
History
Historic list of regiments
The following old lists in this section have been replaced by the present list provided i ...
*
Garhwal Division
Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian s ...
*
Saurabh Singh Shekhawat
Brigadier Saurabh Singh Shekhawat, KC, SC, SM, VSM is an Indian Army officer of the 21 Para (SF) and an avid mountaineer. He is one of Indian Army's most decorated officers, with one war-time gallantry award and two peace-time gallantry awa ...
*
Mountaineering in India#Indian mountaineers
References
Day-long 'Raibaar' discusses ways to solve U'khand's pressing issues"30% jump in applicants after Army eases height rule"* [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/preparations-in-full-swing-for-pms-state-visit-day-after-diwali/articleshow/61134979.cms "Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, director Col Ajay Kothiyal are invitees for the PM’s function."]
"Youth Foundation to organise selection camps from June 12"
External links
*
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__f1ZkwqRl8 Salaam India Awards winner Col Ajay KothiyalColonel Ajay Kothiyal (Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Vishisht Sewa Medal)Kudos to women Army officialsCross Fire Col.Ajay Kothiyal Sadhna Prime 6.30 PM 8 AugustMission Kedarnath Documentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kothiyal, Ajay
Indian Army officers
Living people
Garhwali people
Indian summiters of Mount Everest
Recipients of the Shaurya Chakra
Recipients of the Kirti Chakra
Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal
People from Tehri Garhwal district
Military personnel from Uttarakhand
People from Uttarakhand
1969 births
Kirti Chakra