Chandra Prakash Vohra is an Indian geologist, glaciologist and mountaineer who climbed

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 hei ...

, the highest peak in the world, in 1965. He was one of the 9 summiters of the first successful Indian Everest Expeditions that climbed

in May 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli.On May 24 th 1965 Vohra and

Ang Kami Ang Kami Sherpa was the member of the third Indian Everest expedition, led by Captain M S Kohliin 1965 which was first Indian successful Everest Expedition climbed Mount Everest, consisted of 21 major expedition members and 50 Sherpas. T ...

Sherpa together reached the top of

,. He was the first Indian civilian to scale the peak a feat he accomplished on 24 May 1965. A winner of the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

(1965), and the National Mineral Award, Vohra was honoured by the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 1965, with the award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

, the fourth highest Indian civilian award,. He is the fourth Indian man and nineteenth man in world that climbed Mount Everest.

Biography

Chandra Prakash Singh Vohra did his schooling in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

and started his career with the

Geological Survey of India The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a scientific agency of India. It was founded in 1851, as a Government of India organization under the Ministry of Mines, one of the oldest of such organisations in the world and the second oldest survey ...

(GSI). He spent his entire career with GSI becoming the first director of the ''Division for Snow, Ice and Glacier Studies'' and retired in 1994 as its Director General. A geologist by profession, he carried out several geological expeditions and is known to have visited many glaciers around the world. He participated in three Everest expeditions and summitted the peak in 1965, becoming the first Indian civilian achieve the feat. In 1973, he was part of a team that explored Antarctica and was successful in camping at the southern tip of the continent. He was the leader of the landing group of the First Indian Expedition to Antarctica in 1981.

Honors and awards

Vohra is a recipient of the National Mineral Award of the

Ministry of Mines (India) The Ministry of Mines is the ministry in the Government of India. The ministry functions as the primary body for the formulation and administration of laws relating to mines in India. The head of the ministry is Pralhad Joshi, who has been se ...

. The

awarded him the civilian honour of

in 1965 and he received the

, the second highest Indian sports award from the

Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for the development of sports in India. SAI has 2 Sports Academic instituti ...

the same year. In 1996, in the golden jubilee year of Indian independence, Vohra was officially included in the list of the most outstanding geoscientists of Independent India. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation awarded him their ''Nain Singh-Kishen Singh Lifetime Achievement Award'' in 2010. Chandra Prakash Vohra, post retirement from government service, is settled in

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

, with his wife Satinder Vohra.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vohra, Chandra Prakash Indian summiters of Mount Everest Indian mountain climbers Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports Recipients of the Arjuna Award Indian geologists Mountain climbers from Jammu and Kashmir Indian glaciologists Date of birth missing 20th-century Indian earth scientists Scientists from Jammu and Kashmir

Biography

Honors and awards

See also

References