Harish Kapadia
Encyclopedia
Harish Kapadia is a distinguished Himalayan
Mountaineer
from India
. He has been awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, UK and the Life Time Achievement Award for Adventure by the President of India
and the King Albert Mountain Award presented by The King Albert I Memorial Foundation. He has written numerous books and articles on the Indian Himalaya.
He began climbing and trekking in the range around Bombay, the Western Ghats
. His first visit to the Himalaya was almost 40 years ago. His main contribution to Himalayan climbing has been to explore unknown areas and, in number of cases, to open up climbing possibilities. Some of his major ascents have been of Devtoli (6788 m), Bandarpunch
West (6102 m), Parilungbi (6166 m), in 1995, Lungser Kangri (6666 m) the highest peak of Rupshu
in Ladakh
. He led five international joint expeditions, four with the British
and two with the French
, to high peaks, such as Rimo I
(7385 m), Chong Kumdan Kangri I (7071 m), Sudarshan Parbat, and the Panch Chuli and Rangrik Rang groups.
Earlier, in 1974 he fell in a crevasse at 6200 m, deep inside the formidable Nanda Devi
Sanctuary. He was carried by his companions for 13 days to the base camp where a helicopter
rescued him. He was operated for a dislocated hip-joint and had to spend two years walking on crutches. But that did not keep him out for too long and he has climbed for three decades after the injury.
Kapadia has a degree in Commerce, Law and Management from Bombay University and he is a cloth merchant by profession. He has published twelve books. His Trek The Sahyadris has now become a standard reference for all trekkers in the Western Ghats
. His other books, Exploring the Hidden Himalaya (with Soli Mehta) and High Himalaya Unknown Valleys and Meeting The Mountains cover his various trips to the Himalaya, while Spiti Adventures in the Trans-Himalaya, covers climbing and trekking in that region. He has been the editor of the Himalayan Journal for the past 28 years, bringing the journal to international standards and continuing it as a major authentic reference on the range.
Kapadia has been elected an Honorary Member of the (British) Alpine Club
. He was a Vice President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (1997–1999). He was awarded the IMF Gold Medal by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation in 1993. In 2003, the Queen approved the award of the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society to him. He has been invited to many countries to lecture on his Himalayan exploits, and is a member of several organisations. He is married, and lives in Bombay.
His son Lt. Nawang Kapadia
, who was commissioned on September 2, 2000 in the Fourth Battalion the Third Gorkha
Rifles, died while fighting Pakistan
based terrorists in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar
on 11 November 2000. Since then Harish Kapadia has taken to lecturing about this conflict, particularly in the Siachen Glacier
. He has been discussing a proposal for a peace park for Siachen and cleaning up the environmental damage there.
Harish Kapadia has donated a substantial number of photographs and maps to the American Alpine Club
and to the Swiss National Museum
, which are setting up the Lt. Nawang Kapadia Collection. This is in addition to the Lt. Nawang Kapadia Library already in existence at the Himalayan Club.
His book, "Meeting The Mountains" is also seen while standing in line at Disney's Animal Kingdom for Expedition Everest. While passing through the line you pass through many glass cases displaying the history of mountains and at one point, you come across something that is supposed to look like an office and his book can be seen on the top bookshelf of this section.
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
Mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He has been awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, UK and the Life Time Achievement Award for Adventure by the President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
and the King Albert Mountain Award presented by The King Albert I Memorial Foundation. He has written numerous books and articles on the Indian Himalaya.
He began climbing and trekking in the range around Bombay, the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. His first visit to the Himalaya was almost 40 years ago. His main contribution to Himalayan climbing has been to explore unknown areas and, in number of cases, to open up climbing possibilities. Some of his major ascents have been of Devtoli (6788 m), Bandarpunch
Bandarpunch
Bandarpunch is a major peak of the Garhwal division of the Himalayas, in the Indian state of Uttaranchal. It literally means "Tail of the monkey" or "Tail of Hanuman" in Hindi. It's a twin peak: Bandarpunch-I & Bandarpunch-II...
West (6102 m), Parilungbi (6166 m), in 1995, Lungser Kangri (6666 m) the highest peak of Rupshu
Rupshu
Rupshu is a valley in southeast Ladakh, on the Leh-Manali highway. The altitude of the valley is between 4,500 and 5,500 metres. It is inhabited by the Changpa nomads.- External links :* published in The Statesman, 16 June 2004....
in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
. He led five international joint expeditions, four with the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
and two with the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, to high peaks, such as Rimo I
Rimo I
Rimo I is the main summit of the Rimo massif with an elevation of . It lies in the northern part of the remote Rimo Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is located about 20 km northeast of the snout of the Siachen Glacier...
(7385 m), Chong Kumdan Kangri I (7071 m), Sudarshan Parbat, and the Panch Chuli and Rangrik Rang groups.
Earlier, in 1974 he fell in a crevasse at 6200 m, deep inside the formidable Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...
Sanctuary. He was carried by his companions for 13 days to the base camp where a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
rescued him. He was operated for a dislocated hip-joint and had to spend two years walking on crutches. But that did not keep him out for too long and he has climbed for three decades after the injury.
Kapadia has a degree in Commerce, Law and Management from Bombay University and he is a cloth merchant by profession. He has published twelve books. His Trek The Sahyadris has now become a standard reference for all trekkers in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. His other books, Exploring the Hidden Himalaya (with Soli Mehta) and High Himalaya Unknown Valleys and Meeting The Mountains cover his various trips to the Himalaya, while Spiti Adventures in the Trans-Himalaya, covers climbing and trekking in that region. He has been the editor of the Himalayan Journal for the past 28 years, bringing the journal to international standards and continuing it as a major authentic reference on the range.
Kapadia has been elected an Honorary Member of the (British) Alpine Club
Alpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
. He was a Vice President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (1997–1999). He was awarded the IMF Gold Medal by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation in 1993. In 2003, the Queen approved the award of the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society to him. He has been invited to many countries to lecture on his Himalayan exploits, and is a member of several organisations. He is married, and lives in Bombay.
His son Lt. Nawang Kapadia
Nawang Kapadia
Lieutenant Nawang H. Kapadia , was an Indian Army officer who died fighting Kashmiri militants in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar on 11 November 2000.-Personal Life:...
, who was commissioned on September 2, 2000 in the Fourth Battalion the Third Gorkha
Gorkha regiments (India)
The Gorkha regiments have been serving in the Indian Army ever since independence in 1947, when the Tripartite Agreement was signed. The regiments primarily consist of soldiers from India's Gorkha community and from the Gorkha tribes of Nepal...
Rifles, died while fighting Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
based terrorists in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
on 11 November 2000. Since then Harish Kapadia has taken to lecturing about this conflict, particularly in the Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains at about , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and...
. He has been discussing a proposal for a peace park for Siachen and cleaning up the environmental damage there.
Harish Kapadia has donated a substantial number of photographs and maps to the American Alpine Club
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...
and to the Swiss National Museum
Swiss National Museum
The Swiss National Museum — part of the Musée Suisse Group, itself affiliated with the Federal Office of Culture — is one of the most important art museums of cultural history in Europe and the world...
, which are setting up the Lt. Nawang Kapadia Collection. This is in addition to the Lt. Nawang Kapadia Library already in existence at the Himalayan Club.
His book, "Meeting The Mountains" is also seen while standing in line at Disney's Animal Kingdom for Expedition Everest. While passing through the line you pass through many glass cases displaying the history of mountains and at one point, you come across something that is supposed to look like an office and his book can be seen on the top bookshelf of this section.
Notable Climbs
Total: Peaks climbed: 33, * First Ascents 21- Jatropani (4071m)
- Ikulari (6059m)
- Bethartoli Himal South (6318m) (Garhwal)
- Shiti Dhar (5290m)(H.P.)
- Devtoli* (6788m)
- Kalabaland Dhura* (6105m)
- Koteshwar II* (5690m)(Garhwal)
- Yada (4115 m),
- Jalsu (4298 m) (H.P.)
- Lagma* (5761m),
- Zumto* (c.5800m)
- Tserip* (c.5980m)
- Kawu* (c.5910m) (Spiti)
- Kalanag(6387m)
- Bandarpunch West* (6102m) (Garhwal)
- Parilungbi (6166m)
- Runse* (6175m)
- Gyadung* (6160m)
- Geling* (c. 6100m)
- Lama Kyent* (c.6040m)
- Labrang* (c.5900m)(Spiti)
- Nandi* (5795m)(Garhwal)
- Laknis* (6235m)
- Chogam (6250m)
- Skyang (5770m) (East Karakoram)
- Panchali Chuli* (5220m)
- Draupadi* (5250m)(Kumaon)
- Khamengar (5760m)(Spiti)
- Mangla* (5800m)
- Kunda*(5240m)(Kinnaur)
- Lungser Kangri* (6666 m)
- Chhamser Kangri(6622m) (Ladakh)
- Bhagat Peak* (5650m) (Garhwal)