Early Times report
Jammu, Nov 3: On this memorable occasion, a number of mountaineers, sport climbers, adventure-promoting institutions, and prominent members of the club were felicitated by the Chief Guest Sh. B. R. Sharma, IAS (Retd.), former Chief Secretary of J&K; the Presiding Guest Sh. Anil Goswami, IAS (Retd.), former Home Secretary of India; and the Patron of the club ; Sh. Rahul Sharma, Chairman, Sprawling Buds ICSE School, Jammu; and Padma Shri Prof. Lalit Magotra, President, Dogri Sanstha Jammu.
The main attraction of the event was Mohit Knathia, the youngest Everester from J&K, who was presented the “Duggar Gaurav Adventure Award”, the highest honour of the club, for his outstanding achievement of scaling Mount Everest on 18th May 2025 at the age of only 18 years. He was honoured with a Dogra pagri, bouquet, shawl, memento, and a cash prize of ₹21,000.
Subedar Major Balkar Singh, already a recipient of the Duggar Gaurav Adventure Award for his Everest climb in 2016, was conferred with the title of “Most Outstanding Mountaineer of J&K” for scaling Everest for the second time, also on 18th May 2025. He was felicitated with a Dogra pagri, bouquet, shawl, and a memento.
Another highlight of the function was Sushil Singh, a seasoned and dedicated trekker and organiser, who was honoured with the “Narinder Singh Slathia Dedication Award” for his selfless service, loyalty, and passion for the club. He too received a Dogra pagri, bouquet, chunni, and memento.
Everesters Ram Singh Slathia and Falail Singh were also honoured on the occasion, along with Wing Commander Rajesh Mukhi, who successfully scaled Mount Lobuche in the Everest region in October this year.
Among the institutions, Sprawling Buds ICSE School, Bantalab; MHAC School, Nagbani; and Aryan Oriental Convent Hr. Secondary School, Udhampur were honoured for their Outstanding Contribution to the Cause of Adventure.
Other institutions including Oriental Academy Sr. Sec. School, Jammu; St. Xavier Sr. Sec. School, Barnai; GCW Gandhi Nagar; J.K. Montessorie Hr. Sec. School; Shiksha Niketan Group of Schools; and Euro Kids, Samba were awarded for their enthusiastic participation in various trekking and sport climbing activities. Teachers and young members of the club who accompanied trekking groups and supported sport climbing competitions were also felicitated for their contributions.
Prominent among those present were Advisors of the Club Sh. Ram Khajuria and Sh. Vivek Chauhan; Sh. Parveen Sharma, Chairman, The Citizens’ Cooperative Bank Ltd., Jammu; President & Working President Sh. Sumit Khajuria and Ms. Shawetica Khajuria; Vice Presidents Mridhu Padha and Seema Kharyal and General Secretary Mr. Sonam Sidharth.
The special guests included Dr. Javaid Rahi, Verinder Slathia, Prof. C. K. Khajuria, Dr. Mritunjay Gupta, Amit Sharma, Wildlife Warden (Research), Jammu; Shiv Kumar Sharma, Patron District Mountaineering Association, Reasi; Ulfat Khan, President, Students’ Council, GCW Parade; and Upkar Singh Jamwal, Chairman, Aryan Oriental Hr. Sec. School, Udhampur
Earlier, Mr. Sonam Sidharth, General Secretary of the club, delivered the welcome address, recalling the 43-year journey of the club and highlighting its significant achievements during the current year. He also expressed gratitude to various institutions and agencies for their continued support and sponsorship.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Guest Sh. B. R. Sharma,former Chief Secretary of J&K, emphasized the importance of enjoying and preserving nature while pursuing adventure sports. He lauded the efforts of Tawi Trekkers J&K for promoting adventure activities and nurturing national and international level sport climbers and mountaineers despite infrastructural and financial challenges.
The event was gracefully anchored by Ms. Arti Sharma, Senior Vice President, and Ms. Sanjeevani Bhardwaj, Executive Member of the club.
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