HMI mountaineers displays massive 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag atop Kilimanjaro in African continent

Darjeeling, Aug 10 (Agency) Indian mountaineers under the banner of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (Darjeeling) achieved a new milestone displaying a 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag atop Kilimanjaro in the African continent to mark the 78 years of Indian independence, a defence source said on Saturday. Titled “ Divyangjan Expedition” , the expeditionists from Kanchenjunga National Park to Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of the African continent, led by Group Captain Jai Kishan, commenced their journey to the base camp on August 4 with other members Uday Kumar, Capt. Shruti, Sub Mahendra Kumar Yadav, Pawel Sharma, and Miss Sulaxchana Tamang. Upon reaching Kibo Hut, located at an altitude of 15,500-foot on August 7, the team displayed a massive 7,800-square-foot Indian national flag. This monumental task was accomplished using ropes, ground nets, and anchors, marking a significant moment of pride and patriotism, a communique reached here said. In the early hours of August 8, at 0300 hours, the team embarked on their final ascent to Uhuru Peak, considering the weather conditions.and the medical fitness of all members.

After a grueling 10-hour climb through treacherous terrain, including loose scree, an 85-degree gradient, and an alpine desert, the team achieved their goal. At 1300 hours, they reached the summit of Uhuru Peak, standing tall at 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), and once again displayed the 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag atop Kilimanjaro. Group Captain Jai Kishan hailed this expedition as a historic achievement, particularly highlighting the courage and determination of Uday Kumar, an amputee climber who successfully completed the endeavor using crutches—a first in the history of mountaineering. The HMI, under the Ministry of Defence, a premier Mountaineering Institute in the world founded on November 4, 1954, by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, to commemorate the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by the late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa & Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.