Veena Singh,
Principal,
Unison World School, Dehradun.

I feel his super intelligence, all round outstanding persona and straight talks took personal toll on him. Despite loosing daughter during Adv Course, he was at his brilliant best with a smile till he died. He started suffering in 2007 onwards. When I met him in AH RR on 14 Oct – his condition was critical noon onwards — he still smiled to me in his brilliant style — in the morning on that day I recd a joke through SMS while driving to AH RR — It is indeed extremely difficult for me and my family to understand and accept this sudden loss.

Can anybody understand my plight, I lost my soul mate in the morning and my grandson born same day in Hongkong in the evening?

Arvind was an exceptional brain and excellent human being. Like most who have said that Army did not give him his due to make the org better at higher appointments and that Good souls depart early.
I salute my dear friend Arvind for his long association. Our prayer to the Almighty to rest the noble soul in peace and heartfelt condolences to the family- we are always with u.

Blessed are those who are taken away soon
And they would rest with lord in peace
This world is a place of rat race with many Brutuses
This game of good and evil will never cease

Sethi

I came to know Arvind when he was just starting out in the field of adventure sports, namely mountaineering. I discovered his enthusiasm for mountaineering when I saw his heart soar at the very sight of high mountains during the EME Expedition to Kamet (25 447 ft) and Abi Gamin (24 130 ft) for the first twin ascent way back in 1980.

Kamet is the second highest summit in India towering 7756 m. Arvind did not have much experience of climbs in the high mountains back then, but I could feel him pulse with unbelievable enthusiasm for extreme adventures and I had picked him up after very special recommendations from my very dear friend Col Ashutosh Mathur which I never regretted

One of my most memorable moments with Arvind was during this expedition. I recall, summit parties, one for each peak were already in Camp-5 at 24 200 ft and at Camp-4, the ridge Camp, at 22 000 ft to attempt the summits. It was on this day, when a message was received by me at Camp-3, which was the forward base, a strong support base at 19 050 ft. The message was from Lt. Kala Koti, clear and precise that attempts could not go through because there was very little juice left at these camps!

Fluids available at Camp-4 were low and there was nothing at the Meade’s Col, Camp-5, which was established above the ice fall for a brief rest & relief while summit parties were battling the strong winds above the windy Col with temperatures dipping below – 30 C. In any case, it was a really long way to the peaks & back to Camp-4, consumption of fluids at such heights would be most unpredictable

Having announced earlier that the attempt would go through as per plan and on schedule, juice or no juice; and given that the weather was good, I was afraid that the new orders on such heights may jeopardize the very success and demoralize the summit parties, so I decided to move up to camp-4 with Ang-Shring one of my high altitude porters. I did not know at this point that Arvind had heard me while I was on the radio set with Camp-4. I quickly briefed my Deputy Leader to man the forward base at Camp-3 and keep the boys limbered up till he heard more from me once I got to Camp-4. We would need a very strong support party in good fitness state and full strength to answer emergency calls, if any.

It was mid day. The weather was turning adverse (as is usual in the afternoon on the high mountains). I could only set course with one HAP by 3 p.m. with juice loads on our backs to be carried over a 1000 m fixed rope. It was a hard and extremely dangerous patch of climb for this mountain with a few avalanche prone areas as well. While we were struggling on the fixed rope over the vertical treacherous rock faces between Camp-3 & Camp-4, to my surprise I saw, some distance below, a lonesome figure coming up almost an hour behind our position. We decided not wait and worry, assuming that it must be some one from the forward base practicing fixed rope climbing techniques! In any case, it was difficult to see clearly, one, because of the crooked rock faces and, two, the poor visibility toped up with deteriorating

weather conditions. It was only at 6 PM, upon on arrival at the ridge Camp that I discovered that the lone figure behind us had been Arvind! He had convinced the Deputy leader of the Exp. at Camp-3 that the juice taken by the me & Ang-shring would not be enough and to avoid taking chances he should be permitted to follow the leader.

Young Joginder Singh a hot rod Para-EME JCO had also volunteered to accompany Arvind in those adverse weather conditions to attempt the fixed rope climb. So by late in the evening we had four more packs of fluid kind curtsey and great bold action of young Arvind Mahajan. The next morning at 2 am both the summit parties were fully charged & committed to go for their goals – the respective Peaks.

Arvind’s bold decisions, courage under fire and his sincere commitment to his team mates does not end there. It goes on…….

I again recall, we were returning from the respective summits after a successful attempt, tired to the bones, especially young Lt Kala Koti and Nk Jyanti Lal of the Kamet summit party who were not keeping well on descent. We could see them rolling down from the Kamet summit across the Meads Col from our summit Abhi-Gamin.
It was once again dear Arvind Mahajan who came forward with his vigor, outstanding courage and self motivation, fully determined to extended the help and strength to these thoroughly exhausted summit parties who were on the climb since 2 & 4 am. In fact, if I remember correctly the Kamet party got back to Meads Col around 6 pm after a 14 hour to the peak and back.

I was sure that Kala Koti and Jayanti had caught frost bite on their fingers and toes and would need a supporting hand and need to be evacuated as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the helicopter on call ex Bareli could only come the next day because it was too late and would not possible for the chopper to land at camp-4 at such a height and on a ridge at 22 000 ft.

We made it to the summits by 1.15 pm and there after continued descent from Camp-5 through the ice walls to Camp-4 till late in the evening. We were left with zero energy and could not even light a stove to heat up a mug of soup to re coupe! Dear Arvind with his team mates took charge and ensured that all members at camp-4 picked up strength over the night to battle their way back to the lower camps in the very early hours of the morning. He stayed awake the whole night in a small two-men tent. He knew that Kala Koti & Jayanti were heading for more severe frost bite and needed very special care. It is again at this point Arvind displayed his mental strength as a strong team member and with four other climbers got ready to evacuate these dangerously sick climbers from 20 000 ft all the way down through to camps 3 to 2 and there after to Camp-1 to the advance base camp at 16 500 ft from where they could be evacuated safely.

Arvind Mahajan was an outstanding team mate. He contributed beyond the call of duty in the hours of darkness and need. He was good to one and all including the Sherpas and sherpani’. His single minded courage speaks volumes. Unfortunately, that was an era when seniors/generally the Generals in the Army were shy of giving medals lest their officers get spoilt with a sense of bravado or what ever.

But it would suffice to say that for me and the rest of our team, Arvind was a great asset. He deserved the highest admiration as a good team player, a good human being and an outstanding young officer full of ideas / suggestions and an action packed big boy loaded with smiles.
It is rare to have such team players as your friends and colleagues. For me it was treat to know him.

We will miss him, my wife even more because this EME Expedition team planned and prepared for the expedition
form my in laws home at 22-A CC Colony New Delhi given the Army’s usual constraints of accommodation in the capital.
May God bless his soul and give courage to the family members in these hours of a great loss.
Jk
Col. JK Bajaj, SM,VSM,FRGS
0061-405-957-284
http://www.jkbajaj.com