PUNJAB : High in the rarefied Himalayas, a different kind of battle is underway. Gurjot Singh Kaler, a 2012-batch Punjab Police Service (PPS) officer who is on deputation from Punjab to Manipur and now posted as Superintendent of Police (Investigations), is using mountaineering to fight drug abuse, build unity, and heal fractured communities. For Kaler, mountains show the way to social change. He has personally sponsored over a dozen children from Punjab to attend basic and advanced mountaineering courses at India’s top institutes, including the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute in Manali.
They were excited experiencing their first snowfall, first night in a tent, first battle against biting winds. Under his guidance, they learned to tie life-saving knots, cross sharp ridges, and pitch camp on unyielding ground. However, what they took home were values they’d never forget: self-discipline, patience, and the courage to keep moving. Kaler’s mountaineering network now stretches across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the far Northeast, connecting more than 200 climbers — from experienced alpinists to new trekkers.
He pairs young climbers with mentors, arranges gear-sharing pools, and organises joint expeditions mixing participants from different states. “On the rope, a secure knot matters more than accents or hometowns,” he says. In Manipur, still scarred by ethnic conflict, Kaler has formed a core group of 20–30 local climbers, teaching them modern mountaineering techniques.
“Step by step, they discover that the discipline of the mountains can chip away at mistrust,” he says. “No summit is reached alone, and no past pain is greater than the strength you can find in yourself.” Kaler’s climbs often carry a larger message: against drugs.
His recent summit of Himachal’s Mount Shinkun East bore the flag of India, Punjab Police, and the banner Yudh Nashean Virudh – War Against Drugs. On Mount Elbrus in Russia and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, he delivered the same anti-drug message, while also calling for peace amid the Russia-Ukraine war with the words “Pray for Peace – Say No to War.” At Kilimanjaro’s summit, he placed a portrait of Bhagat Singh, symbolising the latter’s spirit of sacrifice and nationalism.
“The message is simple,” he says. “If you can conquer a mighty mountain without narcotics, you can conquer anything in life.” A Commonwealth Scholar with an M.Sc. in International Development and Security from the University of Bristol, Kaler also holds training in Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Leadership from the University of Oxford. His philosophy, the “scissor approach,” combines law enforcement with awareness. “
One blade is law enforcement, the other is awareness. Only when both work together can we cut the drug problem from society.”
His campaigns extend beyond climbing. He co-created an anti-drug anthem with Karamjit Anmol to reach audiences that traditional policing cannot. Every expedition follows a strict “no single-use plastic” policy, and his teams bring waste down the high-altitude camps for proper disposal. In both Punjab and Manipur, he has led cleanup treks to give youth not only mountaineering skills but also a sense of responsibility for their environment.
Mountaineering for a cause, however, is no easy climb. It demands endurance and reso urces, and sponsorship for awareness-focused missions is often scarce. “When the purpose is genuine, the path will open,” he says. “Every climb I’ve undertaken has been possible because of people who believe in the cause.” His newest project, From Addiction to Altitude, is a rehabilitation-through-mountaineering programme for youth recovering from drug abuse. My goal is not just to take them to a mountaintop, but to help them stay on the clean path for life.”