CHANDIGARH: As India marked its 75th year of Independence on Monday, Superintendent of Police in Punjab Police Gurjot Singh Kaler celebrated the national day in a very unique and adventurous style as he unfurled the Tricolour at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest free-standing mountain and the highest mountain of the African continent in Tanzania - at the height of 5,895 meters and dedicated it to spread awareness about the issues of global warming and climate change.
Talking to The New Indian Express over phone from Tanzania, Kaler said, "The idea came to do something to inspire the youth of today. My aim was not to just unfurl the tricolor for my personal glory. The mountains teach us how to respect mother nature and inculcate the qualities of patience, empathy and respect for nature. The aim of the mission was to spread awareness about the issues of global warming and climate change. The goal is to inspire the youth to overcome addiction to drugs and promote sports culture. The journey is always more important than the destination. We have no planet B. Only Earth, we need to respect the nature and behave as responsible inhabitants of earth."
He said that August 15 was chosen because India commemorated 75 years of Indian Independence. "It was a historic day and I wanted to make it a memorable milestone. I have been preparing for the expedition since last two years. It takes a lot of time, patience and efforts to undergo tough physical, mental and spiritual training to do the summit. It's not easy. There were two more people with me Turkanwal Dass Bhullar and Ramanjot Kaur, thus a total of three of us, I headed the team," added Kaler.
He further said that they started the journey from Marangu Gate to Mandala Hut, then from Hut to Horombo Hut and from Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut and from Kibo to Gilman point which was the toughest part. Then stella point and finally Uhuru peak, the top point of Mount Kilimanjaro at 5,895 meters. "There are more than six routes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I chose the Marangu route which is tougher than other routes. It's also known as coca cola route which means that it's a popular route amongst the world's leading mountaineers to scale the summit. The chances of reaching the summit are higher on this route," said Kaler.
He said, "I had earlier done the summit of Mount Hurro of Machhadhar range in the Himalayas. I'am a trained mountaineer and was honoured with the award of the best mountaineer by Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in 2018 during my course of Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC). Adventure sports has always excited me. I had also done a skydive from 15,000 feet at Nottingham, UK to honour the corona warriors in 2019."
"The High Commission of India in Tanzania has officially tweeted about this achievement and congratulated me for bringing glory to the nation. When the nation recognises your achievement, it feels special."