THC Kekoo Naoroji Book Award

Kekoo Naoroji, born in Karachi on 5 September 1915, to Jerbai and Nadirshaw Naoroji, was one of the pillars of the Himalayan Club, and its President from 1986 to 1992, was a man of the mountains with deep wellsprings of character and inner strength.

He joined the Himalayan Club in 1950, a relationship he was to enjoy immensely for the next fifty years. In 1952 Kekoo spent eleven weeks in central Garhwal, and his personal diary of this trip, as well as the account of his other major trip to the Himalaya in 1958 in Sikkim, formed the subject matter of a book, Himalayan Vignettes, that was brought out by his son Rishad and assisted by friends in the Himalayan Club (particularly Satya Dam, Jagdish Nanavati, and Harish Kapadia).

When the Himalayan Club moved its headquarters to Mumbai, Kekoo became its first Secretary in 1971, its Vice President from 1983 – 85, and for seven years thereafter was President of the Club. He took his responsibilities of helping to strengthen and consolidate Club activities seriously and his business experience enabled him bring a very pragmatic and sound sense to all the Committee dealings. He actually cared about each of the people around him, and they sensed and appreciated that. He passed away quietly on 17 December 2003 after a long period of ill health.

In the year 2005, the Himalayan Club in association with Naoroji family and Godrej Industries set up a book award for the best literature on the Himalaya, published during the year. The book award instituted in his name would be for a book published in the prescribed period and relating to any aspects of the Himalaya. The books can cover mountains, mountaineering, people, culture, environment, politics and any other related topics.

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