From The President

Colonel Ashok Abbey

The Himalayan Journal published by the Himalayan Club, is one of the oldest mountaineering journals of the world, which was first published in 1928. The journal which is the most visible face of the club and widely read, is universally regarded by the climbing fraternity, as the foremost authoritative source of reference on the Himalaya, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush. Personally for me, it has always been the repository of knowledge for mountain climbing and exploration and is the publication to read!

Volume 66 is a landmark volume, for it marks the end of an era in the editorship of the Himalayan Journal. This is the last volume which is edited by Harish Kapadia, the present Honorary Editor.

Harish and the Himalayan Journal have remained virtually synonymous for the past many years. His association with the journal is no less then 35 years old, which is more than a life time for many and is perhaps unprecedented in the literary world. Driven by passion and infectious zeal, his selfless contribution and single minded devotion in bringing out the Himalayan Journal over the years has been both, intense and immense. As I have known Harish for many years now, whether on the mountain or at work in any part of the world, the journal has always been his foremost obsession, rather an indispensable part of his life. His ingenuity and vision over the years, coupled with his extraordinary knowledge and uncanny writing skills, reinforced by his own rich experience of climbing and exploration, has made reading of the journal and its rich content, a sheer delight. Over the years he has infused character and strength into the publication, maintaining its sovereign character and ensured that climbing facts were never obscured, by mountain mists and hallowed claims. It is to his credit, that the journal has today carved a niche for itself and is acknowledged as one of the top mountain publications of the world.

As the journal and Harish part ways after this edition, the way ahead is going to be easy for neither. Yet Harish’s indirect association will continue with the journal, as his team of Honorary Assistant Editors, whom he has nurtured and trained untiringly over the years, will carry forward the mantle. He now joins the fraternity of his distinguished predecessors, the likes of Major Kenneth Mason, C.W.F. Noyce, H.W. Tobin, T.H. Braham, Dr. K. Biswas and Soli Mehta, yet his outstanding contribution will perhaps be the most visible.

As the Himalayan Journal continues its timeless journey into the unknown future, the legacy which Harish Kapadia leaves behind, will always be there to inspire a new generation of climbers and mountain lovers, who follow.

Colonel Ashok Abbey
President, The Himalayan Club