Note from the Editor

Much has been written about the events that unfolded on K2 on 27 July 2023. It was the day Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Sherpa guide Tenjin climbed K2. They became the world’s ‘fastest’ climbers to scale the world’s 14 highest mountains in 92 days. It was also the day Mohammed Hassan, a 27-year-old father of three slipped and fell off the narrow trail along the bottleneck of K2, a particularly dangerous area. Several climbers (including Harila) passed over this grievously injured porter who eventually died there, in their hurry to get to the top. Grainy videos went viral. Without going into details and discussing charges traded, how telling these two incidents are. Yes, it seems as if the spotlight has shifted from Everest to K2 and from Nepal to the Karakoram. And climbers and agencies are not learning from the devastation called Everest.

It was probably one of the reasons that I decided to focus on the Karakoram. It’s true that as Indians we cannot travel, trek or climb in the western Karakoram but as there is so much activity in those mountains, learning about them is necessary. It was not easy. India and Pakistan have been at war, on and off since 1947. There are disputed areas and the highest and longest ongoing battle in the world on the Siachen. I am grateful to Hanniah Tariq, of Pakistani origin, who gamely came on board to collect as many articles as she could on the subject. While THJ does not usually carry so many articles by a single author, this time I made an exception so as to get an insight into the Western Karakoram. There are also numerous articles on support staff for the same reason.

She has written on subjects as diverse as climate change action, Pakistani porters and clean-up efforts in the high ranges. We also have Steve Swenson giving us a Karakoram overview and Harish Kapadia describing the Siachen glacier area’s geopolitics. Brig Ashok Abbey’s well researched article on Fanny Bullock Workman completes the circle, giving a perspective of history to the Siachen region. Bernadette McDonald has kindly shared a chapter from her yet to be released book on support staff of the sub-continent. Most importantly, I do hope the reader will get a flavour of how similar the climbing and culture in the Karakoram and the Himalaya are, and thus how important it is to have peace in the mountains and, between our two countries. Yes indeed, a formidable set of stories awaits you. A special shout-out to Heather Dawe for painting Rakaposhi for this Volume.

The Expeditions and Explorations section has a great collection too. There are few unexplored areas remaining and I am very proud to say that Indian climbers and explorers such as Anindya Mukherjee, Debashish Bardhan, Divyesh Muni and Peter Van Geit to name a few, carry on relentlessly, looking for blank dots on maps, opening new areas for climbers, areas little known and uncelebrated because they are not necessarily big but are remote, challenging, and most importantly fun to go to. These efforts also reduce the pressure on the known trails so big salutes to you and your breed.

Increasingly, uncertain weather is creating havoc in the Himalayan region. This August, we had flood devastation in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Mountains apart, cities, towns and villages are being washed away and we talk about it helplessly, while we watch it happen again and again. Just as we go to press, parts of Sikkim have been swallowed by the swollen river. Although we can’t do much about what has already happened, we have to confront the elephant in the room. This is an elemental conversation and no effort is too little.

Some feedback I receive is that Expeditions and Exploration follow the Articles section in THJ and are thus considered less significant. My thought is that as each and every chapter contributes equally to make a book, this perception is misplaced. The Himalayan Journal has to cover different aspects of the Himalayan range, all equally important.

This year we lost Ratnesh Javeri. One of the gentlest, kindest and warmest humans THC’s Managing Committee had seen in recent years. We miss you so much.

This year we lost Gurdial Singh. ‘Guru’ to most, he was a disarming gent; funny, loquacious, enthusiastic, in short, a man who lived life king size. He was a true inspiration.

This year we lost Tom Hornbien, causing a blow to the world of exploration and climbing. He climbed the West Ridge of Everest in 1963, a pioneering route in many senses. But the best memories of those who had the fortune to know him was of him as a warm and caring friend. Our Honorary Member list is shrinking rapidly.

I look forward to hearing from you, getting feedback and discussing collaboration.

NANDINI PURANDARE
October 2023, Mumbai, India

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