Hope this award brings peace in Siachen: Kapadia

Kapadia, father of late Lieutenant Nawang Kapadia who died fighting militants in Kashmir while serving the 3rd Gorkha Rifles, is only the second Asian and Indian to be bestowed this rare honour in over 125 years. Explorer, Pandit Nain Singh, working for the Survey of India was the first to get this medal in 1877 for discovering the source of the Brahmaputra river in Tibet.

‘‘I did not want to climb the Everest mainly because several others have already been there, done that and surveyed the mountain’s geography from all possible angles. It is more exciting to climb or discover new heights and see the view on the other side of it,’’ said Kapadia, a retired cloth merchant.

He has dedicated the award to his late son, Nawang. The medal will be presented on June 2, in London coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the coronation of the Queen and also the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest.

‘‘You cannot be a mountaineer if you climb only for fame and fortune and rewards; there is nothing more rewarding than that exclusive view you get from the top,’’ he said, and added, ‘‘My son Nawang had shared my passion for trekking, and sacrificed his life defending the Himalayas.’’

Although a thorough city-bred, Kapadia used to take off to trek in Maharashtra’s western ghats along with a few close friends.

Former vice president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Kapadia has to his credit of being the first to discover and photograph the virgin peak of Gya in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, in 1983.

The highest peak he has climbed so far is Devtoli (6788 m). He has also climbed Bandarpunch West (6102 m), Parilungbi (6166 m) and Lungser Kangri (6666 m). He has led eight joint expeditions, five with the British, two with the French and one with the Japanese mountaineers to peaks like Rimo (7385 m) Chong Kumdan-I (7071 m) among others.

Two years ago he went with Pakistani mountaineers to ‘‘Monch’’ peak in Switzerland with the agenda of peace in the Siachen Glacier. ‘‘Even in London, I will stress on peace at the Siachen for the sake of men on both sides, and of course for the mountains,’’ he remarked.

Kapadia has published 12 books on mountaineering. A honorary member of the Alpine Club, London, he was awarded the IMF gold medal by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation in 1993.