Post avalanche, Jind IAS officer, 4 others stuck at Mt Everest

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jind, April 26

“Itni shiddat se maine tujhe paane ki koshish ki hai, ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saajish ki hai...This April, May, June after 1,000 sleepless nights”

This Facebook post on February 28 clearly depicts the enthusiasm with which IAS officer Vikram Jindal was raring to climb the Mt. Everest.

Cut to April 25, the tragedy struck when a massive earthquake hit Nepal and triggered an avalanche on Mt Everest.

Jindal, along with another IAS officer, two IPS and one IFS officer, is stuck somewhere en-route the mountain. He sent an SMS through a satellite phone to his parents on Saturday night, saying, “Papa main aur baki chaar officers theek hain. Aap chinta mat karna (Dad, Four officers and myself are ok. Do not worry).”

Vikram’s father, Satpal Jindal, said: “Last night, Vikram tried to speak to us over the phone. But the signals in Nepal were bad due to the earthquake. Though we were a little relaxed after receiving his message, but we are praying for their safety.” Satpal who works as a headmaster and is posted at Barah Khurd village of Jind district, said Vikram joined the IAS in 2012 in the Rajasthan cadre. Presently, he is posted as an SDM at Sawai Madhopur of Rajasthan.

Vikram left Jind to climb the Everest on March 31, and currently no one knows where the five officers were, when the earthquake hit Nepal on Saturday.

In a message on March 27, after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vikram opened his heart out about his passion to climb the Everest. He said, “Climbing the Everest is not about conquering the highest point on earth, but it is all about conquering yourself, to get over the petty human being that resides within us. Lessons learnt on a mountain dramatically alter your behaviour when you are in the plains. That is why I want to climb the Mount Everest.”