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Biography
Avtar Singh Cheema (1933–1989): along with 8 others were the first Indians to lead a successful expedition that climbed Mount Everest on 20 May 1965. He was a part of the third mission undertaken by the Indian Army, in 1965, to climb Mt. Everest after two failed attempts. The 1965 Indian Army expedition was the first successful Indian Expedition to Everest which put 9 mountaineers on top, a record to last 17 years. He along with H. P. S. Ahluwalia, Nawang Gombu, Sonam Wangyal, Sonam Gyatso, Harish Rawat, Vohra amongst others successfully summited the peak with lots of experiences which became a legend thereafter. He was a captain in the 7th Bn Parachute regiment at that time. Later he was promoted to colonel.
He was awarded Arjuna award and Padma Shri for his achievements. He hails from Sri Ganganagar of Rajasthan state.