Col Avtar Singh Cheema (1933–1989): was the first Indian to climb Mount Everest. He was a part of the third mission undertaken by the Indian Army, in 1965, to climb Mt. Everest after two failed attempts. He successfully conquered the mountain on 20 May 1965. He was Captain in the Parachute regiment at that time. Later he was promoted to colonel.[1]
He was awarded Arjuna award and Padma Shri for his achievements. [2] He hails from Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan state.