Saurabh Singh Shekhawat

IC-52871, Colonel Saurabh Singh Shekhawat is the most decorated serving Colonel in the Indian Army today and is also an accomplished mountaineer. The officer belongs to Indian Army's elite 21st Battalion of The Parachute Regiment(Special Forces). He has been awarded Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal for his various acts of gallantry displayed in anti-terrorist operations and mountaineering and distinguished service.^[1][2][3] Having served with The Maratha Light Infantry, he is looked up to by all officers and men of that regiment as well.

Mountaineering

He brought laurels to the Rajputs and to the country when he climbed Mount Everest for a record number of three times in 2001,2003 & 2005. He also holds the distinction of climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro,Tanzania (Highest peak in Africa) and Mt. Blanc (Highest peak in Alps and Western Europe lying on the edges of France and Italy). Again In October 2009 he led the joint Indo-Kazakh team to scale Marble wall peak in Kazakhstan. Following is a news clipping from 'India Today' published in the first week of November 2009.^[4] titled 'Peak Performance':

When Lieutenant-Colonel Saurabh Singh Shekhawat, 37, spotted the black, snowcapped heights of Marble Wall peak in Kazakhstan, he thought conquering it would be a breeze. Named for its white marble deposits, the 6,400-m mountain is dwarfed by the 8,848-m high Everest which the young officer has climbed three times.Yet, it would be his toughest climb ever. The challenge lay in the unpredictable weather and summiting the mountain through a climb window of less than 12 hours (Everest has a five-day window). In terms of climbing difficulty, Marble Wall is between grade 6 and grade 8 as compared to Everest's grade 7 and K2's grade 9.As the leader of a joint Indo-Kazakh army expedition, Shekhawat was to promote military diplomacy with the strategically located central Asian country through joint mountain climbs. Shekhawat's six-member team joined 12 Kazakh climbers for the expedition in late August.The team chose the Alpine climbing style-few ropes and gruelling climbs-over the Indian Army's 'siege method' of setting up camps and extensive use of ropes.The expedition in the former Soviet republic would have none of the luxuries now available for Everest. The summit bid was greeted by a blizzard which brought visibility to under a metre, winds of over 110 km/h and the mercury at minus 35 degrees. The expedition turned back. Czech, German and Russian teams had already called off their climbs due to adverse weather.Two days later, in the window suggested by the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Delhi, the group began its ascent again, conscious that one false step by a single member could hurtle everybody to an icy death. Eight hours later, the expedition summited the peak, becoming the first foreign team to scale this remote mountain in the Tien Shan range.But as mountaineers say, the proof of the pudding is in the descent. The Indians got detached from the Kazakhs and lost their way in howling winds. They made it back to the base camp by sheer instinct, winning the appreciation of their tough Kazakh comrades. Shekhawat recalls: "We had to persist because it was the reputation of two nations and two armies."

He is the Soldier's Soldier.....

Till date the Colonel has scaled 14 peaks.

Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards

References