Only IAS officer who has climbed Mount Everest twice

Ravindra Kumar is also one of the few Indians to have scaled the peak from both Nepal and China-ANI

Ravindra Kumar, an IAS Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, has showcased his ability to pursue his passion right to the top, not once but twice, despite a busy work schedule. He is the only administrative officer to have climbed Mount Everest twice. Kumar, who serves as a district magistrate of Jhansi, achieved the feat twice in three attempts and climbed from both Nepal and China, in 2015 and 2019 respectively. He is also one of the few Indians to have scaled the peak from both sides.

While sharing his inspiring officer shared his inspiring journey with ANI, Kumar said, “In 2019, I carried the flag of Swachh Bharat Mission, Namami Gange and Ganga Jal to the peak of Everest and appealed to the people to focus on water conservation that will secure our future.”

According to Hindustan Times, Kumar’s first conquest of Everest in 2013 from Nepal (south) route was inspired by the Sikkim earthquake of 2011 when mountaineers were called for rescue missions.  His second Everest expedition in 2015 was organised to spread awareness about the importance of sanitation through ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During that expedition, he faced the Nepal earthquake and avalanche at Everest Base Camp in 2015.

“Focus on water sector especially drinking water is one of the major needs of the hour, because as per NITI Aayog's report titled ''Composite Water Management Index'' of June 2018, Delhi and 21 other cities in India would run out of groundwater by 2020, thereby affecting 100 million people. That's why, through the 2019 Everest Expedition, I targeted the water sector and reached out to the people of India from the highest point of Himalaya, the source of major rivers of India,” he told ANI.

The officer has penned his journeys, from beginning to end, in his book ‘Mount Everest: Experience the Journey’. According to Indian Masterminds, Kumar’s book is a photographic travelogue exploring various fascinating locations of the Himalayas in Sikkim, Nepal, Ladakh and Tibet. “The desire in me to reach out to people at the time of calamity led me to sign up for a mountaineering training course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling,” he told the website.