INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING FOUNDATION

CIRCULAR
IMF GOLD MEDAL

IMF Gold Medal: IMF Gold Medal was instituted in 1961, in order to give due recognition to
outstanding mountaineers. IMF may award one/ two such medals in a year. The award shall
consist of a Gold Medal(silver, plated with gold) with a scroll. The award will be presented during
the Annual General Body Meeting (AGM).

Criteria for the Award: The IMF Gold Medal is awarded for exceptional achievements in the
field of mountaineering to Indian Citizens (including Sherpas and equivalents from Himalayan
region). The incumbent should have participated in mountaineering activities of outstanding and
challenging nature during the last ten to twenty years, which should include climbs above 8000m,
climbs to technically difficult/ virgin peaks below 8000m and solo climbs, if any. In addition, the
incumbent should have organized/ promoted mountaineering or related adventure activities in
the said period of reckoning. In exceptional cases the award may be given posthumously. The
award can only be given once in a lifetime.

Age at the Time of Consideration: Age at the Time of Consideration : Age of the incumbent
should be between 30 to 50 years in the year of reckoning. In exceptional circumstances the age
may be relaxed.

Cut off Dates for the Award: Relevant details as per IMF Form AW-01 for the yearly award
should reach IMF Headquarters by 31 October of the year. All achievements up to 31 October of
the year of the reckoning should be included in the details. Applications received after 31
October will not be considered for the Award.

Submission of Names for the Award: The names for the Award may be forwarded by any
individual/ IMF member/ affiliated mountaineering clubs as per Form IMF-AW-01.

Method of Selection for the Award: The details received by IMF as per IMF-AW-01, before the
closure date, will be scrutinized by a committee consisting of four members and Hony Secy, to
be detailed by the G.C. The committee will submit names for the coveted award from the most
outstanding mountaineers for the approval of the President IMF.
 INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING FOUNDATION

CIRCULAR
Note: IMF gives wide publicity to the award and circulates the above details to its members,
Associate Members, Affiliated Clubs, Mountaineering and Adventure Institutes well in advance for
wide publicity.

FOLLOWING ARE THE RECIPIENTS SO FAR:

SL. No. Name Year
1 Shri Tenzing Norgay 1961

2 Shri Nandu Jayal 1961

3 Shri Sonam Gyatso 1963

4 Maj. John Dias 1964

5 Capt. MS Kohli 1965

6 Col. N. Kumar 1965

7 Shri Nawang Gombu 1965

8 Maj. HN Bahuguna 1971

9 Col. Prem Chand 1977

10 Shri Sonam Wangyal 1983

11 Shri Gurdial Singh 1983

12 Ms. Bachendri Pal 1984

13 Shri Hukum Singh 1988

14 Nb. Sub. ND Sherpa 1988

15 Brig. Gyan Singh 1991

16 Shri Rattan Singh 1992

17 Shri Dorjee Lhatoo 1992

18 Shri Magan Bissa 1992

19 Shri Kanhaya Lal 1993

20 Ms. Santosh Yadav 1993

21 Shri SD Sharma 1993

22 Shri Harish Kapadia 1993

23 Shri Lovraj Singh 2009

24 Col (now Brig) Ashok Abbey 2010

25 Sub Maj Mohinder Singh 2010

26 Ms. Kavita Burathoki 2011

27 Sub Amar Praksh 2011

28 Sub Maj C N Bodh 2012

29 Shri Debasish Biswas 2015

30 Ms. Tusi Anit Saha 2016

31 Lt Col R S Jamwal 2017

32 Sub Maj Wangchuk Sherpa 2018

33 Ms. Baljeet Kaur 2023

 INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING FOUNDATION

NAIN SINGH -KISHAN SINGH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Award: IMF may give “Nain Singh Kishan Singh Lifetime Achievement Award” once a year for
exceptional achievements in the field of mountaineering and associated activities, to any eligible
person once during his/her life span, specifically taking into account his/her achievements during
the past 25 to 30 years. The award is to commemorate the memory of Late Pandit Brothers “Shri
Nain Singh and Shri Kishen Singh”, from Milam, Almora, who in the 18th century made several
adventurous forays to Tibet in disguise, through high passes to make the first ever survey map of
the roof of the world without any formal mountaineering training, modern gears and with a very
high personal risk, as that time Tibet was forbidden to foreigners including Indians.

Criteria for the Award: The person proposed for the Life Time Achievement Award should be a
naturalized citizen of India bearing blameless character with clean track record, who has
achieved excellence in the field of mountaineering and rendered valuable contribution towards
promotion of mountaineering, related adventure, literature thereof and social upliftment of
sherpas/ equivalents/ peripheral villages and preservation of Himalayan environment. Mountain
exploration, if any, will be taken into account. The person should have achieved such high caliber
in the field of mountaineering and related adventure in that his/her name should inspire the
Indian youth to embrace mountaineering, exploration and adventure as a Career /Hobby. In
exceptional circumstances the Award may be given posthumously. Persons who have received
any lifetime achievement award in the field of mountaineering and adventure or equivalent from
Govt. of India, will not be eligible for this award.

Age at the Time of Consideration: As, the award is for life time achievement, the age of the
incumbent should not be less than 50 years in the year of the reckoning. In exceptional
circumstances the age may be relaxed.

Submission of Names for the Award: The names for the award may be submitted by any
individual/ IMF member/ affiliated mountaineering clubs/mountaineering, adventure institutes. It
should include details about the person as per IMF-AW-02, such as current address, telephone
number, date of birth, educational and mountaineering qualifications, achievements and
contribution in the field of mountaineering, mountain exploration, adventure and literature for
popularization thereof and any social service for upliftment of Sherpas/equivalents, peripheral
villages and Himalayan environment. The form duly filled in is to be forwarded to IMF by a
specified date.
 INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING FOUNDATION

Method of Selection for the Award: Details received by the IMF as per IMF-AW-02, up to
specified date, will be scrutinized by a committee detailed by the GC, consisting of four members
and Hony. Secy. The committee will go through all the details received and submit names for the
approval of name by the President IMF by due date.

Note: IMF gives wide publicity to the Award and circulates the above details to its Members,
Associate Members, Affiliated Clubs, Mountaineering and Adventure Institutes well ahead in time
so that the details are available for consideration of the Committee by due date.

FOLLOWING ARE THE RECIPIENTS SO FAR:-

SL. No. Name Year

1 Ms. C P Aitwal 2009

2 Shri C P Vohra 2010

3 Shri Harbhajan Singh 2011

4 Shri Sonam Wangyal 2012

5 Brig. D K Khullar 2012

6 Late Shri H. C. Sarin 2015

7 Late Brig. Gyan Singh 2015

8 Shri Magan Bissa 2016

9 Shri Manik Banerjee 2017

10 AVM A K Bhattachryya 2018

11 Prof. Harshwanti Bisht 2019

12 Shri Debabrata Mukherjee 2021