The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is considered to be one of the most prestigious mountaineering institutes in Asia. Established in the year 1965, the institute is located in the town of Uttarkashi in the state of Uttarakhand. It is also certified by the international federation for climbing and mountaineering.
Locations of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
The Institute is located at 4300 AMSL in the Ladari Reserve Forest, amidst a dense pine forest. Perched beautifully on the turtle back hill across the east bank of river Bhagirathi, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering overlooks the sacred town of Uttarkashi and the confluence of Indravati with the Bhagirathi.
History of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
The necessity to build a mountaineering institute in Uttarakhand (then Uttar Pradesh) was first proposed by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1964. Uttarkashi was selected as the location of NIM, primarily because of its close proximity to Gangotri region in western garhwal, which undoubtedly has good climbing and training potential in India. In November 2001, with the newly formed State of "Uttaranchal" (now Uttarakhand), the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand became the Vice President of the Institute.
The Institute received patronage at the highest level at its inception from the Government of India and the government of Uttar Pradesh now the Government of Uttarakhand. The founder fathers are Shri Y. B. Chauhan, the then Defence Minister of India and founder President of the institute and Smt. Sucheta Kriplani the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and also the founder Vice President of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.
Brigadier Gyan Singh the first Principal of NIM provided strong footing to the Institute and nurtured it through its formative years, Late Shri H C Sarin, who was secretary of NIM for 22 long years, ensured that the Institute had all the bureaucratic support. The Institute took shape in 1965 at the Provincial Armed Constabulary Campus at Gyansu.
Administration at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
The Institute is headed by a Principal who is selected by the Ministry of Defence. It has Training and an Administrative wing. The Training Wing comprises of the Vice Principal, the Medical Officer, the intrepid NIM instructional and Kitchen staff. The Administrative Wing which deals with account, rations and equipment are looked after by the Registrar and the Equipment Officer, respectively.
Campus of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
It has a sprawling campus, spread over almost seven hectares of prime forest land. In 2001, Tekhla Rocks, an area of almost 3.5 hectares of Rock and boulders was added to the real estate of the Institute. The campus offers its trainees a wide number of services catering to their ideal physical and mental development.
The aim of the institute is to introduce and initiate young men, women and children to the mountains and nature through its various mountaineering and adventure courses. Emphasis is laid on instilling the concept of adventure and following conventional environmental guidelines to ensure environmental awareness and conservation.