INDIA. Mumbai: A mountaineering expedition to Mount Trishul (height 7120 m) located in Uttarakhand was flagged off by R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command from INS Trishul on Friday.
The admiral handed over a ceremonial Ice axe to the team leader and wished the team a successful summiting of mount Trishul-I peak. The expedition is part of “Swarnim Vijay Varsha” commemorating 50 years of the victory of India over Pakistan in the 1971 war. The theme of the expedition is ‘Trishul Youdhpoat Se Trishul Parvat Tak’.(from the war ship”Trishul” to Mount Trishul).
The expedition is led by commander Vishnu Prasad and has 19 other members drawn from various units of the Indian Navy. The team assembled at Mumbai on August 15 and underwent physical fitness sessions, endurance training, and trekking practice at Bhimashankar (at a height of 1034 m, located in Pune in Maharashtra), to hone its physical condition and technical skills.
The team will proceed to Delhi and from there to Sutol (Chamoli,Uttarakhand), the nearest road head, and will commence trek to the base camp on September 14 after acclimatization and logistics preparations.
Swarnim Vijay Mashaal arrives at Air Force Station
In another development, as part of “Swarnim Vijay Varsha”, the victory flame (Swarnim Vijay Mashaal) arrived at Air Force Station, located at Kalina, Santacruz East in northwest Mumbai on Friday.
The flame was received by Air Vice Marshal SR Singh, VM VSM, Air Officer Commanding, Headquarters Maritime Air Operations. War veterans who took part in the 1971 war were felicitated at the event. Some of the veterans, including Naik (Retd) Dhondiram Bansode, spoke during the event and shared their glorious experiences of bravery.
A Victory flame symbolizing India’s victory was lit at Delhi on December 16, 2020, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is travelling in four cardinal directions across the country. The Western sector Victory Flame (‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’) arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday and was received by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, at Gateway of India in South Mumbai.
The Victory flame will be stationed in Mumbai till Sept 09, before its departure for Panaji, Goa. The Victory flame will also be taken to the houses of 1971 war awardees and those who made the supreme sacrifice to pay tribute for their valiant service to the nation.
