ITANAGAR, 2 Nov: Ace climber Taka Tamut from Arunachal and Dirang-based National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports Director Col Sarfraz Singh received the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, 2019 for land adventure (mountaineering) at a function in New Delhi on Monday.
Union Youth Affairs & Sports Minister Anurag Thakur presented the awards to both Tamut and Col Singh.
The special event was organized to hand over trophies and medals to the winners of the National Sports Awards, 2020. The winners of the National Sports Awards were not able to collect their trophies and citations during last year’s event, when the sports awards ceremony was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tamut was awarded for climbing Mount Everest – the world’s highest peak – without the help of Sherpas. He had achieved the feat in 2018.
Hailing from Jomlo Mongku village in Siang district, Tamut is the son of Talom Tamut and Yalang Tamut. Prior to scaling Mt Everest, Tamut climbed Mt Stok Kangri (6,153 mtrs) in 2016, Mt Mera Peak (6,300 mtrs) in 2017, and Mt Lhotse (8,516 mtrs) in the same year.
He also took part in the search operation for the crew of the ill-fated An-32 aircraft which crashed on 3 June, 2019.
The state’s youth affairs directorate has extended congratulations to Tamut for receiving the prestigious award.
“It is a proud moment for the state of Arunachal Pradesh,” Youth Affairs Director Ramesh Linggi said, and wished Tamut all the best in all his future endeavours.
Meanwhile, Tamut expressed anguish over the state government not recognizing his achievement even after a year since the conferment of the award. “Even an official felicitation by the state government would have made me a much happier person,” the ace mountaineer said.
Speaking to this daily, he said that achievers in the field of sports from other states, including neighbouring Assam, are given due recognition by their respective governments.
Instituted in 1993-94, the stature of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is considered to be equivalent to the Arjuna Award. It is the highest adventure sports honour awarded by the youth affairs & sports ministry.
