Written by Arshiya Sangar, a grade 11 student

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is one that is conferred upon an individual for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea, or air.

It is awarded by the President of India each year, at par with the prestigious Arjuna Awards (given for excellence in sport) at the National Sports Awards, a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, held in the month of August each year. A cash award of Rs. 5 lakh along with a certificate of honour is presented to each Awardee.

The Tenzing Norgay Award for Air Adventure was given to Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava this year.

Who is Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava?

He is a Parachute Jump Instructor and a member of the Indian Air Force Skydiving Team ‘AkashGanga’ . The Air Force said in a congratulatory tweet that he has “undertaken more than 2900 jumps till date”.

This year, due to disruptions caused by COVID-19, instead of the traditional National Sports Awards ceremony (held at the President’s House), the ceremony was held at 11 designated centers across the country, with 60 out of the 74 awardees (receiving awards for achievements in various sport-related fields) having to attend virtually.

Who was Tenzing Norway?

Born, Namgyal Wangdi and also called Sherpa Tenzing, Norway was a Nepali-Indian mountaineer.

He, along with Edmund Hilary, was one of the first two people known to have reached the top of Mount Everest – on 29 May 1953.

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, above sea-level. It is located in the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China (autonomous means having the right or power of self-government)

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