Ajay Kothiyal

Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, KC, SC, VSM (Retd) is one of the highly decorated officers of the Indian Army. He is also a mountaineer and philanthropist, and was the principal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarakhand.[4]

Colonel

Ajay Kothiyal

KC, SC, VSM
Born (1969-02-26) 26 February 1969
Tehri, Uttarakhand, India
AllegianceIndia
Service/branchIndian Army
Years of service1992–2017
RankColonel
Service numberIC-51821X[1]
UnitThe Garhwal Rifles
Commands held4th Battalion/Nuranang Battalion; 10th Battalion, of The Garhwal Rifles
Battles/warsKargil War
AwardsKirti Chakra
Shaurya Chakra
Vishisht Seva Medal
Spouse(s)Unmarried
RelationsInspector General.(Retd.)Satyasaran Kothiyal (father); Late. Sushila Kothiyal (mother)
Other workPrincipal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering;[2] Founder of Youth Foundation Uttarakhand, India[3]
Websitehttp://youthfoundationuttarakhand.org/index.html

He is known for his work in reconstructing Kedarnath temple, after it was devastated by a flash flood in 2013. He is unmarried and his non-profit trust, "Youth Foundation" trains young boys and girls from Uttarakhand to join the Indian army.[5] He was given the Uttarakhand Ratna award in 2016 for his contribution to uplift and provide employment to youth of Uttarakhand.[6]

Early life

Ajay Kothiyal was born on 26 February 1969, as the eldest son of Inspector General. (Retd.) Satyasaran Kothiyal Border Security Force and Sushila Kothiyal. His alma mater include St. Joseph's Academy, Dehradun, Brightlands School, Kendriya Vidyalaya Dehradun, D.A.V.Post Graduate College Dehradun and Indian Military Academy.[7][8]

Military service

After completing his graduation, he cleared the CDS exam and joined the Fourth Battalion of Garhwal Rifles Regiment as Second Lieutenant in 1992. In 1994, Colonel Kothiyal started training in 'basic mountain warfare' from High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS).

Colonel Kothiyal (then Major) was part of the first team of the Indian Army that successfully summited the Mount Everest in 2001, under the leadership of Brigadier Krishan Kumar AVSM.

On 12 May 2003, Indian Army had carried out its first surgical strike in Pulwama district under the leadership of Major Kothiyal. He was wounded in the operation, in which seven terrorists were neutralized. He was awarded Kirti Chakra[9]

In 2011, he decided to scale the eighth highest peak in the world, Mt Manaslu. No Indian had ever successfully climbed this mountain. Fighting harsh weather and inhospitable conditions, his team unfurled the Indian Flag at the peak of Manaslu on 9 May 2011. He was awarded "Vishisht Seva Medal".[10]

The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil receiving the flags from Col. Ajay Kothiyal on Indian Army Women Everest Expedition Team, during the Flag in Ceremony, in New Delhi on 3 July 2012

In 2012, Colonel Kothiyal led a team of seven female officers from Indian army and successfully scaled the world's highest peak for the second time. Mrs Pratibha Singh Patil, President of India at that time, awarded him Shaurya Chakra.[11]

In 2013, Kedarnath temple, India's pilgrimage shrine was hit by natural disaster in which many lost lives. Colonel Kothiyal and his team were among the first to reach the affected area. He was given the responsibility of search and rescue operations. Under his supervision, Kedarnath was rebuilt and restored to its pristine form.[12]

In the same year, he also started a nonprofit trust called Youth Foundation to help the rural youth in Garhwal region to join the Indian Military and Para Military Services. The Foundation also helps in providing medical facilities to the poor people in Garhwal region.[13]

Social work

While working in Kedarnath, Col Kothiyal had recruited a few young men from nearby villages to assist him. He observed that the youth of Garhwal wanted to join the Indian Army but lacked proper training to do so. To bridge the gap, Col Kothiyal started a training program for such people. He self-funded the cause. The first batch had only 11 trainees, and the Army recruited all of them. "Youth Foundation" registered itself as a charitable not-for-profit trust in 2015.[14]

In 2018, Colonel Kothiyal took voluntary retirement from army to focus on social work through Youth Foundation.[15]

Military decorations
Kirti Chakra
Shaurya Chakra
Vishisht Seva Medal
Wound Medal
Special Service Medal
Operation Vijay Star
Siachen Glacier Medal
Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal
Sainya Seva Medal
High Altitude Service Medal
Videsh Seva Medal
50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
20 Years Long Service Medal
9 Years Long Service Medal
UN Interim Force in Lebanon Medal

Awards

See also

References
  1. "63rd Republic Day: The gallantry award winners : IC-51821X COLONEL AJAY KOTHIYAL, KIRTI CHAKRA, SHAURYA CHAKRA, GARHWAL RIFLES". rediff.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. "Principal Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, KC, SC, VSM". NIM. NIM. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  3. "TEAM & GOVERNING BODY Founded by Colonel Ajay Kothiyal KC, SC, VSM on 13 Jul 2013". Youth Foundation. Youth Foundation. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  4. "Colonel Ajay Kothiyal Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Visisht Seva Medal". Youth Foundation. Youth Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. "Meet Col Ajay Kothiyal Who Has Trained Over 1900 Youth For Indian Army". The Logical Indian. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  6. "नरेंद्र सिंह नेगी और कर्नल अजय कोठियाल को उत्तराखंड रत्न". Amar Ujala. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  7. "Colonel Ajay Kothiyal Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Visisht Seva Medal". Youth Foundation. Youth Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  8. "Heroic deeds of an Army officer". The Tribune. Tribune News Service. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  9. "h2". sainiksamachar.nic.in. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  10. KK, Sruthijith (1 July 2013). "Uttarakhand floods: 120 courageous people saved 6500 pilgrims". The Economic Times. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  11. "Ajay Kothiyal | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  12. Upadhyay, Kavita (21 December 2014). "In snow-covered Kedarnath, restoration gathers pace". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  13. "The Colonel who dares the hills". The Tribune Trust. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  14. "This Colonel Helped Rehabilitate Uttarakhand After The 2013 Floods & Trained Over 2000 Youngsters To Join The Army". thelogicalindian.com. thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  15. "सेना में रहकर कई कीर्तिमान स्थापित करने वाले कर्नल कोठियाल का सेवानिवृत्ति का आवेदन स्वीकार". Amar Ujala. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  16. "uttarakhand ratna award to narendra singh negi and colonel Ajay Kothiyal". Amar Ujala Publications Ltd. Amar Ujala Publications Ltd. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  17. "Winners:Col. Ajay Kothiyal". indiatvnews.com. indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
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