Jai Vardhan Bahuguna

His first attempt at Mount Everest in 1984 was in an expedition that is better remembered for putting the first Indian woman, Bachendri Pal on the summit. It was decided that the other members of the expedition, i.e. Maj. Bahuguna, Maj. Kiran Inder Kumar, Magan Bissa and Dr. Minoo Meta would form the second summit party which would make summit only if resources permitted. The second summit party opted to give their reserve oxygen to Bachendri Pal, so that she could summit the peak.^[1]

The 35 member Army expedition of October 1985, was Maj. Bahuguna's second attempt to scale the peak. The expedition ended on a tragic note with the death of five members. First, Maj. Kiran Kumar fell along the south east ridge route. He suffered head injuries and died on the spot. Four days later four other members – Maj. Jai Vardhan Bahuguna, Capt. Vijaya Pal Singh Negi, Maj. Ranjit Singh Bakshi and Lt. MUB Rao – died in one of the worst mountaineering tragedies.^{[citation needed]}

Maj. Bahuguna died shortly after the arrival of the rescue squad. He was 37 years old at the time of his death. Newspaper reports had then attributed the cause of death due to dehydration, injuries and exposure to cold after being stranded for four days. The freak Himalayan weather made rescue and salvage operations impossible. He was awarded the Kirti Chakra posthumously.^[2][3]

Maj. Jai Vardhan Bahuguna died at South Col, very close to the spot where his elder brother, Maj. Harsh Vardhan Bahuguna had died fourteen years before. As a tribute to both the brothers, the auditorium at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering has been named after them as 'Jai Harsh Bahuguna Auditorium'.^[4]