Up & down the vertical limit !

FOR HIM SKY IS the upper limit and the seas the lower. He loves the snow-capped mountain peaks and the springy underwater life. He feels like embracing them. He is Raj Kumar, a Submariner in the Indian Navy. ?My father was in Indian Army. That is why I always wanted to join the defense. I joined the Indian Navy and went on to becoming a submariner,? says Raj Kumar. Raj Kumar narrates, ?Unlike other children I always liked changing schools. I always looked at it as an opportunity to meet new people .

FOR HIM SKY IS the upper limit and the seas the lower. He loves the snow-capped mountain peaks and the springy underwater life. He feels like embracing them. He is Raj Kumar, a Submariner in the Indian Navy.

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“My father was in Indian Army. That is why I always wanted to join the defense. I joined the Indian Navy and went on to becoming a submariner,” says Raj Kumar.

Raj Kumar narrates, “Unlike other children I always liked changing schools. I always looked at it as an opportunity to meet new people and make friends. And as a child I was always very adventurous. I had joined the NCC wings and kept hopping from one wing to another to learn more things.”

Telling HT Fauji about his brush with mountaineering he says, “I was always fascinated by sky diving and dreamt of sky diving. And luckily I got an opportunity to do this in 1996. This is the time that I came in touch with a few mountaineers and started my career as a professional mountaineer.'

Raj Kumar's commitment to mountaineering has been continuous since 1998. He tells, “I have been a climbing member and equipment officer of all major mountaineering expeditions that the Navy has undertook since 2002, including Mount Everest expedition.”

He adds, “My favourite peaks till now have been Mt. Suijtilla and Mt. Everest because both of them were quite technically challenging. The former was a virgin peak that had defeated many renowned mountaineers from India and abroad due to the extremely difficult and dangerous climbing conditions.

Similarly, for Mt. Everest, the expedition was undertaken by the North Face route via Tibet, which is known to be one of the most challenging sides.”

Raj says, “ All my mountaineering experiences are very enthralling. We don't have any escorts with us to these expeditions. We have to carry all our stuff with us to these great heights. When we go to such heights we have to kep in mind certain important things, like we eat less and have more liquids, travel light and have proper equipment.”

Raj Kumar is an engineering graduate from BITS Pilani. He hails from Agra. “Two of my favourite places are Leh and Ladakh. I love the natural beauty of these places. Also when I travel I like to learn about the different culture of different places,” tell Raj. He likes reading history.