Skip to main content

The 3rd Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Oration- A brief report

The 3rd Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Lecture was held in Rotary Sadan, Kolkata on 19th December, 2015. Those of you who attended the programme may have noticed that we had already started to call this event an 'oration' and not a 'lecture'. Both 'lecture' and 'oration' being synonymous, some of us preferred the latter better. Here is hoping we will stick to 'oration' for the future events and not give in to further caprice.

We were delighted and honoured to have the Himalayan Club (https://www.himalayanclub.org/) as our associates for this evening. Surely Sujal Mukherjee's spirit of the outdoors united us and it was a lovely resonance in the end. We sincerely hope that this association would continue in the years to come.

We were also happy to have Dream Wanderlust (http://www.dreamwanderlust.com/) as our Web Media Partner for the event. It was a new experience for us, and I must say that all of us who get together to organize this event welcomed their involvement. Their involvement assures that we have been able to archive all the proceedings digitally and thus make it available to a wider audience.

On 19th December, 2015, Dr. Kallol Das delivered the welcome address for the 3rd Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Oration. Dr. Das pointed out why we started this oration series in the first place and shared his hopes on continuing this effort in the future.

Dr. Kallol Das delivering the welcome address




Shortly after this a brief video based on the interviews of Sujal's friends and contemporaries was played. Here is the youtube link to that video:


After this video screening, our Guest of Honour, Sri Harish Kapadia took to the podium and delivered a hilarious yet insightful illustrated talk titled "Games Mountaineers Play- a humorous look at mountains and mountaineers, both in mountains and otherwise". It is needless to mention that the audience simply loved it.


Guest of Honour Sri Harish Kapadia delivers his delightful presentation



Sri Banabhshan Nayak felicitates Sri Harish Kapadia
After Sri Kapadia's talk, it was Dr. Rupak Bhattacharya's turn to come on the podium and introduce Prof. George W Rodway, the Guest Speaker of the 3rd Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Oration. In a very well researched manner and by means of a powerpoint presentation Dr. Bhattacharya introduced both Prof. Rodway and the theme of his talk for the evening.

Dr. Rupak Bhattacharya introduces Guest Speaker Prof. George W Rodway

 Finally it was Prof. George W Rodway on the podium and it was time for his much awaited oration titled :" A Little History of Some Big Peaks: the saga of medical science associated with the struggle for heights" . The audience was engrossed in Prof. Rodway's talk and were taken on a mesmerizing journey starting from 300 BC to the present day of human knowledge regarding the understanding of the high altitude and its realities.

Prof. George W Rodway delivering the 3rd Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Oration
Sujal's brother Sri Nishith Ranjan Mukherjee felicitating Prof. Rodway

At the end of Prof Rodway's oration it was our dear friend from the Himalayan Club Rajesh Gadgil's turn to deliver the closing note and vote of thanks to the audience and everyone who made the evening a grand success.

Rajesh Gadgil delivering the closing note

Thus another wonderful evening reached its completion. We certainly hope to see you again for the 4th session of the Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Oration.

Popular posts from this blog

Re-imagining The Future Of The Indian Adventurer- TedX Jadavpur University 2019

On 28th March, 2019, I was invited to speak at a TedX event organized by the Jadavpur University. The title of my talk was- ' Re-imagining the Future of the Indian Adventurer'. Here it is:  Here is the text of my talk along with the illustrations that I used that day.  Re-imagining The Future Of The Indian Adventurer   Image: Anindya Mukherjee Perhaps today my objective, above anything else, is to share a perspective. As we re-imagine the future in our own different ways, my personal motivation to do so, was simply to learn more and to explore- both what lies out there, and what I can find within myself. To satiate that urge I resorted to adventure, and I found that it answered in unexpected, mysterious, yet beautiful ways. Over the past 20 years I learnt that a life of adventure, like a few other noble pursuits, demands a long and devoted apprenticeship, physical, as well as philosophical.   I also learnt that adventure makes yo...

Zemu Gap from south: the first documented ascent

view of Kangchenjunga south summit and Talung peaks from Tongshyong glacier. Pic. Anindya Mukherjee Text & Photographs: Anindya Mukherjee Introduction The history of exploration around Kangchenjunga [1] , especially around its south, south east and east flanks; has always fascinated me. The classic journeys and adventures of pioneers [2] like W.W. Graham, John Claude White, Douglas Freshfield, Dr. A.M. Kellas, Harold Raeburn, N.A.Tombazi, Lord John Hunt and Paul Bauer ignited my imagination. The height of inspiration of course came from reading my hero Mr. H.W. Tilman’s account in the Himalayan Journal (vol. IX) on his attempt on Zemu Gap from south in 1936. The primary challenge of climbing Zemu Gap from south has always been its remote & complicated approach. Many failed just to reach the foot of this col. To add to that its apparently impregnable defenses took Zemu Gap to a next level of exploratory climbing. In 1925, Greek photographer N.A.Tombazi is sai...

Illustrated Talks Available on Online Platforms

Since all my mountain service engagements for the year 2020 has been either cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis, I am offering some of my talks online in an effort to survive as an independent adventurist. This means the talks are not free. Upon mutual agreement of terms and conditions the talks can be delivered on an online platform.  My name is Anindya Mukherjee. I am an ever curious, restless traveler, mountaineer, explorer, adventurer, adventure travel writer and a TedX speaker .   Over the past few years I have been invited to speak about my adventures and explorations across the Indian Himalaya and outside by many prestigious institutons in venues across the world.  Some of them are:  Mountaineering Ireland, The Himalayan Club, University of Michigan, Jadavpur University, Presidency University, The University of Calcutta, Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Netaji Res...