Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia, an Indian mountaineer, Major H.P.S. Along with his friends Rawat and Phu Dorjee, he climbed Mount Everest on 29 May 1965. He almost lost his life in the "journey of life", but he did not lose his determination. This is the story of how one man used his personal injury to change the lives of thousands.

   Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia was born in Shimla and grew up with his two sisters and a younger brother. His father was a civil engineer in the Central Public Works Department. He attended St. Joseph's Academy, Mussoorie and St. George's College, Mussoorie for his educational career. He discovered photography and rock climbing while there.

His interest in rock climbing increased with his graduation. Major H.P.S Ahluwalia's rock climbing took place in Sikkim and Nepal, Ladakh, Garhwal and, Mount Everest.

After completing his graduation, Mr. H.P.S Ahluwalia joined the Indian Army as an officer. As they age, so do their tastes. H.P.S Ahluwalia never had a love for mountaineering that synced with his professional life. He climbed Mount Everest on 29 May 1965 with his friends Rawat and Phu Dorjee. This is the first Indian team to reach the summit of Everest.

He describes the moment in a reassuringly simple way. Very worried. Mind and body are working overtime. The summit was a moment of joy, but also anxiety. It's exciting. It is close to the sky. It's dark blue, and (b) you feel like you've done a job and done it well," recalled Major HPS Ahluwalia.

Then he was shot in the spine during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. He was confined to a wheelchair due to injuries. Despite being injured, he did not give up his fight for life.

Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia (75) is today the Founder and Chairman of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, ISIC, Vasant Kunj. Confined to a wheelchair, he built a state-of-the-art health center without any administrative experience. The institute has transformed the management of spinal cord injuries in India and is now an international center for knowledge sharing and research. It is inspiring how one person who had no financial support helped thousands and made his dream come true.

Major HPS Ahluwalia recalls being paralyzed after sustaining a spinal cord injury during the Indo-Pak war. There is no hospital in India that can treat him. He founded ISIC because of the lack of expertise in spinal injuries in India. After 30 years of hard work, he was able to open a spinal cord injury center in 1997. "This center is unique because it was built by a patient (himself) for the patients. So the need of the patients was taken into consideration," said Major H.P.S Ahluwalia. "What took me two and a half years to complete at various hospitals (including one here in England), we can complete in six to eight weeks."

Major H.P.S Ahluwalia never sat still throughout his life. After a spinal injury, he started writing books. Many books like "Higher than Everest" and "Beyond the Himalayas" have been written by him. He was at a time when many would lose hope of living. He did what no one else in the history of India could do.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2002. On August 29, 2009, he was awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.

The man is truly a phoenix. He not only lifted many from a very dark life, but also gave hope to thousands.