Five times Mount Everest climber love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu, assistant commandant, Border Security Force received Padma Shri recently. DK Pathak, IPS, DG, BSF and all members of the force have profusely appreciated for the award to love Raj in sport mountaineering.

Dharmshaktu hails from Bona village, Kumaon Himalaya. He worked at Uttar Pradesh Tourism Office on spl duty and took his adventure course. later, he completed Basic Mountaineering and Advanced Mountaineering Course from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in 1990. He earned a specialisation in search and rescue.

He has successfully climbed 38 peaks such as Nanda Kot (6,861m, 1989), Mamostong Kangri (7,516m, 1992) in ladakh and Nanda Bhaner (6,236m, 1992). He was liaison officer for a British team during expedition of Nanda Ghunti (6,309m) in 1997.

In 1998, he made a successful bid at  Mount Everest for the first time, from the Tibetan approach on the north. Thereafter he repeated this feat in 2006, 2009, 2012 and most recently in 2013.

Some of his other noteworthy conquests include the Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Nanda Ghunti (6,309 m), Nanda Bhaner (6,236 m) and Mamostong Kangri (7,516 m). He has climbed over 38 peaks in 22 years. In the future he intends scaling the five peaks known as Panchchulli in Uttarakhand. In 2008, he reached the peak of Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) alongwith a BSF team in June 2012.

Dharmshaktu is spirited eco-warrior, taking part in awareness drives specially with regard to littering on trekking routes on Mount Everest in Delhi. As a hill native, he knows the uses of medicinal herbs and plants, sometimes opting for these remedies over conventional medicines.

 He participated 38 times in various national level events and win following awards:-

~ Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2003 by Prime Minister of India for outstanding achievement in mountaineering including citation and cash reward of ` 1,50,000.

~ Award by Edmund Hillary in 2003 on golden jubilee celebrations of Everest organised by IMF.

~ Honoured by permanent membership of IMF (Indian Mountaineering Foundation).

~ Momento given by Union Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil in June 2006 after summit of Everest.

~ Award of DGCR with cash reward twice by the director general BSF in 2003 and 2006 for outstanding performance in BSF.

~ Gold medal for excellence in mountaineering by IMF in Nov 2009.