Born in 1923 at Kewzing, a south
Sikkimese village at the foot of
Kangchenjunga in Northeast India, Sonam Gyatso started his career in 1946 as a school teacher at Lachung, in the northern part of the state. After three years of service, he joined the Frontier Constabulary Force of the
Indian Air Force as a head constable in 1949 which gave him the opportunity to attend a basic mountaineering course at the
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute,
Darjeeling in 1954.
Hathi Parbat in 1963, Rathong peak and Langpo Chung in 1964. he reached the summit at the age of 42 as a member of the first all-Indian Everest expedition, thus becoming the first person from Sikkim and the oldest person among all mountaineers to summit the peak. He spent 50 minutes at the top without oxygen supply which was then a world record. The attempt also set another world record for the highest number of successful climbers in a single expedition; the team strength of nine members broke the record set earlier by an American expedition of six members.
India Posts issued a postage stamp in commemoration of the achievement. Later, he also scaled the
Siniolchu peak. Kohli, who had led the 1965 Everest expedition, recruited Gyatso to join a team on a
secretive mission to
Nanda Devi. The joint
CIA /
Indian Intelligence Bureau mission involved placing a nuclear listening device on the mountain in 1965 with subsequent visits in 1966. Gyatso was married to Kunzang Choden and the couple had five children. After his death a biography was published 'The Sky Was His Limit: The Life and Climbs of Sonam Gyatso', the author,
B.N. Mullik, was the Director of the
Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB). == Awards and honors ==