The Hiking Club

Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial Wall 

A recent addition to the facilities of College is the Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial Climbing Wall. This artificial rock climbing wall, situated outside the Gymnasium, was funded by a former member of the Club in memory of Eshwaran Bharatan, President of the Hiking Club in 1979-80, who was tragically killed while on an expedition in the Mulkilla range in Lahaul.

The construction of the wall was carried out by Mohit Oberoi. It is 11m high and 5m wide. The lower half consists of moulded ‘3-dimensional’ panels and the top half has flat panels. It has two overhangs at different angles, and there is also the possibility of climbing on the side panels. Route lengths of up to 17m can be set by utilizing the full width of the wall.

The wall has been a great attraction for aspiring, as well as seasoned, climbers because of its accessibility. Its well-shaded location has made it a welcome alternative to outdoor trips, especially during the summer months. Since its inauguration in March 2004, dozens of climbers have been honing their skills on it at all times of the day - before, between and after classes. In September 2004, the Club organized and hosted the 10th North Zone Sport Climbing Competition, on behalf of the North Zone Sport Climbing Committee, on this wall. Students from College participated enthusiastically in the Men’s and Women’s categories, and three of them – Isha, Mehak and Pianjeli - were selected to represent North Zone at the National competition in November. This was particularly commendable considering their lack of previous experience in such competitions.

Our success at hosting this competition has inspired us to try to institute an annual sport climbing competition – to be known as the St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition – for the best climbers from Delhi and neighboring areas. At present we are in the process of raising funds for this proposed competition, which we hope to be able to host from this year onwards.