Sir Christian John Storey Bonington is a celebrated British mountaineer, who has the distinction of having conquered Mount Everest four times and 15 other Himalayan peaks. An alumnus of University College School, Hampstead (London) and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Bonington was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment in 1956. In 1961, he resigned his commission to become a professional mountaineer, explorer and freelance journalist for The Daily Telegraph. He was conferred Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1976, and knighted in 1996 for his services to mountaineering. Currently he is the chancellor of Lancaster University, UK.
Newspeg. Bonington was recently in Delhi to felicitate the first cohort of 19 students of the G.D. Goenka World Institute (GDGWI), Gurgaon, who have acquired graduate and postgrad degrees from Lancaster University. In 2009, GDGWI contracted a twinning agreement with the Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) under which students enroled in GDGWI could opt for the LUMS curriculum and be awarded Masters degrees by Lancaster University. Quite obviously this partnership has flourished because the ambit of academic collaboration has expanded to cover undergrad programmes in mechanical, electronics, electrical and computer systems engineering from this autumn (September).
History. Lancaster is the first and only foreign university offering educational qualifications at the 60-acre campus of G.D. Education City, Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi. GDGWI is a constituent institution of G.D. Education City which also hosts the state-of-the-art IBO, Geneva-affiliated G.D. Goenka World School.
Direct talk. Official engagements for Lancaster University apart, Bonington (77) delivered a well-attended public lecture entitled: “Everest: Peak of Achievement” at Delhi’s Ambassador Hotel, where he gave a detailed account of his Everest expeditions. “Having recently emerged from the shadow of World War II, we were used to team work, national service, and exposed to a lot of adventure. But it’s a different story today. We have to exhort youth to undertake outdoor activities to enjoy different and valuable experiences,” he lamented.
Future plans. Bonington is confident the teething pains of the GDGWI-Lancaster University academic collabo-ration are over and the partnership will blossom. “The launch of three new undergraduate programmes in collaboration with G.D. Goenka World Institute will deepen our partnership. This blossoming partnership is preparing the ground for establishing an offshore campus here for Lancaster as soon as an enabling law is passed,” he says.
It’s a consummation devoutly to be wished!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)