New Delhi, 1st October 2025: In a powerful tribute to the spirit of courage, resilience, and self-belief, the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) — one of India’s leading hospitals renowned for its excellence in spinal care and rehabilitation — has successfully flagged off a first-of-its-kind employee expedition to the Everest Base Camp. The expedition begins a day before Dussehra, marking the celebration of good’s victory over evil and inner strength over fear. The journey, rooted in the vision of empowering individuals to overcome limitations, reflects ISIC’s mission of fostering inner strength, teamwork, and personal growth among its people. Inspired by the legacy of Padma Shri Major HPS Ahluwalia, one of the first Indians to scale Mount Everest, this expedition is not merely an adventure — it is a living embodiment of ISIC’s philosophy that every individual carries the potential to climb their own mountain.

A team of five employees — drawn from across departments, including doctors (2): Dr. Ankur Nanda and Dr. Nikhil Guliyani; nursing staff (2): Amarjit Kaur and Deepu Vijay; and general duty assistant (1): Dheeraj — was selected through a rigorous and unique process that prioritized emotional resilience, collaborative spirit, and mental grit over physical prowess. The multi-phase selection included series of physical trials, personal essays, and collaborative problem-solving exercises, designed to identify those who truly embody the “Everest spirit” — courage, perseverance, and the will to rise above adversity. Ahead of the expedition, participants underwent 60 days comprehensive training program combining fitness preparation, mental conditioning, leadership workshops, and team-building sessions, under expert supervision.

Speaking about the initiative, Ms. Bholi Ahluwalia, Chairperson, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, said: “This expedition is more than a trek — it’s a tribute to Major Ahluwalia’s legacy of courage and perseverance, and his belief that true strength is born not in the body, but in the mind. Through this journey, we aim to remind our people that every challenge, no matter how steep, can be overcome with resilience, teamwork, and self-belief. At ISIC, we see this as an opportunity to nurture the Everest spirit in our employees — empowering them to grow, inspire others, and carry forward our founder’s vision of turning limitations into possibilities.”

This initiative comes at a time when mental well-being and resilience are central to organizational growth. Studies show that employees feel more engaged when organizations invest in personal development, and experiential programs like these significantly boost motivation, teamwork, and leadership. For ISIC, whose mission has always been to help people rise beyond physical and emotional barriers, this expedition is a powerful step toward strengthening its community and keeping Major Ahluwalia’s Everest spirit alive.