Dalai Lama releases book written by Uttar Pradesh DM

Lucknow, Jun 1 (PTI) Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has released a book by an Uttar Pradesh district magistrate who has climbed the Mt Everest twice, saying his expeditions were meant to promote water conservation.

The book, "Everest: Experience the Journey", has been written by Jhansi DM Ravindra Kumar. It was released on Monday in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala by the Dalai Lama, who has also written the forward for it.

Kumar said he climbed the Mt Everest twice through two routes in Nepal and Tibet to raise awareness about water conservation.

The DM said he has tried to take the Union government’s schemes on water conservation to the grassroots levels. He also carried Ganga Jal to the Mt Everest and offered it there, appealing to the world to save water, the DM said.

Many eminent personalities, including former Supreme Court judge Vineet Saran, Chief Election commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar, Bollywood actor Akshay kumar and singer Udit Narayan, have written testimonials for the book.

Kumar had scaled the world’s highest peak on 19 May, 2013 in his maiden attempt. He climbed the peak again in 2015. Kumar, a 2011-batch IAS officer, was born and raised in a farmer's family in Begusarai district of Bihar.