January
12, 2008 Not Just
Sherpas,
Himalayas Too Will Miss Hillary By Manik
Banerjee
Darjeeling
Tung Sung Bustee, the haven of the Sherpas in Darjeeling, is in
mourning since Friday when news of Sir Edmund Hillary's death
reached the community that considers the New Zealander as one of its
own.
The Sherpas, who originally hail from Solo Khumbu region of Nepal
near the base of Chomolungma (Mother of the Goddess Earth), remember
Sir Edmund more as a person who was instrumental in giving them an
identity and who changed their nomenclature from mountain porters to
mountain guides.
It was from Darjeeling, the queen of hills in West Bengal, that the
first expedition to Mount Everest set out in 1931 through Tibet.
In all subsequent ventures to the world's highest peak, Darjeeling
supplied this band of dedicated persons but for whom expeditions to
Mount Everest would not have been possible. So it is but natural
that the mountaineering fraternity and adventurers in general and
the Sherpas in particular felt a great loss in the death of Hillary.
Hillary, along with Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa, was the first to reach
the world's highest mountain more than 54 years ago.
Nowang Gombu, former director of field training at the Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute (HMI) and the first person to climb Mount
Everest twice, said: "It's a great loss for me, the HMI and
particularly for the Sherpa community.
"It was Hillary who opened the eyes of the Sherpas to the outside
world," recalled Gombu, a nephew of late Norgay.
"I still vividly remember those days (from 1953). When I first met
him in the expedition, we forged a friendship instantly though we
were in different groups. Edmund was most friendly and used to mix
with the Sherpas with equal affection as with other members."
Gombu, who is known as the "Last of the Mohicans" from the gallant
group of Sherpas but for whose help the success in the 1953 Everest
expedition would not have been achieved, recalled: "We met several
times at the HMI and other places and in different functions and he
always used to greet me with equal jest and bond of friendship.
"After that historic ascent of the Everest, Hillary could have
settled for a cushy and comfortable life. But he preferred to take
up the mantle of uplifting the lot of Sherpas. He spent most of the
time setting up schools and hospitals and bridges in remote parts of
Solo Khumbu and around in Nepal Himalayas for the benefit of Sherpa
communities.
"He also raised funds and rebuilt the Thyangboche Monastery on way
to the Everest base camp after it was devastated by a fire. For
Sherpas he was the son of the soil and did much more for the
community than anybody else.
"Even in his very busy schedule as high commissioner of New Zealand
in India, whenever any mountaineer approached him he was always
ready to extend his helping hand," Gombu said.
"In Hillary's death not only the Sherpas but even the Himalayas
would miss this great adventurer," he added.
The HMI here was a second home for Hillary.
Condoling his death, HMI principal Colonel J.S. Dhillon said: "It is
a great loss to the mountaineering and adventure fraternity of the
country. The HMI particularly lost a great friend. Sir Edmund's
death has created a big void. He will be remembered forever."
Beside the Sherpas, Sir Edmund used to respond to the phones calls
of any mountaineer.
This writer recalls an incident in August 1977 when Hillary was
leading the "Ocean to Sky" expedition.
After beginning the venture from Sagar Island near the Bay of Bengal
where the Ganga meets the sea, the expedition halted at Kolkata.
We were then planning for an expedition to Bomba Dhura, a virgin
peak in Kumaon Himalayas, which was organised by the Himalayan
Association of Kolkata (HAK). I as a leader approached him to cheer
our team. In spite of his very busy schedule, he readily agreed.
The team successfully made the first ascent of the peak and Hillary
did not forget to congratulate the squad.
(Veteran journalist Manik
Banerjee is a well-known mountaineer who participated in several
expeditions, including to Bomba Dhura, a virgin peak in the Kumaon
Himalayas in 1977. He can be reached at
manikcbanerjee@yahoo.com)
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