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| Kathmandu, Saturday May 24, 2003 Jestha 10, 2060. |
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Bravo Sagarmatha climbers
Two extremely important records were created
on Mount Sagarmatha on Thursday and Friday when Ang Chhiring Sherpa became the first
Nepali journalist – many claim he is the first South Asian journalist – to reach
the dizzy heights of Sagarmatha. That he belonged to our sister publication Kantipur daily
is a matter of immense and rightful pride. It took 50 years for a Nepali journalist to
step on top of the world first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and the late Tenzing Norgay
in 1953. The sense of honestly and adventure that Ang Chhiring displayed in his memorable
climb will long be remembered by the Nepali journalist fraternity. Especially so as he
planted the flag of the Nepal Journalists’ Federation along with that of the Kantipur
Publications atop Mt Sagarmatha.
The Sagarmatha top was crowded on Thursday
when Ang Chhiring reached the peak along with the climbers from a number of expeditions
both from the northern and southern sides. Five hours after Ang Chhiring stepped on the
summit after climbing for about 12 hours, another climber Pemba Dorjee Sherpa left the
Sagarmatha Base camp, which is located at about 5,400 metres to set a new speed record to
climb the mountain. Pemba Sherpa reached the summit in the early hours of Friday,
shattering the speed record set by the late Babu Chhiri Sherpa in 2000. Pemba climbed to
the top of the world from the Base camp in a record time of 12 hours and 45 minutes. Apart
from these two unique Nepali achievements, a 70-year old Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura
became the oldest person to scale the mountain Thursday when he stepped on the summit
along with his son Gota Miura, but they were not the first father-son team to reach the
summit. This feat had been achieved earlier. Yuichiro Miura bettered the record set by
another Japanese Tomiyasu Ishikawa who climbed the peak just last year when he was
slightly over 65 years old.
The Everest feats coming as they did just a week before the
country and the world celebrates the completion of 50 years of the first climb of the
mountain by Hillary and Norgay is a matter of pride for mankind everywhere. The capital is
already agog with anticipation of the coming events when Sagarmatha climbers will be
suitably facilitated at public functions, acknowledging the contributions they made not
merely by climbing the Himalayan peak and popularising this country but also by bringing
to the fore the indomitable human spirit that makes such feats possible. Ang Chhiring
Sherpa, Pemba Dorjee Sherpa and the elderly Japanese climber along with other climbers
need to be suitably congratulated on their success, showing the world that creative
adventure is still not dead in the age of gadgets and instant communications. Theirs are
examples worthy for the youth everywhere to emulate. |
