It's been 50
glorious years since the human made the biggest achievement of all
times, the conquest of Mt Everest. Its sheer beauty, majestic sight
and challenging height has always been a great attraction for all
of us.
The mountain was
named after Sir George Everest, a British military engineer, who
served as surveyor general of India from 1829 AD to 1843 AD when
the peak was surveyed. Everest was the first person to record the
location and height of the mountain, then known as Peak XV. We in
Nepal refer to the mountain as Sagarmatha, meaning "Forehead in the
Sky." Speakers of Tibetan languages, including the Sherpa people of
northern Nepal, refer to the mountain as Chomolungma, Tibetan for
"Goddess Mother of the World."
The height of Mt
Everest has been determined to be 8,850 m. The peak's actual
height, and the claim that Everest is the highest peak in the
world, had long been disputed. But scientific surveys completed in
the early 1990s continued to support evidence that Mt Everest is
the highest peak in the world. In fact, Mt Everest is rising a few
millimeters each year due to geological forces. Global Positioning
Technology (GPS) has been installed on Mt Everest for the purpose
of detecting slight rates of geological uplift.
The climate of Mt
Everest is naturally extreme. In January, the coldest month, the
summit temperature averages -36° C (-33° F) and can drop
as low as -60° C (-76° F). In July, the warmest month,
the average summit temperature is -19° C (-2° F). At no
time of the year does the temperature on the summit rise above
freezing. In winter and spring the prevailing westerly wind blows
against the peak and around the summit. Moisture- laden air rises
from the south slopes of the Himalayas and condenses into a white,
pennant-shaped cloud pointing east; this "flag cloud" sometimes
enables climbers to predict storms.
Numerous expeditions
have been conducted to Everest; those who come to Nepal for Everest
are not only trekkers but there are people who are hungry for just
a glimpse of this unique beauty. Several books have been written
and various surveys have been conducted about this mountain.
Everest is situated in Nepal-Tibet border and it was once more
inaccessible than the Bermuda triangle until May 29, 1953. It was
the day when the dreams came true, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
Norgay reached the highest point on earth. It all started when the
British were given the permission to climb Everest under the
leadership of John Hunt who was a master planner. He brilliantly
designed and orchestrated the essential equipment, brought together
a team of men who had immense potential and organised the whole
group in such a way that their effort was crowned with success. It
was a wonderful achievement and unique in itself because this
successful expedition opened a whole new era of mountaineering and
trekking. This achievement is considered to be the greatest not
only because it was for the first time but also because at that
time there were no such facilities available as now and the rough
climate and tough roads were fiercer than ever.
Nobody knew what the
roads held and what danger was lying ahead because it was the first
ever expedition. But through great hardship an unbelievable success
can be earned, and it was proved by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
Norgay. As Hillary said, "I continued hacking steps along the ridge
then up a few more to the right along the ridge and then up a few
more to the right …to my great delight I realised we were on
top of Mount Everest and that the whole world spread out below us."
It was 11.30 am May 29, 1953. Norgay and Hillary reached the
highest peak on earth. After that they were treated like
superheroes. They earned a celebrity status and their
accomplishment was celebrated by the whole people of their
respective nation and their achievement was considered a national
feat. Now the saga of climbing Everest and setting records was
started. Some of them include the climbing of Everest by a woman
for the first time and it was done by Japanese lady Junko Tabei.
Also Rion Hold Mesner climbed the mighty Everest without oxygen for
the first time.
We all know that the
saga of Mt Everest is closely related to human bravery in the
modern world. And it has become a fantasy to the tourism sector and
there has been a great rush to break records on Everest. Currently,
friends of Mt Everest are showing their concern about the possible
ruining of its ecology and human pressure on this land. With the
changing time new questions are rising about Mt Everest. People who
really care about Everest are raising new issues concerning the
ecology of Everest and its commercialisation. Recently, Sir Edmund
Hillary showed his deepest concerns about the commercialisation of
Everest. Now climbing Everest does not wholly depend on bravery and
skill. Now it has become the game of money-- you hire a porter,
preferable a Sherpa, and he take you to the top.
Everest is a source
of spiritual inspiration and now it's time to realise it. This
Goddess Mother of the World is basically a symbol of adventure and
spiritual integrity that is wedded to hardship, patient, experience
and pure devotion that leads to a happy and fruitful ending. That
is why the commercialisation of Everest is a major headache for the
people who believe in all these qualities. During the mega
celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the ascent of Mt Everest,
nobody's attention was drawn to felicitate the real heroes of the
Himalayas.
The saga of Sagarmatha
By Jayendra Acharya