Native of the mountainous regions of Nepal, money has been the prime motivator driving the ethnic community of Sherpas up the Everest. On the mountain, they have been used as porters for Western expeditions, in high-risk jobs of fixing ropes leading up to the summit, setting up camps in extreme altitudes, leading less-experienced climbers of guided expeditions and, when necessary, carrying the injured down the slopes.

“It is a well-known fact that my father climbed Everest so that we, his children, did not have to,” said Jamling Norgay, son of Tenzing and a fellow Everester. Belonging to the Sherpa tribe, Jamling today has lent his support to the SuperSherpas expedition and to Apa who says that he climbs Everest so that he can provide for his children’s education. “I never had a choice,” Apa says. In Darjeeling, the erstwhile hub of the Sherpa climbers when Nepal was closed to foreigners, the legendary Sherpa climber, Nawang Gombu, who was the youngest porter during the famous 1953 Tenzing-Hillary Everest expedition, has been instrumental in securing an insurance scheme for Sherpa climbers.

“As president of the Sherpa Buddhist Association I noticed that nobody bothered about the Sherpas who died while climbing.

These days, their families get compensated Rs 3 lakh,” says the 73-year-old who climbed Everest in 1963 and in the first successful Indian expedition in 1965 led by Captain M S Kohli.

“Visible changes can be seen in the life standards of Sherpas with creation of schools, hospitals, bridges and electricity. However, the concept of affordable education is still a distant dream. As for recognition, Sherpas have definitely not received any.

... contd.