NEPAL'S YOUNGEST DREAM BOY | Feature

ONE WHO HAS COURAGE AND DETERMINATION NEVER FAILS. BORN ON 7TH MAY 1985, LITTLE TEMBA TSHIRI SHERPA DREAMT OF CLIMBING MOUNT EVEREST AT THE TENDER AGE OF 10. TEMBA IS THE YOUNGEST CONQUEROR OF MOUNT EVEREST. HE HAS BROKEN THE 28-YEAR-OLD RECORD FOR YOUNGEST CLIMBER MADE BY SHAMBHU, STUDENT OF SIDDHARTH VANASTHALI SCHOOL. HE HAS MADE HIS SCHOOL AND THE NATION PROUD. NEPALIS HAVE A PENCHANT FOR CREATING MOUNTAINEERING RECORDS. IT IS THE LAND OF THE SHERPAS, A MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY KNOWN FOR ITS MOUNTAINEERING PROWESS AND WHICH HOLDS MOST OF THE MAJOR MOUNTAINEERING RECORDS.

Inspired by his family and villagers young Temba was adamant about climbing Everest. Due to his stubbornness, he refused to listen to his mother who was scared to let her son risk his life...and later had to give up and allowed him to achieve his dreams. His parents soon learnt to be supportive enough to let him climb Everest. At such a young age he has already acquired the passion for mountaineering and is a sports enthusiast too. Temba wishes to have another crack at Mount Everest as he grows older. He succeeded in his second attempt on Everest after losing several fingers to frostbite last year. However, the loss of fingers made no difference during the attempt, he said, except while changing the oxygen kit and climbing a ladder at a 'second step'. Previous year's failure couldn't shake his decision of climbing Everest. He did not get discouraged and says - I felt bad when I failed last year but I am not in the habit of leaving unfinished business. Whatever I plan to do must be complete. Failure shouldn't discourage anybody as success comes after failure. So I decided to try again and I succeeded. "I was very happy when I finally achieved success. It was a tough climb," he said adding that much of the trouble was forgotten after hoisting the national and school flag! I remembered my country, my family and friends, my school and prayed to Lord Buddha on the summit. The world seemed a sea of mountains from there," he said.

Temba unlike other mountaineers lacked experience. He himself admits that he had not climbed a single high mountain. Most of his practice had been on smaller mountains. He further said that his attempt was not only for record books but also to promote global peace. "I will plant a structure of Buddha on the peak as a symbol of world peace," he said. His final and record-breaking climb was timed for Lord Buddha's birth anniversary. Nepal Mountaineering Association whole-heartedly supported this young lad. "We feel he is trained enough to make the attempt" said NMA's first vice president Ang Tshering Sherpa.

It was not only Temba's victory that Nepal is proud of at the moment. 3 other record-breaking expeditions were already underway in an attempt to shore up the nation's image. Just before Temba set out to conquer Everest, Babu Tshiri Sherpa marched off to do Everest in a record-breaking 16 hours. Five women Sherpa's climbing Everest and, Appa Shrestha, another climber had set out to scale the mountain for the record breaking 11th time. "It's a season for record breaking events as far as Everest is concerned," said Thakuri who was leading Temba on Everest. All this is good for the country's image.