A Sherpa for a Summit

Preparations are under way in Kathmandu, London and several other parts of the world to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the first ascent of Mount Everest by Sherpa Tenzing and Edmund Hillary, on May 29, 2003. After the maiden ascent of Everest in 1953, the highest peak in the world, has been climbed by some 1114 climbers which included about 500 Sherpas. With current focus on Tenzing and Hillary, the realisation of Sherpas contribution in the field of Himalayan climbing is fast growing.

This is a well researched work. Neale traces the origin of Sherpas involvements in mountaineering and highlights the 1934 German attempt on Nanga Parbat, 8216;8216;the Killer Mountain8217;8217;, led by Willy Merkl. The German team was obviously pressurised by the Nazis to succeed. Merkl tried to push up the mountain too fast, without first setting up enough support camps in case anything went wrong. Neale graphically describes the storm that engulfed the team high up the mountain on July 7, and captures the drama of the rescue that followed. The 1934 Nanga Parbat disaster was one of the worst in the history of mountaineering. But there were great acts of heroism that day too. Sherpa Gaylay gave his life for his master. Neale, based on his several interviews, makes an interesting observation. 8216;8216;Afterwards, the Germans said Gaylay did what he did because he was faithful and loyal. The explanation fits the European paternalist view of Sherpas as good sons to good fathers. The flaw in it is that I have never heard a Sherpa speak of loyalty. They speak of honesty, a virtue among equals. Loyalty and faithfulness are found in unequal relationships.8217;8217; Though the focus of the book is on the 1934 Nanga Parbat expedition, the author traces the history of early climbs in the Himalayas and goes on to describe the historical climb of Everest by Tenzing and Hillary. It is to the credit of the author that he spent over six months in several Sherpas villages, interacting with them which enabled him to discover several unknown facts about this elite Himalayan community.