Rename HMI after legendary mountaineer Tenzing Norgay: Sherpa association

Paying rich tributes on the occasion of the 103rd birth anniversary of legendary mountaineer Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and the 64th anniversary of the conquest of Mount Everest on Monday, the United Sherpa Association has appealed for the rechristening of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling, to Tenzing Norgay Mountaineering Institute.

"There are mountaineering institutes in India named after Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and others but not after Tenzing Norgay. The Darjeeling HMI was started by Norgay so it should be aptly named after him," stated P T Sherpa, vice-president of the association.

P T Sherpa stated that there is Nehru Mountaineering Institute in Uttarkashi and Jawahar Mountaineering Institute in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru; the Mountaineering Institute in Manali is named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering Institute and the Mountaineering Institute in Gangtok, Sikkim, is named Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute.

"The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling was founded in honour of Tenzing Norgay. He was a field director in the institute and a resident of Darjeeling. It is only apt that the premier institute is named after him," stated P T Sherpa.

The successful ascent of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary was a major boost to mountaineering in India. One year after this historical event, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was established on November 4, 1954 — a result of personal initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, and Dr B C Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal to promote mountaineering in India.

The Sherpa Association along with the residents of Darjeeling have also demanded Bharat Ratna, posthumously, for Tenzing Norgay. "We will write to mountaineering associations and organisations across the world to pressurise the Indian government for conferring Bharat Ratna to Tenzing Norgay. Along with this, we will also write to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding these demands," added the vice-president.

On this day in 1953, man first set foot on top of the world with Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Mount Everest. On this day in 1914, legendary mountaineer Tenzing Norgay was born.

People from all walks of life including eminent mountaineers gathered at Tenzing Sherpa's memorial in the premises of the Darjeeling HMI on Monday to pay their respects to this legendary mountaineer.