Conquering Everest. The Lives of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

98 Pages·2011·242.39 MB·English

by  Lewis Helfand

Biography
Summit
8,848 meters
Camp IX
8,504 meters
Camp VIII
7,894 meters
Camp VII
7,315 meters
Camp VI
7,010 meters
Camp V
6,706 meters
TThhee LLiivveess ooff EEddmmuunndd HHiillllaarryy aanndd TTeennzziinngg NNoorrggaayy Camp IV (Advanced Base
Camp) 6,462 meters
Camp III
6,157 meters
Camp II
5,913 meters
Camp I (Base Camp)
5,364 meters
KALYANI NAVYUG MEDIA PVT LTD
New Delhi
TThhee LLiivveess ooff EEddmmuunndd HHiillllaarryy aanndd TTeennzziinngg NNoorrggaayy
Sitting around the Campf ire, telling the story, were:
AUTHOR LEWIS HELFAND
ILLUSTRATOR AMIT TAYAL
COLORIST AJO KURIAN
LETTERER BHAVANATH CHAUDHARY
EDITORS SUPARNA DEB & ADITI RAY
EDITOR (informative content) RASHMI MENON
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER VISHAL SHARMA
ART DIRECTOR RAJESH NAGULAKONDA
COVER ART AMIT TAYAL & JAYAKRISHNAN K. P.
DESIGNERS VIJAY SHARMA
Published by Kalyani Navyug Media Pvt. Ltd.
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ISBN: 978-93-80741-24-6
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Printed in India at Rave India
Lewis Helfand was born on April 27, 1978 in Philadelphia, and grew up in nearby Narberth,
Pennsylvania. Although interested in cartoons and animation from a young age, by the
time he was twelve, Lewis’s focus had turned to writing. After completing high school, he
remained in the Philadelphia area with the intention of pursuing a degree in English.
Four years later, with a degree in Political Science and a passion for comic books, Lewis
began working for local publishers, proofreading books and newspaper articles. At the age
of twenty-four, Lewis had been editing phone books for a year and a half, and felt no closer
to his lifelong goal of writing comic books. So, one day, he decided to quit his job.
Lewis then spent the next two months working day and night to write and draw his fi rst
comic book, Wasted Minute. It tells the story of a world without crime where superheroes are
forced to work regular jobs. To cover the cost of self-publishing, he began working odd jobs
in offi ces and restaurants, and started exhibiting his book at local comic -book conventions.
With the fi rst issue received well, he was soon collaborating with other artists, and released
four more issues over the next few years.
Outside the fi eld of comic books, Lewis works as a freelance writer and reporter for a
number of national print and online publications. He has covered everything from sports
and travel to politics and culture for magazines such as Renaissance, American Health and
Fitness, and Computer Bits.
Lewis is one of Campfi re’s most prolifi c writers, having adapted many Western classics,
written several biographies, and scripted the original titles 400 BC and Photo Booth.

Year after year they came, reaching
out, grasping, climbing, struggling,
just to get a little bit higher.
They all came with one singular
goal in mind—to get to the top.
The explorers from the West knew
the mountain as Everest. But the
Sherpas from the East, who lived in
its shadow, called it Chomolungma.
At 8,848 meters above sea level,
it was the highest point on Earth.
Year after year they attempted to climb
this mountain, suffering disappointment
and injury and death, for there was no
shortage of ways to die on Everest.
Some lost fingers or toes to frostbite, while
some met their death when the fragile ice gave
way and sent them plummeting into the abyss.
Some were the victims
of avalanches...
...while others simply disappeared. Two such
ill-fated climbers were George Mallory and Andrew
Irvine. In 1924, while attempting to climb Everest,
the brutal winds wiped away their footprints… and
they were never seen or heard of again.
But still the explorers kept
coming, year after year, trying
to reach the top of the world.
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In 1953, the British were
making their ninth attempt.
The summit of Everest presented one of the
last simple, classic challenges that nature had
to offer. Reaching its pinnacle was considered
to be a prize of momentous proportions.
All the major nations of the world were eager to reach
the peak first. The goal seemed simple — to reach the
top. But it was far easier said than done, for there were
no roads, no paths, and no footsteps to follow, not to
mention the extremely difficult weather conditions.
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The entire British Empire had been scoured, and the best and the most
experienced climbers had been chosen for this ambitious attempt. The
expedition comprised over 400 people, including eleven climbers, 362
porters, twenty Sherpas, and about 4,500 kilograms of baggage.
Among them were two climbers whose
names would soon be linked to each
other, and to Everest, forever.
New Zealander Edmund Hillary and
Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Hillary was an
accomplished mountaineer, having climbed
in New Zealand, Europe, and Asia.
Tenzing Norgay had attempted to
climb Everest six times before, and had
been at least 1,219 meters higher than
any of the other expedition members.
Everest still looks
the same, Tenzing. It looks
just as treacherous as it
did a year ago. And just
as beautiful.
A year ago?
I have been seeing
it since I was a little
boy, and it looks as
supreme as ever.
Really? When
was the first time
you saw it?
That’s a good
question...
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I don’t remember when I saw
Everest for the first time.
Maybe that’s because it has
always been a part of my life.
I was born as Namgyal Wangdi in the
Kharta region of Tibet. I don’t know the
exact date, but I’ve been told that it was
during springtime and probably in 1914.
When I was very young, my father, Mingma,
and my mother, Kinzom, decided to move to the
Khumbu region of Nepal. We lived in the village
I can’t tell you when we moved
of Thame, right in the shadow of Everest.
there, as we Sherpas are never really
particular about dates. We have no
written language or recorded history.
I learned to speak not just Sherpa, but Tibetan,
Nepali, and Hindustani as well. Yet, I never learned to
read or write because we had no formal education.
What we did have, however, was our family.
Together, we worked in the fields and tended to a
herd of yaks that belonged to the local monastery.
And we lived the same way too, with
the animals below us as we slept.
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Yaks were our livelihood. We used their wool to keep us warm, their
milk to quench our thirst, and their strength to plow the fields. There
was no one else to depend on—certainly not the locals.
Look, there’s
another batch of
immigrants from Tibet.
Each group that arrives
here seems poorer
than the last.
Survival depended on having a large family, to be able
to work on the fields and tend to the animals. But then,
having a large family wasn’t easy. Eight of my twelve
brothers and sisters died as babies or in childhood.
And when I, too, fell ill at a young
age, I seemed destined to be the
ninth to suffer an early death.
Please, Lama,
tell me. Will my
boy recover? Will
he live?
Yes, he will, for
he is the reincarnation
of a very wealthy
man.
This child will have
a second chance at life.
He should be given a new
name for a fresh start;
a name that reflects
his past life.
From now on,
Namgyal Wangdi will I predict great
be called Tenzing Norgay. things for your
It means ‘wealthy, son. Great things
fortunate follower of indeed!
religion’.
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