At a
Glance
HILLARY, SIR EDMUND
(Percival) (1919)
 "Life is a daring adventure or
nothing."
--Helen
Keller
Edmund Hillary, the man, who
in literal terms of its meaning, climbed to the highest peak in this world and also opened
an avenue for other men to reach the highest point on the earth- Mount Everest. He
accomplished this by being the first man in the entire history of mankind to be on the top
of Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953, he in a way conquered the Himalayas, by putting his
feet on Everest.
The feat is all the more
memorable because as many as seven major expeditions to reach the ‘top of the
world’ from 1920 to 1952 had miserable ends.
Hillary charted out his career
graph, climbing several small mountains between 1946 and 1952, before joining the British
Everest Expedition in 1953. He did not stop at the pinnacle of glory. He stayed on the
peak of an enviable adventurous career till 1977 – participating in the New Zealand
group of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Vivian Fuchs, reaching the South Pole by a
tractor and leading the first jet boat expedition up the river Ganges, to name a few.
Hillary also remained deeply
involved in the welfare activities of the Nepalese people, working tirelessly to raise
funds, set up schools, hospitals, clinics and airstrips in Nepal. He chronicled his
adventures in several books, including his autobiography ‘Nothing Venture Nothing
Win’ (1975).
Hillary was knighted by the
Queen and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who accompanied Hillary, was awarded the George Medal,
Great Britain’s highest civilian award.
A legend in his lifetime, Sir
Edmund is the only living New Zealander to be featured on a bank note. But, he remains a
world citizen to motivate others to conquer great heights, including his son Peter, who
climbed Mt. Everest twice.
The history of the world is
the history of a few men who had faith in themselves. Edmund Hillary was one of them.
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