Hill youth shares Everest honour

Sherpa (centre) being felicitated by EHTTOA representatives in Siliguri on Saturday. (Passang Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri: Dawa Gyalpo Sherpa, a youth from Darjeeling who is into travel trade, took an Australian paraplegic youth to base camp of Mount Everest.

Scott Doolan, the youth from New Castle, is the first paraplegic person who could reach the base camp of the highest mountain peak of the world.

Sherpa, who had helped the Australian youth to achieve the unique feat, is a member of Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators' Association (EHTTOA) and was felicitated here on Saturday for his success.

According to Sherpa, the youth from Australia paralysed his both the legs after he faced an accident when he was 17. But his quest for adventure led him to reach the base camp of highest mountain peak.

"I took month long preparation to organise the expedition, as there was a physically challenged part of it. Though the journey usually takes 15 days to complete, but we had taken 18 days to complete it," Sherpa said.

The youth of Darjeeling started the expedition on March 16 with his seven-member expedition team and reached the camp on March 25 at around 9.45am.

The 29-year-old youth from Darjeeling was the only Indian who got the opportunity to help the youth of Newcastle to achieve his target.

Among the rest of the members five were from Australia and one from Nepal.

"We have felicitated him (Sherpa) for his unique achievement. We will support him in future expeditions. We would also appeal to the government and all concerned to extend their cooperation to achieve his goal in future," Sandipan Ghosh, the general secretary of EHTTOA, said.