Bharat Ratna still remains elusive for mountaineer Tenzing Norgay Sherpa

The Sherpa Buddhist Association backed by various other organisations and associations have been running from pillar to post with this appeal for years, but in vain

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 26 Feb 2024 : Except for empty assurances, nothing much has transpired on the issue of conferring Bharat Ratna to legendary mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. 

The Sherpa Buddhist Association backed by various other organisations and associations have been running from pillar to post with this appeal for years, but in vain. With the Lok Sabha elections round-the-corner, the demand has once again resurfaced. 

“Prime Minister Modi, Union Home minister Amit Shah, Jagdeep Dhankhar, the present vice-president of India in the capacity of the then Governor of West Bengal had all assured that Tenzing Norgay would be conferred the Bharat Ratna. 

However, nothing has translated into action,” stated PT Sherpa, advisor, Sherpa Buddhist Association. 

The issue had also reverberated in the Parliament with Darjeeling MP Raju Bista’s proposal of conferring Bharat Ratna to Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. “On May 29, 1953, history was created when Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary climbed on top of Mount Everest. In doing so, they not only created history but exemplified the best of human passion, training and perseverance. 

However, his legacy remains incomplete today. Despite being most deserving of the highest honour our nation can bestow on anyone — Bharat Ratna — he has not been awarded with that honour. 

I request our government to kindly recognise the super-human efforts of Late Tenzing Norgay ji and to honour him and his legacy by bestowing upon him Bharat Ratna award,” MP Bista had stated in Parliament on September 21, 2020. 

“Tenzing Norgay has been one of the most influential Indians on the global arena. Even Times Magazine featured him a number of times. He was even featured among 100 most influential persons in the world, yet the Bharat Ratna remains elusive for him for reasons best known to the government. We would once again like to remind them of their commitments. Who else is more deserving than him?” questioned Sherpa. 

Norgay was awarded the King George Medal in 1953; Special Olympic Medal; Iran Shah Medal; Nepal Tara; USSR Special Medal; French Sports Special Medal and numerous other medals. He was recognised as one of the 10 best athletes of the world by Life Magazine in 2000. 

He was also declared as one of the most influential people of the world by Time Magazine in 1999. NASA has honoured him by naming one of Pluto’s mountains as “Tenzing Montes”. India has honoured him with the Padma Bhusan and named the Highest Adventure Sports Award after him. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bharat-ratna-still-remains-elusive-for-mountaineer-tenzing-norgay-sherpa-553654