Nawang Gombu Sherpa
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
Nawang Gombu | |
---|---|
Mountaineer | |
Known for |
|
Relatives | Tenzing Norgay (uncle) |
Awards |
|
Nawang Gombu (1 May 1936 – 24 April 2011)[3][4] was a Sherpa mountaineer who was the first man in the world to have climbed Mount Everest twice.
Gombu was born in
Early life and background
Gombu was born in the
As a young boy, Gombu was sent back to Tibet to become a monk at Rongbuk Monastery, an hour's walk below what is now Everest base camp. Gombu's grandmother was a cousin of the head lama, Trulshik Rinpoche, but the connection offered him no protection from the brutal punishment often meted out to novices who failed in their studies.[2]
Career
After a year, Gombu fled with a friend, crossing the Nangpa La into Khumbu, where the first western visitors were beginning to explore the southern approaches to Everest.
He was the first man in the world to climb Everest twice with the Indian Expedition and American. No small feat as the record was not broken for a very long time. He climbed Mount Rainier numerous times and traveled extensively.
Nawang Gombu lived in Darjeeling, India, and spent his life at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute retiring as an adviser there. He had four children and a wife Sita who lives in Darjeeling.
Honours and awards
He was awarded
for his achievements. Gombu attended reunions of climbs during the 1950s and 1960s as part of the 1963 Everest Expedition Celebrations. In 2006, he was awarded the Tenzing Norgay Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of Indian mountaineering by President APJGombu dedicated his later life to the Sherpa community, raising funds and being President of the Sherpa Buddhist Association for the past few years.
Awards
- 1953 – Tiger Medal
- 1953 – Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
- 1963 – Hubbard Medal of the National Geographic Society, USA
- 1964 – Padma Shree - India [13]
- 1965 – Padma Bhushan – India [13]
- 1966 – Indian Mountaineering Foundation's Gold Medal – India
- 1967 – Arjuna Award – India
- 2006 – Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award – India
See also
- Indian summiters of Mount Everest - Year wise
- List of Mount Everest records of India
- List of Mount Everest records
- List of Mount Everest summiters by number of times to the summit
References
- ^ Melinda C. Shepherd, Nawang Gombu at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ a b c Douglas, Ed (24 May 2011). "Nawang Gombu obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^ "Veteran mountaineer Nawang Gombu dead". The Hindu.
- ^ Banerjee, Amitava (24 April 2011). "Mountaineer Nawang Gombu passes away". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ "Indian Mount Everest Expedition". iStampGallery.com.
- ^ "Did you know that 50 years ago 9 Indians held a record for climbing Mount Everest?". The Better India.
- ^ "First successful Indian Expedition of 1965-". Youtube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
- ^ M.S. Kohli. Nine Atop Everest: Spectacular Indian Ascent.
- ^ "The first Indians on Everest". Mint.
- ^ "Nine Atop Everest". The Himalayan Club.
- ^ "Arjuna Award". Sports Authority of India.
- Padma Awards.
- ^ a b "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs.