~We have gathered here to flag off the golden jubilee celebrations of the First Ascent of Mount Everest. It is an occasion that has filled our hearts with joy.

But our joy is redoubled because one of the heroes of that epochal event in 1953 is present in our midst, today.

I salute you, Sir Hillary. All of us here, and all the people of India, salute you today. We thank you for coming all the way to join us in celebrating that proud moment.

Today we also pay homage to the memory of your departed friend and our very own son, the redoubtable Tenzing Norgay. Together, both of you achieved what seemed like a dream then.

For me, today’s function in some ways recreates the thrill and excitement that I had experienced fifty years ago, upon hearing the news of the ascent of Mount Everest.

It seemed as if it was not merely the accomplishment of two courageous mountaineers. Rather, we felt as if, through your feat, the whole of mankind had scaled the highest peak on this planet.

After your ascent, the leader of your expedition, John Hunt wrote in his diary that at least the Everest story was finished. In fact, it had scarcely begun. The fact that nearly 1,300 people have since stood on the highest summit of the world is a tribute to the enormity of your and Tenzing Norgay’s achievement.

You showed them the way. And the romantic saga of Mount Everest continues to this day.

The Himalayas have a special place in every Indian heart. I have just returned from a brief summer vacation in Manali in Himachal Pradesh, and I am still under the spell of its green valley ringed by snow-capped mountains.

There is something timeless about these majestic mountains. Our eco-system, the fauna and flora, and our rivers carry with them the indelible imprint of the mighty Himalayas. They are woven intricately in our mythologies and scriptures, worshipped by Indians, Nepalese and Tibetans alike. The Tibetans, for instance, call Mount Everest ~Chomolungma~ – the Goddess Mother of the World.

The Himalayas are the epitome of beauty and benevolence, of strength and spiritual light. For millennia, they have been the abode of rishis in search of the Ultimate Truth.

No wonder, the Himalayas inspired the seers to see the unity between Truth, Godliness, and Beauty – Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

Therefore, climbing the Himalayan peaks is not an ordinary adventure, much less is it a conquest. It is a prayerful search for that which humans hold in awe and respect.

It is a spiritual sport, which purifies our lives and urges us to conquer hatred, prejudice, mutual strife and other baser instincts that have disfigured life on our beautiful planet.

Therefore, the first ascent of Mount Everest was not merely an occasion for rejoicing. It transmitted the message of peace, universal brotherhood and cosmic harmony.

The same message was also conveyed whenever humans went in pursuit of the Beyond – whether it was Neil Armstrong’s successful landing on the Moon or the unsuccessful space mission of Kalpana Chawla and her fellow astronauts.

I am happy to note that most of the Indian Everesters of yesteryears are here. Their heroic deeds have inspired generations of young men and women who have been drawn to this mysterious mountain.

In fact, India’s love affair with Mount Everest has been a continuing saga right from the day when, in 1852, Shri Radhanath Sikdar, a surveyor in the Survey of India became the first person to ~identify~ the highest peak of the world by calculating its height through intricate trigonometric calculations.

Since then, we have notched up many a ~first~. Shri Nawang Gombu was the first to climb Everest twice.

Our ladies have also not lagged behind. Today we salute

* Bachendri Pal, who was the first Indian woman to have climbed Mount Everest;

* Dicky Dolma who was the youngest to do so; and

* Santosh Yadav, who was the first woman to have achieved the feat twice.

Even now, a joint Indo-Nepalese Army team and a team from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute are on their way to Everest. I take this opportunity of wishing them success.

Today I ask our young people to inculcate the spirit of adventure symbolized by the names of Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, and all the other Everesters.

* Adventure in exploring the unexplored.

* Adventure in the work we do.

* Adventure in building a better society -- for ourselves and for future generations.

Today I have a happy announcement to make. Fifty years ago, the ascent of Mount Everest prompted our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, to announce the setting up of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute at Darjeeling.

Today, as we commemorate the golden jubilee of that great achievement, I announce the Government’s decision to establish a new Institute for Mountaineering and Allied Sports in the North-East. This will be funded by the Ministry of Defence.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awardees for the years 1999, 2000, and 2001. Fittingly, these Awards have now been named after Tenzing Norgay.

I would also like to compliment the Ministries of Youth Affairs and Sports, External Affairs and Communication, besides the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for having organized the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in a befitting manner.~