Very few know of Edmund Hillary's achievements and adventures beyond that he was the first man to the tallest mountain on earth, Mount Everest. In fact, that was just one of the many adventures as far as he was concerned.
He did amazing journeys to the South and north pole of the earth.
Went on a magnificent journey to search Ganges's sources (started from Bay of Bengal and went all the way up till Hrishikesh.)
Also, he showed a big sense of compassion, empathy and responsibility towards his fellow human beings. His work for the Sherpa community in Nepal is widely regarded today and much less publicised.
Coincidentally I happen to read the his book ("The view from the summit") some months back and felt overwhelmed as much by the adventure itself as by his frank, simple style of narration. He didn't write the book as most world famous people today write the autobiography, much less like a celebrated national hero that he was. He wrote it like a simple amateur climber would. So it doesn't smell like those autobiographies which are well choreographed with the main theme being "I-knew-i-was-going-to-do-all-this" !!
The bee-keeper from New-Zealand (and my mountaineering hero) is now resting in peace, but through his achievements in a lifetime full of adventure, he showed the world a glimpse of a person as tall as that mystic peak he climbed, for the first time.
PS: I would highly recommend his book to everyone, adventures fans or otherwise. The name of the book is (very aptly) "The view from the Summit"!
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