Nawang Gombu | |
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| Born | (1936-05-01)1 May 1936 |
| Died | 24 April 2011(2011-04-24) (aged 74) Darjeeling,West Bengal, India |
| Citizenship | India |
| Occupation | Mountaineer |
| Known for |
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| Relatives | Tenzing Norgay (uncle) Jamling Tenzing Norgay (cousin) Tenzing Norgay Trainor (first cousin once removed) Tashi Tenzing (first cousin once removed) |
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Nawang Gombu (1 May 1936 – 24 April 2011)[3][4] was aSherpa mountaineer who was the first man in the world to have climbedMount Everest twice.[5](p393)
Gombu was born inMinzu,Tibet and later became anIndian citizen, as did many of his relatives including his uncleTenzing Norgay. He was the youngest Sherpa to reach 26,000 ft. In 1964, he became the firstIndian and the third man in the world to summitNanda Devi (24,645 ft). In 1965, he became the first climber to summitMount Everest twice—a record that remained unbroken for 15 years. First was with theAmerican Expedition in 1963 as the eleventh man in world and the second was withIndian Everest Expedition 1965 as seventeenth.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
Gombu was born in theKharta region to the north-east ofEverest.[2] His early life was marked by the complexities of his parents' marriage. His father, Nawang, was a monk, the younger brother of the local feudal landowner. His mother, Tenzing's beloved older sister, was Lhamu Khipa, a nun from a family of serfs. The two eloped, causing a scandal, and for a time they lived inKhumbu, a Sherpa district on the other side of the border in Nepal.[12]
As a young boy, Gombu was sent back to Tibet to become a monk atRongbuk 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]
After a year, Gombu fled with a friend, crossing theNangpa La intoKhumbu, where the first western visitors were beginning to explore the southern approaches to Everest.
In 1954 theHimalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling sent him to Switzerland on a technical climbing course.[13]
He was the first man in the world to climb Everest twice with the Indian Expedition and theAmerican Expedition. No small feat as the record was not broken for a very long time. He climbedMount Rainier numerous times and traveled extensively.[12]
Nawang Gombu lived inDarjeeling, India, and spent his life at theHimalayan Mountaineering Institute retiring as an adviser there. He had four children and a wife Sita who lives in Darjeeling.[2]
During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Nawang Gombu worked as a seasonal guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI), assisting climbs on Mount Rainier in Washington State.[14]
He was awardedArjuna award[15] andPadma Bhushan[16] 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 APJAbdul Kalam. He was also made an honorary member of theAlpine Club, theAmerican Alpine Club, andthe Himalayan Club.[17]
In 1963, Gombu met President John F. Kennedy at the White House as part of a ceremony honoring climbers from the 1963 Everest Expedition. He also met Queen Elizabeth II on two occasions: the first in 1953, following the British Everest Expedition, and again in 1993 during the fortieth anniversary celebration of that climb. He presented both Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth with traditional Tibetan scarves.[18]
Gombu dedicated his later life to the Sherpa community, raising funds and being President of the Sherpa Buddhist Association for the past few years.
Gombu worked as a seasonal guide for RMI on Mount Rainier during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
In 1993, I was in London for the fortieth anniversary celebration of Hillary's Everest climb ... "The queen told me that she loved the scarf and would keep it."
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