Shiva Kumar Dangi (General Secretary, Nepal Information and Communication Central Co-operative Union (NICCU)) provides a speech for Co-operatives United 2012.
In celebration of the International Year of Co-operatives ten members from the Nepal Information and Communication Central Co-operative Union (NICCU) took the IYC logo and the flag of the International Co-operative Alliance to the top of the world. Shiva, led the expedition and you can read his speech below...
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"3566","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 600px; height: 474px;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
Mr. Chairperson, your Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates and Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have extremely overjoyed to get an opportunity to attend the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) extraordinary General Assembly being held in this beautiful city, Manchester - UK, which is considered as a birth place of the Modern Cooperative Movement. Also I am very much thankful to the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) which offered me the opportunity to attend this assembly meeting as a guest considering recognition of an achievement of my expedition to the Mt. Everest with 8,848 meter height. I have been able to hoist the ICA flag on the occasion of the observance of the International Year of Cooperatives - 2012 (IYC) as called on by UN and ICA throughout the world.
I am very much happy to express my high appreciation not only to the Nepal Government, the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCF/N) and the Central Cooperative Union for Information and Communication. They had encouraged me to make an attempt climbing the Mt. Everest and hoisting the ICA flag in memory of the International Year of Cooperatives. Ultimately, I could succeed to achieve their aspiration on May 26, 2012.
Today I, being a member of the ten member Mt. Everest Expedition team with the equal number of Sherpa helpers was, indeed excited to briefly explain my adventurous life during the period of my expedition.
First of all, I feel, greatly happy to memorize the two Mt. Everest Expeditionists - Tenzing Norge Sherpa and Mr. Edmund Hillary, who had shown their adventurous lives to climb on the Summit of the Mt. Everest for the first time in the history of the Mt. Everest expedition on May 29, 1953.
There was a team known as “the Mt. Everest expedition of Lumbini (Birth place of Lord Buddha) to Sagarmatha (Top of the world)” managed by the Asian Trek, which was responsible for the total management of Mt. Everest expedition.
Before we started the expedition we organized intensive training for practicing trekking and acclimatizing Himalayan environment for 17 days in Langtang Himalaya with 5,800 meter height.
On April 4, our team started to move on to the Lukla airport from Kathmandu and proceeded to the Sagarmatha base camp with 5,300 meter height. We took 14 days for reaching base camp on the way. Within this period, as orientation about the Mt. Everest expedition, necessary instructions were given as follows.
Some instructions were briefed us about base camps - 1st camp with 6,100 meter height, 2nd camp with 6,500 meter height, 3rd camp with 7,100 meter height, and the 4th camp with 8,200 meter height, possibilities of avalanche for 14 pm to 18 pm in the second camp, regular features of changes of snowfalls, wind and clouds, fluctuation of temperature (up to minus 50), needs of continuous body movement, arrangement of strong ropes hanging from the first camp to the top of the Mt. Everest, tightening waist with harness, crossing caravels through the crossing ladders for avoiding deep ditches caused by melting snow, needs of daily regular trekking practices, needs of healthy climber and acclimated Himalayan environment, high rate of accidents causing shortages of oxygen (almost 95% death rate) and falling down from the snow (about 5% casualty rate), non-existence of greenery environment above the snowy mountains with 4,500 meters height etc. We climbed ice land peak with 6,100 meter height located in Solukhumbu, as a part of trekking practices.
Moreover, we spent more 33 days for following all the instructions and trekking practices and tried to acclimatize in Himalayan environment. We had completed such trekking practices and were acclimatized in the Himalayan environment. Following the above mentioned norms, practices and experiences we were informed that we were qualified to ascend the Mt. Everest.
In course of final process of climbing the Mt. Everest, we began to proceed for climbing on the top of the Mt. Everest on May 22 and arrived at 4th camp at 12 am on May 25 crossing all camps. Our two team members became sick and were return back.
At 8 pm, on May 25, we moved on for climbing summit of the Mt. Everest. After a couple of time my helper, Sherpa told me that he was suffering from his illness and left me just on the way. I proceeded to summit of the Mt. Everest with a cylinder taken from him. At 11 pm, I changed my own cylinder, left it behind and carried the second one, which would keep work until 7 am. While proceeding towards the peak, my death was nearing slowly. I informed my team members that I was sure that I would certainly die.
Meanwhile, I could reach on the top of the Mt. Everest at 6 am, May 26/2012 and hoist the ICA flag with full of enthusiasm. On the top of the Mt. Everest, there was a wide space where more than 60-70 persons could be accommodated. Snowy mountains were full of snow around. When I was about to return, I met a Sherpa helper belonging to another expedition team and suggested to change the regulator of my cylinder. Accordingly, the regulator was changed from No. 2 to No. 1. Such change would keep work until 8 am.
While returning from the summit, I met Mr. Phurba Tserring Sherpa, a helper belonging to another expedition team at the Hillary Step. When I informed him about my critical condition, he very generously lent me a cylinder with half of oxygen which would keep work for avoiding my fatal death.
Within a short period of my presentation, I may not be able to cover many many immemorable events of the expedition period.
With your permission I may conclude my presentation at this moment and would like to extend a lot of thanks to all the distinguished delegates and guests listening with a great patience.
I wish the success of this Assembly, that of IYC and that of maintenance of peace, prosperity and harmony through the effective and efficient operation of the cooperative movement in the world.
Thanking you.
Oct 31, 2012
Shiva Kumar Dangi
General Secretary,
Central Cooperative Union for
Information and Communication
