Back to: CBSE Class 8 English Summary and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
The life-changing experiences of Major Ahluwalia who climber Everest to reach a higher level of life and reality.
The Sad Major
As Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia stood on the summit of Everest; he became sad. He had this in mind if this was the last thing he wanted to do. Was there something else left? For him, the summit of the mind is no less easy to conquer.
After getting down from the summit, he asked himself this question as to why he climbed Mount Everest. He started to ask himself a question as to why people climb mountains. The answer to this, according to him, was that mountains present difficulties, and people love to overcome difficulties though it required persistence and willpower.
Majestic Creatures
He believed that mountains are a means of communicating with God. He conquered Everest because it was the mightiest and loftiest peak and presented great difficulties. For him, climbing Everest was a challenge difficult to resist. Still, there was no final answer to this question. When someone climbs Everest, he becomes aware of his smallness in this universe.
The conquest of climbing the mountain is more than physical. It represents a satisfaction for man’s inner urge towards adventure. While climbing the mountain, there are moments that one is about to give up, but something is in a climber that does not allow him to give up.
Upon reaching the peak, the surrounding peaks look like a jewelled necklace. It is a life-changing experience.
The Difficult Summits
Major left a picture of Guru Nanak on the summit. His friend Rawat left a picture of Durga. Phu Dorji left a relic of Buddha.
According to Major Ahluwalia, there is an inner summit in everybody’s mind that one must conquer to have a fuller knowledge of himself. His experience as a climber had provided him with an inspiration to face life’s ordeal in a better way. Climbing Everest was a worthwhile experience for him. According to him, the internal summits are higher than Everest.
