Ahead of the 73rd anniversary of the first Mount Everest summit, representatives of adventure clubs have renewed their demand for the revival of the prestigious Tenzing Norgay Trophy, which was awarded to individuals and organisations for outstanding achievements in adventure sports and mountaineering.

The groups have also reiterated their longstanding appeal for the conferment of the Bharat Ratna on legendary mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, who had scaled the world’s highest peak in 1953 with Edmund Hillary.

Animesh Bose, a veteran in adventure activities across north Bengal and programme coordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), said the organisations have appealed to the state urban development and municipal affairs department to revive the award under the newly-formed state government.

“The Tenzing Norgay Trophy was introduced by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri
Development Authority (which functions under the department) in the late nineties to encourage and recognise people, especially youths of the region, involved in adventure sports and mountaineering. However, the award has not been conferred for more than a decade. We appeal to the state government to revive it in recognition of those who continue to contribute to adventure activities throughout the year,”
Bose said.

On May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary scripted history by becoming the first to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

Adventure organisations in the hills and plains have continued to commemorate the achievement every year as Everest Day through various programmes and
observances.

He said that recipients received a cash award of ₹10,000 with the trophy during the annual Everest Day celebrations on May 29.

Bose expressed hope that the newly elected government would take up the matter with the Centre and press for the Bharat Ratna tag for Tenzing Norgay, a demand that has been raised across the hills and plains of North Bengal for years.

“It would be the best recognition for his historical feat,” he said.

Bose added that a climbing wall was installed around 12 years ago at Surya Sen Park in ward 10 of Siliguri.

The facility was set up by the local civic body to provide rock-climbing training for adventure sports enthusiasts.

However, for unknown reasons, the wall remains unused.

“We would like to appeal to the state government to make proper use of the infrastructure, as many young people are interested in the sport but cannot afford to travel to Darjeeling, where similar training facilities are available at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute,”
Bose added.