ANG TSHERING LAMA

A SHERPA’S RENDEZVOUS WITH BHUTAN HIMALAYAS

- SUBHASISH CHAKRABORTY

Having been born and brought up in India’s North East, Bhutan, which is a close door neighbouring country and shares the international boundaries with Assam, right from my childhood the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan fascinated me, particularly their belief in Buddhism, concern for the environment and preserving their ancient culture at any cost.

As a much-published travel writer, I hope to awaken the spirit of wanderlust and the global attention that Bhutan is right now receiving for its revolutionary stance on “Gross National Happiness” instead of the more acceptable “Gross Domestic Product” by introducing the thoughts and opinions of a legendary Himalayan Sherpa – Ang Tshering Lama, who knows the Himalayas by the tip of his fingers.

I have known Ang since my childhood days in India’s remote the North Eastern state of Assam. We grew up together in a boarding school – (Carmel Residential School) in the quaint Assamese town of Tezpur. He has summitted Mt.Everest multiple times and holds to his credit the mantle of conducting the world’s highest rescue mission on Mt.Everest in the year 2017.