M Magendran and N Mohandas make history as the first Malaysians to conquer Mount Everest on May 23, 1997.
Their exploits got Malaysians believing in themselves again and in certain ways sparked heroics among other voyagers and sports people. They profess the virtues of commitment, teamwork, goal-setting, the right attitude, fighting the odds and being confident. Magendran, who turns 57 in December, was 33 years old when he became the first Malaysian to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest at 11.55am while Mohandas joined him at 12.10pm.Mohandas, who until today at age 59 runs eight-km three times a week, recalled that because of the altitude and exhaustion, he could not even “run 10 feet” to celebrate the moment.
Good friends Magendran and Mohandas, who are first on the phone to congratulate each other every May 23, took this writer through the full range of emotions during the interviews. Ten climbers, including reserves were shortlisted and underwent gruelling training, in harsh environments in the mountains of New Zealand and Nepal.
Back home, Malaysians were convinced that there were places to go beyond belief as the daily television coverage of the expedition over 55 days by RTM hit the perfect climax.Mohandas wearing the Everest 97 expedition T-Shirt and proudly holding the ice axe that he carried during the assault of the highest peak in the world.
Some of the Everest gear both men keep are also a reminder to their children that by doing whatever it takes “you get to where you want to go”.The young men, also encouraged by their mother Manimegalai, are like dad, into extreme sports and marathon running.
What are both up to these days ?
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