State lad youngest Indian to conquer Mt Everest
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 18 2013 : Even though it was nearly five-decades back when New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Nepali companion Tenzing Norgay scaled Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, on May 29, 1953, Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba became the youngest Indian to conquer the same peak when he and six others reached the summit this morning.

A team member of the first North East India Top of the World Mt Everest Expedition, Chingkheinganba, who hails from patsoi in Imphal West, is a few months younger than Arjun Vajpai, who had held the record of being India's youngest climber at 16 years and 11 months since he achie-ved the feat in 2010, accor- ding to news agencies.

Earlier in the same year on May 21, American Jordan Romero became the youngest climber at 13 year of age.

Chingkheinganba is 16 years and six months old.

Six other mountaineers of the North East including Chingkheinganba scaled Mt Everest today, the second suc-cessive feat in consecutive days that members of the North East Expedition conquered the highest peak, as three others including Ma-nipur's N Bidyapati Devi scaled the height yesterday.

The youngest in the team Chingkheinganba, born to N Tomba and Sabitri became the third mountaineer from the State to have scaled Mt Everest.

(Inset) Chingkheinganba and the NE Mt Everest expedition members at a base camp in the Himalayas

His father is a pradhan as well as senior member of Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association.

Ching-kheinganba is a student of Kanan Devi Memorial School.

N Bidyapati, Nima Lama of Arunachal Pradesh and Anand Gurung of Sikkim had unfurled the expedition flag on top of Mt Everest yesterday morning.

Anshu Jamshenpa of Aru-nachal Pradesh, Chingkhein- ganba, David Zohmangaiha of Mizoram, Tarun Saikia of Assam, Kazi Sherpa of Sik-kim made their successful summit at 5.15 am today while Wangsuk Myrthong of Meghalaya summited at 8.15 am.

Significantly, David Zoh-mangaiha, Tarun Saikia and Wangshuk Myrthong are the first Mt.

Everest summitters from their respective States, a statement issued by the organisers said.

Anshu Jamsenpa created history as the mother of two who successfully summited the Mt Everest for the third time.

The expedition is organised by Manipur Mountain- eering and Trekking Association with funding from North Eastern Council, Shillong and supported by Planning Department, Govt of Manipur.

The Leader of the Expedition is Dr L Surjit, President of Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association.

Till now nine mountaineers of the team �two each from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and one each from Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam, have summited the Mt Everest.

Puyamcha Mohon from Manipur is expected to summit the Everest by tomorrow morning.

It is said that a few days before the historic expedition was flagged from Kangla fort on February 25 Ching-kheinganba convinced his mother Sabitri, "Ema (mother) don't worry for my mission, please bless and encourage me.

I'll do my best to conquer Mt Everest" .

Standing atop Mt Everest this morning, the Manipuri created history, reportedly the youngest Indian climber to scale the top of the world.

"His words consistently made us brave enough to stay confident for his mission whi-le he was away from home," said Sabitri.

"As said my brave son, he has done it.

Minutes after I heard his successful reaching the peak at 5.15 am (IST) today, tears of satisfaction trickled down on my face," said an emotional Sabriti, who was a prominent archer having bagged two gold medals in national championships before getting married.

Significantly, Chingkheinganba's father Tomba Meitei, was also an ace mountaineer from whom the young boy learnt the skill of climbing mountains.

"As a mountaineer I deeply realized the mental and physical struggle my son had met during his expedition to the top of the world.

We all prayed for his strength and success," said Tomba, who underwent advanced mountaineering course in Darjeeling in 1985 and joined the Mt Kokngang expedition in Sikkim in 1988 .

"My son's historic feat has really made me happier than my election victory.

He (son) has achieved what I dreamt during my mountaineering days," the proud father said.

Chingkheinganba, who took part in two pre-Everest expeditions - Mt Deo-Tibba and Mt Papsura peak � last year recently appeared his standard XI examinations in a private school in Imphal.

MMTA's administrative officer Mayanglambam Kumar said the association is really proud of the historic achievement of all climbers of the expedition with each of them setting records in different ways � for their states, for the north east region and for the country.