According to report, Upadhaya died at around 5 and 6 PM of May 9, 2011. The dead body will be brought back by a 17 member mountering team lead by Dawa Steven Sherpa.
xNepali team offers heartily condolence to the family of the brave-hearted Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay and we wish his soul rest in peace.
Previous posts:
Shailendra climbed a 6,160m high Island peak and 6,467m tall Mera Peak successfully in the last few years as a preparation of his ultimate feat to climb Mt. Everest.
Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, served as the foreign minister and permanent UN representative in the 1970s and 1980s.
The diplomat grandfather says:
I am confident of my success as I believe that the most important part of success of any mission is confidence in oneself, selfless c
ommitment to serve humanity and, of course,will to achieve success.
Upadhyaya is planning to start his ascent from the Everest base camp on April 28, 2011. The expedition is organized by the Senior Citizen Mount Everest Expedition. If Upadhyaya could reach the top, he will dethrone another record holder Nepali senior, Min Bahadur Sherchan who climbed the peak at the age of 76 in 2008. After much struggle, he was finally entered as the oldest climber of Mt. Everest in the Guinness Book of Records in 2010.
Sherchan did apply for his rightful entry in the record book but getting the honor was as tough as climbing the highest peak itself.
Sherchan first thought of setting a record on mountaineering in 1960. He wanted to be the first to climb Dhaulagiri (8,167m) but another team succeeded in climbing it before he could attempt. After 40 years, in 2002, he decided to be the oldest person to climb Mt. Everest breaking the records set by Japanese mountaineers. He started his trainings at the age of 72 and climbed the peak on May 25, 2008 at the age of 76 years and 350 days (almost 77 years).
UPDATE: In his courageous attempt to climb the Mt. Everest, Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay died on May 9, 2011 just above the Everest base camp. May his soul rest in peace!
If you are from Nepal and had lived through the Panchayat System of 80s you would probably know Mr. Shailendra Kumanr Upadhyay. He had been a diplomat, social worker, and he also worked as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
