OdishaLIVE Bureau
An Autobiography of Kusang Dorjee Sherpa
The book “The Long Walk from Darkness to Light,” the autobiography of legendary mountaineer Kusang Dorjee Sherpa, written and published by Susanta Kumar Das, based on the narrations given by Kusang, has been released at the Auditorium of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling on 12th December,2018. Sri Manoj Kumar Verma, IPS, Inspector General of Police, Darjeeling, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Group Captain Jaikishan as the Speaker and Wing Cdr. Devidutta Panda,Vice-Principal, HMI, presided over the function in the presence of Kusang Dorjee Sherpa and the writer Susanta Das. Sri Akhilesh Chaturvedi, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling and many ace mountaineers and dignitaries were also present at the venue of the occasion.
The book is about a child who sets his goal so high and then works all his life with dedication and sincerity to finally achieve it, in spite of many hurdles that came on his way. Not only once, but he makes his childhood dream come true again and again. Susanta feels that this story of Kusang will definitely inspire all and is a must read for the young generation, especially the aspiring mountaineers.
Kusang is a legendary mountaineer. He scaled the Mount Everest five times, apart from climbing the Mount Makalu and many other hard to access mountain peaks. He is the first person in India to climb Mount Everest from its deadly eastside Kangshung face. He had also set many world records during his various climbing expeditions and is a recipient of the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’ conferred by the Government of India.
Susanta is from legal profession and also an adventure sports mentor, a short story writer, a wildlife lover and an environment activist, all rolled into one. Though Susanta belongs to Odisha, he has a special affinity for Darjeeling and its people that brings him to Darjeeling again and again. He loves to mingle with the professional mountaineers and talk to them to know about their experiences and why do they risk their lives to climb the dangerous mountain peaks. In this connection, a few years back he met Kusang. Being impressed by his humble personality and extra-ordinary achievements he instantly became Kusang’s friend.
The said book is definitely a welcome addition to the world of mountaineering literature.
