Ravichandran Tharumalingam, 58, is a well-known Malaysian climber who has scaled Everest in 2006, 2007, and 2022, respectively. He had once been so engrossed in climbing that he lost eight fingers to frostbite. This was to be his fourth attempt at climbing Mount Everest. But tragedy struck.
He was found by Gelje Sherpa, a Nepali Sherpa who had to carry the shivering Ravichandran through the death zone for 6 hours, where temperatures can drop below -30C or lower. Gelje himself was guiding Chinese clients up the summit but ultimately convinced them to cancel their trip because he had to save Ravichandran, who was stranded, shivering, and alone without any oxygen.
Gelje says that we can earn money at any time, but we cannot save a life that is already gone. Rescues are also near impossible in that zone, but Gelje was determined to bring Ravichandran to safety, even if it meant risking his own life. In areas that were too rocky, Gelje and his team had to carry Ravichandran on their backs instead of dragging him down.
Gelje , pictured below, is in his own right, an incredibly talented climber; at the age of 28, he made history as the youngest person in a ten-man team that summited K2, the world’s second-largest mountain.
However, despite the successful attempt at heroically saving his life, many people and the international media itself, have pointed out that Ravichandran had failed to properly thank Gelje . Despite Gelje being the reason Ravichandran is still alive today. Ravichandran instead has only thanked his expedition partner company and has Gelje blocked on Instagram.
Source: CNN Travel, BFM News, The Guardian Independent
