Remarks by Ambassador Mr. Ghanshyam Bhandari at the Programme Organized to Observe the 72nd International Mount Everest Day - 2025
Embassy of Nepal, Dhaka, 30 May 2025
Theme: Stories from the Summit: Mountains through the Bangladeshi Eyes
Chief Guest of Today’s Programme, Hon. Adviser to the Ministry
for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Her Excellency Syeda Rizwana Hasan,
Founder of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club
Mr. Enam Ul-Haque,
Everest Summiteers, Eminent Mountaineers, Trekkers, and Adventure
Lovers, and
Distinguished Guests,
Namaste, As-salamu Alaykum, Shuvo Aparanha and Good Evening!
At the outset, I would like to welcome you all to this programme held under the theme “Stories from the Summit: Mountains from the Bangladeshi Eyes” to observe the International Mount Everest Day- 2025.
I express my deepest gratitude to Hon. Adviser to the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, H. E. Syeda Rizwana Hasan for accepting our invitation and joining us today. Given the theme we are deliberating on, there could be no one more perfectly suited than you to grace this occasion as our Chief Guest.
I also thank you all, mountaineers, trekkers, adventure lovers, and distinguished guests, for your presence.
Hon. Adviser, and
Dear friends,
We observe May 29th of every year as the International Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) Day to commemorate the first successful ascent of the world's highest peak, Sagarmatha, by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal who on 29 May 1953 became the first humans to stand atop this majestic mountain.
Over the past 72 years, Mount Everest has witnessed countless milestones, with records being set and broken by thousands of Nepali and international climbers.
Mountaineering has continued to remain a global passion drawing climbers from all walks of life. Many of them have pushed beyond limits and made outstanding achievements in the history of mountaineering.
From the extraordinary feat of Kami Rita Sherpa, who has summited Mt. Everest for an unprecedented 31st time on the 27th of May 2025, i.e. just four days ago, to the remarkable climbers who reached the summit without supplemental oxygen, and those who climbed in record-breaking time—the mountain bears witness to accomplishments as lofty as its own towering height.
Mr. Ikramul Hasan Shakil’s successful ‘sea to summit’ campaign is one such incredible milestone.
His ascent of the world’s tallest peak on 19 May 2025, after a 1300 KM journey on foot – from Inani Beach, Cox’s Bazar to the Summit of Mt. Everest in just 84 days is indeed a historic feat.
With this, Shakil has become a living link between the depths of the Bay and the heights of the Himalayas.
Let me also congratulate the members of all-women team of mountaineers who made history last December by scaling three mountain peaks in Nepal’s Langtang region.
The five brave Bangladeshi women (Nishat Majumder, Yasmin Lisa, Arpita Debnath, Mousumi Akhtar Ap, and Tahura Sultana Rekha) did more than just climb mountains. In their expedition titled ‘Sultana's Dream Unbound’, they not only conquered heights but also defied expectations and became powerful symbols of what women can achieve.
Their journey was more than a physical conquest—it was a fitting tribute to Sultana’s Dream, a classic text of Bengali feminist literature written in 1905.
These acts of bravery and resilience demonstrated by Shakil and the five women mountaineers constitute not just our shared pursuit of success but also our deep, enduring relationship with the mountains.
Dear Friends,
‘Sagarmatha’, the Nepali name for Mount Everest, beautifully translates into ‘top of the sky’.
As the ‘earth’s final staircase to the sky’, Sagarmatha is an awe-inspiring symbol of natural majesty and human adventure.
But for Nepal and Nepali people, it is also a ‘silent ambassador to the world’ representing us, not through force or power, but through wonder.
As an embodiment of bravery and resilience, it is a marker of our identity.
As you all know, Nepal proudly hosts eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains including Mt. Everest.
These mountain peaks are more than just breathtaking landscapes. They feed mighty rivers, sustain rich biodiversity, and provide fresh water to a vast population of South and Southeast Asia.
But today, our entire Hindu Kush Himalayan range has become the ground zero of climate crisis.
Glaciers are shrinking. Ice sheets are thinning. Snow cover is vanishing—more rapidly and extensively than ever before.
The consequences are alarming: 240 million people in the mountains, and 1.65 billion more downstream, face threats to their homes, health, and future.
On this day, we must, therefore, reflect on the importance of sustainable mountain development and environmental stewardship.
We must come together—across borders, disciplines, and generations—to safeguard these fragile ecosystems and shield the Himalayas from the accelerating impacts of climate change.
We must put ‘mountain agenda’ at the heart of global climate negotiations.
It was not least in this light that the Government of Nepal hosted, in Kathmandu from 16 to 18 May 2025, the first edition of Sagarmatha Sambaad under the theme of ‘Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity.’
The Sambaad brought together world leaders, scientists, think tanks, mountaineers, and affected communities to deliberate on the importance of mountains and to reaffirm their commitment to addressing the impacts of climate change.
We were honoured to have Her Excellency Sharmeen Soneya Murshid, Hon. Adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, represent the Government of Bangladesh in this landmark event.
Distinguished Guests,
I am pleased to note that mountains remain a major attraction for adventure tourism among Bangladeshi friends.
We salute the courage and determination of all Bangladeshi mountaineers, trekkers and adventure lovers for their efforts, their achievements, and their contributions to bringing our two countries and peoples closer.
In this context, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr. Ikramul Hasan Shakil, the successful ‘Sea to Summit’ campaigner; Mr. MA Muhit, the two-time Everest summiteer; Ms. Nisath Majumder, the first Bangladeshi woman to scale Mt. Everest; and Mr. Babar Ali, who summited the mountain in May last year, for sharing their inspiring ‘Stories from the Summit.’
I also thank MA Muhit Bhai for helping us, as always, in organizing this event.
My sincere gratitude to the Founder of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club Mr. Enam Ul-Haque, for his support and partnership.
Once again, congratulations to the successful mountaineers. I wish you all success in the future.
Nepal will always remain your friend, and your second home.
সম্মানিত অতিথিবৃন্দ ও প্রিয় সুধী মন্ডলী,
মাউন্ট এভারেস্ট আমাদের পৃথিবীর অসাধারণ প্রাকৃতিক সৌন্দর্যের কথা স্মরণ করিয়ে দেয়।
বছরের পর বছর ধরে, অনেক পর্বতারোহী এই মহিমান্বিত শিখর আরোহণ করেছেন।
আমি জনাব ইকরামুল হাসান শাকিলকে তার অসাধারণ ‘সমুদ্র থেকে শিখর’ যাত্রার জন্য অভিনন্দন জানাচ্ছি।
এবং, ডিসেম্বর ২০২৪-এ নেপালের ল্যাংটাং অঞ্চলের তিনটি শিখরে সফলভাবে আরোহন করার জন্য বাংলাদেশের বাংলাদেশের প্রথম সর্বমহিলা অভিযাত্রী দলের পাঁচজন পর্বতারোহীদের জানাই আন্তরিক অভিনন্দন।
পর্বতারোহী এবং এডভেঞ্চার প্রেমীরা যেভাবে আমাদের দুই দেশকে আরও কাছাকাছি নিয়ে এসেছেন এগুলো তার চমৎকার উদাহারণ।
আমি আশা করি এটি চলমান থাকবে এবং আমরা আরও পর্বতারোহী, এডভেঞ্চার প্রেমী ও ট্রেকারদের সাফল্য উদযাপন করতে থাকব।
আপনাদের সকলকে অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ।
