President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, on 11 January, condoled the passing away of the Everest pioneer, Sir Edmund Hillary. In her condolence message, the President said, “Sir Edmund Hillary represented the positive approach to life, which was described by him after his conquest of Mount Everest. Sir Edmund Hillary had described his conquest of Mount Everest as his ability to overcome challenges and problems to reach the summit. Apart from being a keen mountaineer, he was also sensitive to the needs of the people of the Himalayan region by devoting his time and energy to their welfare. A humble person, he helped fund the building of hospitals and health clinics for the Sherpas. He was also a conservationist who was acutely aware of the need to keep the environment around the Himalayan region clean. In his passing away the world has lost one of the 20th century’s greatest adventurers.”

In Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s condolence message he stated, “I join millions of admirers of Sir Edmund Hillary in mourning his passing away. He lived an exemplary life of seeking to attain the seemingly unattainable and drawing our attention to the grandeur of Mother Earth. Sir Edmund Hillary dedicated his life to the preservation of our Himalayan heritage and inspired several generations of mountaineers worldwide. In mourning his passing away we must all seek inspiration from his sense of adventure, enterprise and his love of nature. I convey my sincere condolences to his family, to the people of New Zealand, to mountaineers across the world who have been inspired by him and to all the brave Sherpas, who are a mountaineer’s companion.”

Sir Edmund Hillary, who also served as High Commissioner for New Zealand to India and Bangladesh, and Ambassador to Nepal between 1984 and 1989, died of heart failure on 11 January 2008 at the Auckland City Hospital. He was 88 years of age.