N. Mohanadas and M. Magendran made Malaysians proud when they reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 23, 1997. Thirteen years later, both stand here today bearing state honours that carry the honorific “Datuk”.
The Penang state government conferred both with the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) at the Governor’s 72nd birthday ceremony here today.
When contacted, 48-year-old Mohanadas said an award after 13 years has given him the sense that the two were “remembered and valued”.
The avid mountaineer also said that when he was picked for the expedition, rewards and recognition were not a priority for him.
“When selected for the mission, there was an obligation to fulfil for my country and my community,” he said.
Both were part of the Telekom Malaysia Mount Everest Project 1997 that started out on March 1 that year, which braved unpredictable weather and freezing temperatures to conquer the 8,848m “Goddess Mother of the World”, as Everest is known in Tibetan.
“We did not do it for awards. We did it to inspire others and I think we have succeeded,” the father of three boys added.
Mohanadas, who is still an active climber, is leading a group from a corporate organisation on an expedition to climb the 4,095m Mount Kinabalu on Aug 31.
The Shell Malaysia employee said he keeps himself fit by running and participating in marathons.
Mohanadas explained that the Penang state government had also approached him and Magendran to discuss the possibility of exposing youths from Penang to the sport.
He said although they did not have a structured plan as yet, discussions have been held with Deputy Chief Minister Prof P. Ramasamy.
“Penang has world-class [athletes] like (Datuk) Nicole David and (Datuk) Lee Chong Wei. They want to produce more of these people but in different fields,” said Mohanadas, who is also the chairman of Malaysian Outward Bound Youth Association and vice president of Malaysian Mountaineering Organisation.
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