The Summit Within Summary Class 8 English Honeydew

Major Ahluwalia was a member of the first team conquering Mount Everest in 1965. In this extract he tells about his feelings standing on the highest peak of the world.
His first feeling was of humility. He thanked God because the expedition had ended successfully. He was both happy and sad. He felt aggrieved because he had reached the summit and after that there would be nothing higher to climb.

Climbing Mount Everest gives a deep sense of joy which lasts for lifetime. The experience changes one completely. It was a conquest of a high mountain. But the writer felt that climbing or getting over the summit of the mind was no less difficult.

While climbing down from the top, he asked himself why he had chosen to climb. This achievement became a thing of the past. It would fade with the passing of time. He questioned himself as to why people wish to climb high mountains. The simplest answer is that it is a difficult task, and man feels great in overcoming difficulties. Climbing a mountain is a tough task because it tests one’s physical strength and will power.

The writer then proceeds to answer the personal question. Mountains had an attraction for him since his childhood. He missed them while he was away from them. Their beauty and grandeur presented a challenge. Above all, mountains are a way to feel close to God.

But why Everest? He chose it because it was the highest and the most challenging task. It was a hard struggle with rocks and ice. When he stood on the summit, he felt the joy of having done something great, of achieving great victory. The call of Everest draws him to it. It is difficult to tell the reason for climbing. It is like answering why one breathes or why you do good acts. The success is followed by a sense of fulfilment or satisfaction. It is a proof of man’s love for adventure. The experience is not just physical but spiritual. You make all your effort to go up. Breathing is difficult. There are moments when you feel like going back. But something in you checks you from giving up.

When you reach the top, you tell yourself that it was a rewarding effort. Below you see vast valleys. You bow down to God for your worship.
The writer left a picture of Guru Nanak and his companion Rawat left a picture of goddess Durga on Everest. Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha. Edmund Hillary buried a Cross under the rocks in the snow. These are symbols of respect to God.

There is another summit to climb. It is within yourself, your own mind. The most difficult task is to know oneself. One has to do it alone and himself. The writer’s experience as an Everester inspired him to face life boldly.

Notes For the Teacher

• Adventure and the world of nature – the arduous task of reaching the highest summit in the world makes the climber reflect on the ‘internal summits’ which are, perhaps, higher than the Everest. The text underscores the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the adventure in a single perspective.
• Divide the text into three parts.  A convenient division is suggested here.
  ‘...............that mountains are a means of communion with God’. (end of Part-I) ‘It is emotional. It is spiritual’. (end of Part-II) The remaining is Part-III.
• Design while-reading comprehension questions for each part. The multiple choice items are given at the end of the lesson. You may try the following as additional questions.
  What is the author’s personal answer to the question as to why people climb mountains?
  How is the same question answered in Part-II in a different way?
  Famous climbers have recorded how they needed just that help? Explain the italicised phrase.
  Looking round from the summit, you tell yourself that _____________________________.
  (a) Complete this sentence using the same words as in the text without referring to the book.
  (b) Now complete it using a clause/phrase of your own without changing meaning.
• Activities 2 and 3 under working with language provide ample opportunities for vocabulary development. Extend Activity 2 by choosing new words from the text to cover their adjective and/or adverb forms.
  remark – remarkable – remarkably type – typical – typically
  Use each item in a meaningful context, involving more than one sentence.
  ‘What you say is not appropriate, though it’s a good remark.’
  ‘Isn’t that remarkable?’
  ‘It may be so, but it doesn’t mean you are remarkably objective.’ 
• You may not find the dialogue above remarkable enough, but it meets the immediate requirement appropriately.
• Re-read and discuss passages where the author’s admiration for the mountains and passion for adventure comes through.