Magic mountains :

It was with great interest that I read Don Messerschmidt’s write-up “Everest: A monarch among mountains” (THT, Sept 17). The view of majestic Everest from Kala Pathar above Gorak Shep is the closest possible for a non-mountaineer. However, the more complete view is from Gokyo Ri, a summit above Gokyo Lake. Everest sits well back befitting its exalted status and only the conical pyramid is usually seen. I sometimes wish more of the Everest massif itself was visible from Khumbu.

Khumbu hides two other very photogenic mountains. Ama Dablam at under 7,000m reminds me of a reclining armchair and has amongst the most spectacular shape for a mountain. Kantega, the saddle-shaped mountain, is also my personal favourite. Another very photogenic mountain is Machapuchhre, which dominates the Pokhara skyline. Let us use the glamour of Everest to bring the lesser-known ‘Himals’ into limelight.

Dr Ravi Shankar, Pokhara

Extra facts :

As regards Don Messerschmidt’s write-up “Everest: A monarch among mountains” (THT, Sept 17), it would have been even better had Messerschmidt included these facts.

First, a “Trigonometrical Survey” recorded the dimensions of the then peak No. XV during the tenure of George Everest as the Surveyor General of India (1830-1843). But the records were computed only in 1852 in Dehradun, India.

Secondly, the height of Mt Everest, recorded at 29,002 ft (8,840m) in 1852, was increased to 29,028 ft (8,848m) in 1956. Recently, NASA and the National Geographic Society put the height of Mt Everest at 20,035 ft (8,850 m).

Soorya Lal Amatya, via e-mail

Baseless :

This refers to the report “SC judge Jha demoted as appellate court judge” (THT, Sept 18). It mentions that my father Prithvi Bahadur Singh was demoted to High Court judge from a zonal judge. In fact, he was never a zonal judge. Baseless statements like this can only harm a person’s public image.

Sudeep Bahadur Singh, via e-mail

Haphazard :

Buildings are popping up on every little piece of land, while the government looks on. But the people should realise the dangers posed by unsupervised construction, especially so in an earthquake-prone region like Kathmandu. It might not be unwise to demolish all buildings that violate the building code.

Surendra Pandey, via e-mail

Wrong ways :

Apropos of Rakesh Wadhwa’s article “Free the banks” (THT, Sept 16), his vision of a prosperous Nepal through liberalisation of the banking sector is okay, but I have some qualms about the methods he suggest for achieving this.

Yes, Switzerland is similar to Nepal as regards its landscape, but many factors differentiate the two countries: culture, climate for investment, political situation, among others. The level of education is also very low in Nepal. This surely calls for a difference in economic focus. The other factor that cuts government revenues is tax evasion. This is a major reason why there is less money to provide allowances for the uneducated and the infirm.

Nawang Sherpa, Thames College