Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury’s Reviews > The Sky Beneath Us > Status Update

"And what will our legacy be? How will we heal ourselves and the world? We don't have all the answers yet. But we do have the will. Because, like the tiny blue poppy the colour of the sky, discovered by Violet all those years ago, humankind is a beautiful, fragile, surprisingly resilient thing. It holds all kinds of untapped potential. And surely that's worth protecting."

"The world has changed so much since the first time I stood here, but there's still so much beauty in it. Each of us is here to protect it for only a short time. These stones are a reminder of that, of the duty we have to care for it and pass it on to future generations."

"We live in a place that's both brutal and fragile. But those very characteristics have made us resilient, like the plants that grow here."

"Surely they will have the wisdom to learn the lessons of history from our mistakes and make this world a better place? Surely they will keep alive the traditions that matter but be brave enough to make changes too?"

"The pandemic has been a lesson- a reminder that we need to practise building our tenacity every day so that when the time comes for it to be tested, we are ready to meet the challenges with the same qualities by which the Sherpa people live their lives: a fierce compassion; a gentle, good- natured strength; and a kind- hearted determination.'

"And so, as lockdown fenced us in and restricted our movements, we expanded our horizons in different ways, escaping by helping others. Instead of the pandemic constraining us, it gave us the time and space to find new meaning in our lives, reminding us of both our fragility and our resilience, of what it really is to be human."

"When the first photos arrived from Kathmandu of tiny green shoots pushing their way determinedly into the light, we whooped and cheered. And then Martin sent pictures from the Glasshouses in Edinburgh of the same thing happening, and we rejoiced again, knowing Violet's legacy had survived, against all the odds, and her name would live on for all time."

"Thanks to her foresight, she may have saved some of the rarest species of Himalayan plants for generations to come."

"As I walk on, I stop here and there to peer more closely at the labels beneath the rhododendrons lining the paths. In some cases, the name of the plant hunter who discovered the specimen is acknowledged: Frank Kingdon Ward, George Forrest and George Sherriff feature. But, I mutter beneath my breath, where are the women? Where is Violet?"

"When I'm lonely, dear white heart, Black the night or wild the sea, By love's light my foot finds The old pathway to thee."