Dehradun, Oct. 26 -- Ganesh Saili

Of Mussoorie's famous sons from the nineteenth century, one man stands tall. He is as tall as the world's highest peak that was named after him. Sir George Everest arrived in Hathipaon in the year 1833, it was the same year that Capt. Young became the political agent of the Doon. You could say that at the time the western end of the hill station was a listing of Who's Who at the Zoo. It included Col. Whish. He had already built a house in 1827. Travelling eight hundred miles from Calcutta, Everest bought the place and built a house overlooking the Doon valley. This is where the Great Arc of the Meridian was to conclude its 2500 kilometer journey across the spine of India.

Around the corner was William F...