- On our way to Atyalar in Ladakh, we were returning from the main camp for patrolling. Seeing the Chinese infiltration this year, the soldiers will have to stay in tents as well as cabins near the LAC. This is the first time for India since 1962.
Winter has arrived and with the passing of days the mercury in the thermometer is slowly coming down. While celebrating Diwali amidst the pink chill, Indians hardly imagine that the chill they feel here is like a thorn in the side of the Indian Army guards stationed at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Aksai Chin, Ladakh. Let alone the cold, the temperature of minus twenty to thirty degrees Celsius is nothing less than physical torture for them.
When the Chinese army attacked Ladakh on October 17, the Indian Army warriors fought valiantly. The battle of the jawans was on two fronts: one against the Chinese, who had come like a swarm of locusts with modern weapons, and the other against the unbearable cold of Ladakh. Despite the slow onset of winter, the month of October proved to be a nightmare for us. Imagine what would happen to an iron rifle barrel in the freezing cold below zero.
Fortunately, the Cold War fought by the Indian Army in the 18th century against the harsh climate of Ladakh was not repeated for years. It is a game of luck (or a political threat) that for so many years now, Indian soldiers have had to go to Ladakh to cross the border in the bitter cold. The military deployments launched by China since April 2020 at places near the LoC, such as Demchok in Ladakh, Daulat Bagh Oldia, Galwan, Despang, Pangong Lake, are responsible for that. In the years leading up to the atrocities, the Aksai Chin front was generally quiet, so there was no question of India deploying a large force there.
Unfortunately, this year the situation has changed dramatically. The enemy is said to have rocked a massive army of about 50,000 in various areas near the Line of Control (LoC) of Aksai Chin. Plenty of military lorries, heavy artillery, tanks, armored vehicles, etc. were seen moving in the camp. Therefore, even India was not spared without the formation of an armed force for retaliation. As this is being written and the whole country is going to enjoy the Diwali festivities, thousands of (with a reference to 7,000) grandchildren of Mother India are standing away from their homes and families in Ladakh to spend the winter for us. Even if we cannot sit here and experience what will happen to the body and mind of these pimps, we must be aware of their harsh condition.
■■■
The world's tallest, most heterogeneous and most arduous battlefield is Siachen, where winter temperatures reach below zero to fifty-five degrees. Some border places in Ladakh are no less inaccessible than Siachen in terms of natural heterogeneity. There are about 200 Indian military posts on the LoC at a minimum altitude of 12,000 feet and a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet. (For example, the outposts at Galwan and Pangong Sarovar are more than 12,000 feet above sea level, while Daulat Bagh Oldim is at 12,612 feet.) Thin air, lack of oxygen in the atmosphere, cold winds, sleet and snow The temperature stays below zero at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. The Ministry of Defense has recently imported a special type of winter suit at a cost of Rs 250 crore to protect our guards in Ladakh from such unspeakable cold. The price of each protective suit is not less than Rs 1 lakh. However, after wearing such a suit, it is not necessary to assume that Kado escaped from the bitter cold. The sizzling ice cold wind blows not only through the thermal suit, but also through the body of the jawan who is immersed in it.
The biggest problem with shivering in the bitter cold is the wind childa factor. Even the wind blowing at a slow speed of 5 km per hour at the height of the skyscraper makes the body feel the temperature 1 degree lower than the atmosphere. This point is easy to understand. Suppose our men are standing in the open guarding an outpost like Galwan in Ladakh. The outside temperature is minus twenty degrees Celsius. At such a time, even a normal gust of wind blowing at 3 km per hour can make you experience minus 12 degrees Celsius. As I experienced during my four visits to Ladakh during the winter season, the wind blows hard in the expanses like Pangong Lake, Chushal and Shyok. In other places also, when the weather is calm, the wind speed is only ten to fifteen kilometers. Even in such a normal situation, if you calculate the wind-chilling factor of the soldiers, a slight tremor will spread in the body.
One of the problems in living on high mountain fronts is cold, the other problem is the sweet effects on the body due to lack of oxygen. Physical problems such as delirium, nausea, indigestion, sadness, dizziness, etc. can break a soldier. Some time ago, some Chinese soldiers stationed on the LAC on the Pangong Lake front were immediately sent to the Plateau camp for medical treatment. In the event of a medical emergency, Chinese military trucks arrived at the outpost to evacuate them. Almost all of China's military outposts on the Line of Control are connected by paved roads. China had secretly set up a narrow road network many years ago, but we have been slow to do so. Today, more than ever before, a network of wide roads and bridges is being constructed. But given China's intrusive attitude, that task needed to be done years ago. See what has been the result of not taking this necessary step in the past.
The Chinese have set up barracks near the Line of Control. Some camps are giant-sized. (See side photos published by a Chinese website in 2013. Mark the date special: 2018!). China has provided power to almost every camp by extending power lines from nearby villages in Tibet. So its soldiers can get the benefit of electric heaters and hot water for bathing and use.
What is the position of Indian soldiers against this?
Most of our camps are tents as well as fiber cabins. Each tent can accommodate 8 people and the cabin can accommodate a maximum of 10 people. (Tents and cabins were also ordered from countries such as Italy and Austria on a war footing due to tensions with China. A picture of the tent is given on the main page of the article.) There is no question of having electricity in such outposts if the facilities are adequate. To protect against the cold, the soldiers have to warn the heater (fireplace) or kerosene heater.
■■■
Drinking water is another problem faced by Indian troops on the Ladakh front this winter. Siachen receives tons of snow almost daily by air. On the mountain slopes its high clouds rock, which is obtained by shoveling fresh snow. Pure ice is then heated in a cask so that drinking water is available. Even at an altitude of twelve to fifteen thousand feet in Ladakh, the amount of snowfall is not as high as that of Sichen. Impurities such as sand and heaps also come together in the form of pebbles to acquire the loose ice scattered on the ground. Hence such ice is useless. The troopers then have to rely on natural reservoirs for water, but there are no such reservoirs in Ladakh except rivers like Galwan, Chip Chap and Shyokak. Lakes like Pangong are many, but everyone's water is salty poison!
Freshwater rivers are formed by the melting of mountain snow and the flow of the river is negligible as the snow does not melt in winter. In addition, the little water that is in it freezes at minus temperatures and the soldiers have to break the ice with hammers. In order to prevent our soldiers from having to face such problems, they are provided with water supply along with food, which is no less tedious.
Extreme cold, drinking water problems, common rainbows like tents or fiber cabins, thin and dry air that absorbs body moisture, mental tormenting solitude ...
The heterogeneous environment is more dangerous than the enemy for the Indians who are standing at gunpoint on the Ladakh front. In fact, every sepoy of India deployed on the borders from Kutch to Kashmir and from Arunachal Pradesh to Bengal is fighting in one way or another against the odds. They are standing guard over the border so that the countrymen can celebrate Diwali with peace of mind.
Kaya Oshik's sword on the spear bed ...
Holi or Diwali is the only festival for you!
The above line of the song of the Gujarati film 'Vanraj Chavdo' briefly tells the life of the soldiers of the country. Celebrate this Diwali by rejoicing with Aptajan, savory dishes as well as fun desserts to Arogi as well as traveling to India's favorite destination. Happy Diwali and Happy New Year to all with the request to light a lamp in the yard on the occasion of the festival of lights as a sign of respect for each and every grandchild! ■
Comments
Post a Comment
What you think give us your idea about this article we publish your words on our site