SCIENCE REPORTER, DECEMBER 2011 32
Feature Artic
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T.V. KARTHIKEYAN
THANKS to the Indian Army I had the
enlightening experience of moving
closely and interacting with the brave
soldiers of all ranks posted on the front and
other border areas. Many of the high
altitude areas were unsafe, harsh, hostile,
and inhospitable. The first fight is with the
weather conditions before a soldier gets
to fight the enemy.
I was very much touched by their
philosophical approach to life, their daring
and ready-to-embrace-death attitude
and living adventurously in the present.
Before I pen down my memories from my
trip to the Siachen Glacier, here is a look
at some of the unique records that the
Siachen Glacier holds:
� Highest motorable road in the world –
18,000 ft. at the Changla pass apart
from other passes like Nathula and
Khardungla
� Highest SBI and ATM at Leh
� Highest artillery habitat in the world
� Highest salt-water lake – the Pangong
Lake on the Chinese border
� Highest, coldest and the most
expensive battlefield
� Highest Air Traffic Control and
� Highest supply unit.
The JourneyMy journey began in the aircraft IL 76
(Russian Ilyushin-76) commonly called the
Gajraj from an Air Force base to Leh,
Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir. We were
ceremonially flagged off from the Karu
Base camp amongst the glare of the
media by a Lt. General who had just then
landed from Delhi on the Helipad close
by. The entire event was conducted in a
grand military fashion keeping in tune with
the traditions of the services ceremonies
and functions.
The Army Mountaineering Institute at
the Siachen Glacier ranges provided all
the cold weather equipment and training.
The typical temperatures were of the order
of minus 3 to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
The dwellings in the underground
bunkers, the discipline, punctuality, the
precision in organizing every minute of the
visits to various barracks, shooting and firing
ranges, and ice crafting training to the
trekkers was worth appreciating in these
hilly and difficult border areas. Soldiers of
all ranks were calm, composed and felt it
their duty to make us feel at home.
Soldieringon
Siachen
A trek to the highest andcoldest battlefield can beadventurous and exciting. Butfor the soldiers, braving thehilly terrain and surviving thebiting cold seems secondary topatrolling the borders againstthe country’s enemies.
SCIENCE REPORTER, DECEMBER 201133
Here I would like to share some of the
events that I vividly remember during my
exciting and adventurous trip.
Remembrances
One day a wreath-placing ceremony was
arranged in the war memorial at a base
camp. As we got down from the vehicle
and we were ushered in to the specially
constructed memorial, news just reached
that a soldier and a porter had died at a
higher alt itude due to extreme cold
conditions. Due to windy weather
conditions the helicopter could not be
started to retrieve the bodies from the snow.
Often, the blades of the helicopter do not
start to rotate due to snow and the cold
climatic environment. The entire battalion
completed the ceremony and went
through the marching, salutes, etc with
stoic silence.
One soldier with whom I struck a
friendly conversation invited me to his
bunker shed room. He is decorated with
the Shourya Chakra for trekking the Mount
Everest fourteen times besides many other
high altitude zones. He leads a simple life
happy and content with the place and
likes to be posted here. He visits his native
village in Himachal once a year to be with
his wife and three children. He was offered
lucrative salaries by Swiss, Hungarian and
Austrian trekkers and trekking organizations
of Europe but he values his commitment
to the Indian Army and the freedom he
enjoys here. His only worry and concern
was that in the event of his death his body
should be retrieved and transported to his
native place safely to his family.
It was a surprise to find several soldiers
of all ranks having a scientific bent of mind.
Once they came to know about my
organisation they evinced keen interest in
the work and products of DRDO. Some
soldiers showed me the vast amounts of
scientific data collected in Siachen. They
had even zeroed in on problem areas that
need solutions. Many of them could make
good scientists. Some such problems are
summarized here…possibly some futuristic
projects might take these up and come
up with solutions:
� Camera batteries and other batteries
get self-discharged faster at high
altitudes.
� Lenses get spoilt often and even
cleaning/polishing does not help.
� Some days are a bit sunny but many
days are very windy. Wind power and
Solar energy may be used as the power
fails often.
� Hydel plants on a small scale can be
used only for six months, as due to ice
formation no flowing water is available.
� Biomass energy can be used.
� Use of polycarbonate sheets for
temporary huts may be replaced with
other materials as they crash on some
occasions.
� Kerosene is used for Bukhari heaters in
the nights but these are put off at ten in
the night as polycarb can catch fire
easily in the rooms. Bukhari heaters are
the only relief against the biting and
chilling colds. The clothing alone is not
sufficient. (I went through this ordeal
myself during the nights).
� Helicopter blades fail to operate on
some extremely cold and windy days.
� Many weather equipment for trekking
are made indigenously by DRDO and
Ordnance Factories but many more
costly items are imported and
sometimes are not supplied or refused
by foreign countries.
When snow falls, the snowflakes brush
past your nose and very soon the soft snow
turns hard. Snowfalls are a beauty to
watch…much better than rainfall in the
plains. It makes you forget all the hardships
and pain of trekking.
Indiansoldiers atopthe Tiger Hills
At Siachen thefirst fight iswith the weatherconditionsbefore a soldiergets to fight theenemy.
Feature Article
SCIENCE REPORTER, DECEMBER 2011 34
I saw heavy trucks manufactured in
the vehicle factor y at Jabalpur and
Shaktiman trucks. These were by far the
only movements seen on some roads. I
was reminded of the places where I had
my schooling. The Buddhist monks and
Lamas walking around sometimes accept
lifts offered by the soldiers only when their
limbs are too tired to trek.
A team of senior armed forces
personnel met us on one of the daily
medical and fitness routine checks and
took us aside to inform us that they were
on a secret mission and had just returned
after overflying Siachen and also as a part
of a pre-visit survey before the visit of the
Vice Chief of the US Army the coming week.
They excitedly shared their
adventures while giving us advices and
tips. And one day, a ‘No Movement ‘ for
all personnel and vehicles was declared
for a few hours because a foreign VIP
dignitary had come visiting. A helicopter
had landed just below my window downhill
from the bunker shed.
Pistol shooting, rifle shooting ranges,
Bofors guns and an indigenous rocket
launch sites were some of the facilities
proudly shown to us. These locations are
well camouflaged in the mountainous
terrains. I had the privilege of firing several
rounds from rifles and pistols at dummy
targets. Adequate precautions are taken
during these exercises. The famous Bofors
guns and several other indigenous
gadgets and equipment were also
demonstrated to us.
Ice crafting training preceded by a
demonstration by experts was tough,
challenging, exciting and tiring. This half-
day training was educative regarding the
use of snow trek equipment. It is a test of
physical stamina and human endurance.
The trekking team, including me, was
totally exhausted by the end of the day.
One day, we were invited to a
regimental unit. The place was straight out
of a fiction movie. A small opening in the
cave led down to a passage underground.
And down below were a full-fledged mess,
a well-stacked library, general reading
material, cutler y, a bar and all the
essentials for human survival. This
underground bunker mess was the finest I
had ever seen. We were invited to more
such gallant regiments and units where
they extended us all the courtesies.
Indeed, they were excellent hosts.
One friendly soldier gifted me two very
interesting books: The Continuing Siachen
conflict by Col. Raghavan and Kargil: The
Inside Story – A Soldier ’s Diary by Kiran
Baweja.
At the shelling and bombing zones
we were shown the spots that had been
infl icted with the maximum damage
during the Kargil war. We were also shown
the newly built barracks and other
temporary shelters that were shifted about
half a kilometer away.
Of course, for us it was an exciting,
adventurous and once-in-a-l ifetime
experience. But one could easily see that
raw guts are required to perform even the
most routine of tasks here. Flying helicopters
is an ordeal. Strong steel hearts are a pre-
requisite and a must to brave the chilly
and windy nights. The Sun rises at around
8.20 a.m. and dusk and darkness starts
around 2.25 p.m. But at the end of the
day you feel the adrenaline rush is all worth
the effort.
Dr. T.V. Karthikeyan is a Senior Scientist with theAdvanced Systems Laboratory, Defence ResearchDevelopment Organisation, Kanchanbagh,Hyderabad-500058
The ArmyMountain-eeringInstituteat theSiachenGlacierrangesprovidedall thecoldweatherequipmentandtraining.
The typicaltemperature isof the orderof minus 3 tominus 30degreesCelsius.
Indian Army on patrol
Glacier
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