VIGNETTES FROM THE MECHANISED INFANTRY

THE KARAKORAM FILES – 3

 

THE SIACHEN GLACIER

‘Whether I sense god or the hallucinations of rarefied air I know not,

 Is it the death trap of the Devil or the bounteous creation of God is dilemma to me,

 But the truth I understand is that my puny self is alive and awestruck,

As I walk on the Hell below and the Heaven around me!’

 

A Savage Romance!

The three aphorisms shared below convey in the most apt and crisp language the savageness of the environment, the survival protocol that it dictates, and the human tragedy of fighting a war on undeniably the most unforgiving battlefield in the world:-

 

‘Theoretically there is a  possibility of suffering a heatstroke and frostbite near simultaneously on the dizzying heights of the Siachen Glacier, if one were to lie down long enough with exposed toes in the shade and exposed head in the sun!’

-          A Soldier’s belief

‘In the land of the Lama don’t be a Gama!’

-          Laddakhi advice

‘Quartered in snow, silent to remain; when the bugle calls, they shall rise and march again’.

– The Siachen War Memorial

Lore of the Siachen

Bounded by the Saltoro Muztagh (mountain) to the west and the Siachen Muztagh to the east is located the Siachen (place of roses) Glacier or the Saicher Gharni as it was called in centuries gone by. Frequently traversed by the Baltis from beyond the Bilafond (butterfly) La (pass) to its west and the Yarkhandis to its east from the Teram (destroyed) Shehr (settlement) Glacier it has been mute witness to trade in materials, livestock and humans. Discovery of habitation ruins and shards of pottery on the Teram Shehr plateau by the neo-explorers of the 19^th and 20^th century, lend some veracity to these legends.

From below the Siachen Glacier emanates the Nubra (flowers and trees) river after which the valley is named. The valley extends from Indira (Goddess Laxmi) Col /Turkistan La, the Northern most points of the Siachen Glacier to Khardung (lower castle) ridge. The Khardung ridge, following an east to west alignment, lies just to the North of Leh (plateau). The Nubra valley also provided summer passage at Saser (golden earth) La, across the Saser Muztagh for trading caravans moving from Leh to Yarkhand and beyond to Kashgar in Central Asia in the olden days. 

Environment

The Siachen or Rose Glacier is the largest glacier outside the polar region; the Lamberts Glacier in the polar region being the largest.  It originates at Indira Col and extends for 76 Kilometers to its Snout. The glacier is a moving mass of ice, pulsating with hidden but dynamic energy. Bottomless crevasses are ever opening and closing, making the walk on the surface treacherous, hence walking roped up is the norm!

 

Several small glaciers join the Siachen Glacier from the Saltoro ridgeline to the west. These glaciers from north to south are Unnamed Glacier, G1 Glacier, Lolofond Glacier, and Gyong Glacier. To the east the main glacier of significance is the Teram Sheher Glacier. The merging with the Siachen Glacier of Lolofond Glacier coming from the west and Teram Shehr Glacier from the east, literally forms the ‘glacier crossroad’, one of the most captivating sight in those forbidding heights.

 

The passes here are known as Col or La. East to west the significant passes are Col Italia joining Rimo Group of Glaciers with Teram Sheher Glacier, Turkistan La and Indira Col joining Siachen Glacier to Urdok Glacier in the Shaksgam Valley, Sia La joining Unnamed Glacier to Kondus Glacier, and Bilafond La joining Lolofond Glacier to Bilafond Glacier.

 

The ridgelines range from 15,000 feet to 25,000 feet whereas the valley floors range from 9000 feet to 12,000 feet. The region is glaciated, highly crevassed and devoid of any vegetation.

 

The temperature ranges from 4 degrees Celsius to minus 11 degrees Celsius in summers and from minus 11 degrees Celsius to minus 60 degrees Celsius in winters. There is a 0.3 degrees Celsius drop in temperature for every kilometre per hour of wind speed. The cumulative annual snowfall ranges from 10 to 15 meters.

 

Blizzards and whiteout conditions are common. While severe avalanche hazards prevail in winters, crevasses open up in summers.

 

History

The first known recorded sighting of Siachen Glacier was by Henry Strachey when in Oct 1848 he became the first westerner to discover and ascend it for two kilometers from its snout in the Nubra Valley.  In 1889, Col Francis Younghusband became the first westerner to approach it from the north when he reached Turkestan La from the Urdok Valley.  In 1909, Dr Tom Longstaff, Dr Arthur Neve and Lt AM Slingsby crossed over Bilafond La and later over the Siachen snout in a pioneering effort to establish its true length and exact location of various passes. 

 

The Bullock Workman couple, in 1911-12, were the next important explorers who spent ‘Two Summers in the Ice Wilds of Eastern Karakoram’ and also reached and named Indira Col after the Hindu goddess, Laxmi. 

 

In 1929, Dr Ph C Visser of the Netherlands discovered the Terong glaciers and an Italian, Duke of Spoleto, reached Turkistan La via Muztagh Pass from the north.  Another Italian, Giotto Dainelli completed the exploration of the region a year later when he reached the Siachen Glacier through Nubra Valley, entered the Teram Sheher and crossed over to the Rimo Glacier over a pass which he named as Col Italia.

 

After independence, the 1949 Indo-Pak agreement demarcated the ceasefire line up to the point known as NJ 9842, near the Shyok river, ‘…and thence north to the glaciers’.  Taking advantage of this ambiguity Pakistan promoted many foreign expeditions between 1972 and 1983, accompanied by their army liaison officers across Gyong La, Bilafondla and Sia La, with the aim of laying claim to the region.

 

In 1984, intelligence reports revealed secret preparations by Pakistan to occupy Siachen Glacier region.  On 13 Apr 1984, in a pre-emptive move the Indian Army preceded Pakistan D-Day by three days and occupied the key passes of Bilafond La and Sia La.  Thus began ‘Operation MEGHDOOT’, the most daunting and courageous action being undertaken by the Indian Army on the highest and the coldest battlefield of the world.

‘Operation MEGHDOOT,’ India’s saga of glory, is the longest ongoing operation of the Indian Army.  On the Siachen Glacier the war, though fought with weapons, is won by the men.  Here great courage and fortitude is the norm and it is the spirit of the men who lead and of the men who follow that gains victory. The troops have to first survive the environment and then fight the enemy.

Pakistan Army on the other hand has foisted one of the biggest myth on their gullible citizenry that they are fighting on the Siachen Glacier. The Siachen Glacier lies to the east of Saltoro ridgeline that hugs the glacier, and this ridgeline is held by the Indian Army, denying their rivals even a peek into the Siachen Glacier.

To put the brave achievement of Indian Jawans in correct perspective it is essential to know that they are from standard line battalions of the infantry and, along with supporting troops, are deployed in this region on a routine tour of duty.  Majority of them hail from the plains and have no prior experience of even ice and snow. 

 

Most of the posts lie above 18000 feet. At those heights the human body finds it difficult to acclimatise and starts wasting out and even the most experienced of mountaineers walk with trepidation and generally restrict their stay to under a month. Owing to drop in barometric pressure at high altitudes there is lesser amount of oxygen available while breathing. The human body responds by producing more red blood cells so as to enhance the oxygen carrying capacity in the blood. There is resultant thickening of the blood density. Following the regulatory acclimatisation process reduces the health risks of serving in high altitude.

 

Acute Mountain Sickness (severe headache, nausea, breathlessness, blood pressure abnormalities, severe loose motions), Pulmonary Oedema (formation of water in the lungs), Cerebral Oedema (formation of water in the brain region), Deep  Vein Thrombosis (formation of blood clots in the veins) are some of the medical afflictions which can lead to fatality if not given urgent medical attention. Medical evacuation too is highly uncertain owing to the vagaries of the forbidding environment.

 

On the other hand, routine tenure on the Siachen Glacier and the Saltoro ridgeline posts is for duration of three months, excluding induction and de-induction time. To reach the farthest posts they have to walk on the glacier for 28 days. It is the unmatchable grit, determination and valour of Indian Jawans which enables them to attain the requisite mountaineering skills to serve with aplomb in guarding the frozen frontiers of mother India.

           

On any clear flying day the logistics base for the Siachen Glacier is a hustle and bustle of activity, helicopters ferrying troops and supplies, troops to be inducted into the glacier undergoing induction training at the Siachen Battle School, unscheduled heavy artillery firing, winter stocking of supplies and a myriad of activities involved in the logistics of fighting a war in the highest and most difficult battlefield in the world. Not a day goes by without display of courage beyond the call of duty; no wonder the motto is ‘Here great courage and fortitude is the norm’. Not a day goes by without the commanders’ dilemma of endangering four or more to save one. Incidents like the air drop load handler voluntarily hanging onto supply load being para dropped in the glacier just for the thrill of it, though not the norm, require sensitive handling!

Faith on the Frozen Heights

At the foot of the snout lies the shrine of ‘OP Baba’, the highly revered guardian deity of all troops deployed on the Siachen Glacier. The origins of the lore of ‘OP Baba’ are veiled in the mists of time that shroud the glacier itself. Strong belief prevails that OP Baba was an artillery OP who was killed in action while deployed on the glacier, his body was never recovered, and his immortal soul wanders the glacier warning the troops from time to time of impending disasters and enemy action. Not a soldier or a porter sets foot on the glacier without first paying obeisance at the shrine and subsequently offering thanks on de-induction.

In 2003, Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam became the first President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces to visit the troops deployed in ‘Operation Meghdoot’. He made an unscheduled visit to the shrine to personally pay obeisance when informally appraised about the guardian deity, much to the consternation of the protocol conscious military hierarchy. 

RECOMMENDED READINGS

 

‘Across Peaks and Passes in Laddakh, Zanskar & East Karakoram’ by Harish Kapadia

Published by Indus Publishing Company, FS-5 Tagore Garden, New Delhi – 110027

(An authentic and exhaustive account of exploration and geography of the Siachen Glacier region.)

 

‘Two Summers in the Ice Wilds of Eastern Karakoram Part II: The Conquest of the Great Rose or Siachen’ by Fanny Bullock Workman

Published by T Fisher Unwin Ltd, London, 1 Adelphi Terrace, (not readily available in the market)

‘Siachen conflict without End’ by Lt Gen VR Ragavan

(A concise profile on Siachen, touching upon all facets of the issues involved)

‘Fangs of Ice (Story of Siachen)’ by Lt Col Syed Ishfaq Ali

(An interesting perspective of ‘other side of the hill’. The author is a Pakistani Army officer who has served in the region west of Saltoro ridgeline)

‘Heights of Madness, One Woman’s Pursuit of A Secret War’, by Myra MacDonald

Published by Rupa & Co

(An interesting perspective by a foreign reporter on the Siachen war conveying viewpoints of   India as well as Pakistan)