Siachen Glacier & life of Indian soldiers | R-day Special
Pratidin Time joint editor Sunit Kumar Bhuyan, Journalist Pranjal Das & Video journalist Koushik Bortamuly spent a five-day weekend in Siachen border and Ladakh.
Things we should know about the unforgiving Siachen Glacier and the life of Indian soldiers who are defending the world's highest battlefield to save their motherland.
Sunit Kumar Bhuyan talked to us about his memorable experiences in Ladakh. "I was visiting the heavenly destination of Ladakh in the state of Jammu & Kashmir in the northernmost region of India for a five-day weekend. I got unimaginable lucky on this trip, spending the incredible days in the company of the Indian Army", Bhuyan said.
The most memorable experience – a visit to the Siachen border! This is the place where the Army men survive – the highest battlefield in the world, where the temperature goes down to -35 degrees C during winters.
Siachen Glacier lies immediately south of the great watershed that separates the Eurasian Plate from the Indian Subcontinent in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram sometimes called the 'Third Pole'.
The road had become wet andslippery and the thick fog made it extremely difficult to see approachingvehicles. Huge rocks and loose stones on the road had already made it difficultto drive.
Dusk had fallen. There were many tense moments as we drove in the dark in silence. Chances of getting stranded in the mountains till the next morning were very high. Still, I assured the men that we would soon reach Dras safe and sound. And we did! The icing on the cake was the beautiful sight of the amazing starlit sky and the scenic view of Kargil dotted with lights far below. It was a feast for the eyes.
As for me, I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life in Siachen and Ladakh, Bhuyan signs off.