"Good scripts are.... Page 4 SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/sunday-magazine FORBEARANCE helps....Page 3 Lesser known challenges of Securing LADAKH

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) Chandigarh; many take commercial flights too. Transit camps dot the entire sector because there are enough per- For the least nine months experienced sonnel moving out of the LAC zone to Leh or moving from Leh to their locations. Acclimatization schedules also force hands from the Armed Forces community personnel into transit camps and such stays get longer have spoken and written extensively on when convoys are delayed or do not run due to the weath- er conditions. The only certainty about movement is that the ongoing standoff in Ladakh. By there will never be any certainty about how many days an now the public is quite familiar with individual will take to get home or return from home. Remember leave starts from the Chandigarh transit camp landmarks such as PangongTso, Daulat and from Jammu in case you go by road in summer. Yet Beg Oldi (DBO), Fingers Complex and the the Army's outstanding administration ensures no one ever goes hungry or does not have a roof over his head. At Kailash Range. Much has been heard of one time a senior logistician at the Headquarters Northern friction points Galwan and Hot Spring. Command admitted that one of his biggest challenges was the safety, security and welfare of almost 10,000 troops of The Republic Day honours have kindled memories of Ladakh and J&K who were on the road for one purpose or the valour of Colonel SantoshBabu, MVC and the men the other; movement in the Army is a usual feature from different units who supported him and his unit 16 because of a plethora of requirements. Transit camps are Bihar. Yet, whatever one may read about the operational great institutions and the lifeline of the movement system environment of Ladakh it is almost impossible to imagine in mountains. They are places where one gets educated the conditions and the life led there by our brave hearts. about sectors other than your own, the perils and chal- Ladakh is a high altitude desert connected to the rest of lenges that exist elsewhere; this mutual learning is almost Soldiers in Saichen braving all odds India through two existing routes. The first is from as good as a course of instruction. Officers and troops who Pathankot via Manali and the recently inaugurated Atal otherwise live isolated lives at posts and picquets at the effect is a major threat to health. Extremities of the body ensuring their full welfare. Sentries usually do two hour Tunnel (under the Rohtang Pass); the second is along the LAC find great solace in the limited periods of camaraderie tend to freeze up; nose, ear lobes, finger tips and toes. The duties. The challenge of being a sentry can be perceived axis Jammu-Srinagar-Zojila Pass-Kargil-Leh. These roads they enjoy with batch mates and other friends who they Army provides much fuel for warming and drying purpos- from the idea that at 2 AM a soldier snug in his sleeping traditionally close in Oct-Nov each year although this year run into at transit camps and in such flights. One of my es and a plethora of devices are bought by units from the bag in a fiberglass hut will have to get up, put on his boots, efforts to keep them open till as late as possible were made most painful memories of Chandigarh Transit Camp is that plains making use of welfare funds. Everything must have grab his weapon and ammunition and relieve the on duty by Border Roads Organisation(BRO) but heavy snow final- one has to rise at the unearthly hour of 2.30 AM to be at the a range of spare parts at all times because the sheer sentry; that itself is a shuddering thought because the tem- perature difference from inside the hut to the outside could ly brought those brave efforts to an end. Some new connec- airfield at 4 AM. Flights start taking off at 6 AM in the remoteness of the areas demands that you keep even suffi- be 30-40 degrees Centigrade. tivity will be available next year improving our ability to darkness of even icy winter mornings. The logic is simple; cient stove burner pins. The Army spares no efforts to ensure there is sufficien- execute rapid movement when required. The only connec- the earlier you land in Leh and the earlier you take off from Considering that majority of troops have been inducted cy of ration with a fairly diverse range. In the cold and at tivity now in winter is from the two airfields at Leh and there ensures that maximum possible load, contingent to new locations even at friction points where strength was heights appetite tends to dry up and the most popular Thoise. The former serves Leh, Kargil and Eastern Ladakh upon temperature can be carried back to Chandigarh. earlier much lessthere will be a dearth of built up habitat. meals are usually made up of soups, dals and the very pop- while the latter serves the Siachen sector. The heavy lift Rising temperatures by day reduce the takeoff carrying This will improve progressively in the next construction ular Maggi noodles. If Special Rations have been notified transport aircraft of the IAF which land at these airfields capacity of an aircraft. That is also the logic of why the IAF season; winter is not considered a construction season by any stretch of imagination. Some troops will stay in Arctic for the concerned area then expect to feast on Cadbury's almost every day are like angels from the sky for the tired combat aircraft have a decided advantage over PLAAF in tents which can be comfortable except when blizzards are Milk Bars and enough dry fruits to keep the calories high. and weather beaten soldiers. Leh itself at a height of 11000 Ladakh. It is because the IAF has its airfields at much blowing. Fire hazards are common because of the large The most important thing which keeps units and war- feet has a much deployment but the battle zone is well lower heights and can therefore take off with full laden amounts of inflammables present everywhere - fuel, tents riors going is the spirit of their bonding. India must never ahead of a mountainous system called the Ladakh Range. weight of fuel and munitions to reach the combat zone. The andfiberglass huts. No post is ever without sentries and ever think of doing away with the regimental system of the Remember most soldiers will not be home for family occa- PLAAF has its airfield in the Tibetan desert at heights of every activity is done in buddy pairs so that the buddies Indian Army. It's the lifeline in every dicey and dangerous sions, festivals and even important responsibilities such as 14000 to 16000 feet restricting the carriage of both. can support and rely on each other. The PLA obviously situation. The common badge, war cry and officer-man medical treatment of an elder. There is no predictability What is life like at the posts in Eastern Ladakh? I can does not believe in this considering that single soldiers relationship always keeps the flag flying high. about travel plans because it all depends on whether the only guess because I served there over 25 years ago. Once from its ranks tend to step out to perform duties and get (The author, a former GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is associated with the high passes are open and the convoys can come through. In acclimatized the respiration issues of personal health take disoriented enough to walk across the LAC; two such Vivekanand International Foundation and the Institute of Peace and Conflict winter since all move is by air soldiers live in transit camps a back seat but the intense cold, especially the wind chill awaiting their turn to get a transport aircraft based flight to young soldiers were returned by the Indian Army after Studies. He is the Chancellor of Central University of Kashmir.) "Look beyond rituals" No regrets for crippled, dead in ROAD SAFETY messages Sunny Dua a routine, violation of traffic laws in vogue and no one is ever held responsible for loss of lives. Did we ever care to ask Year old Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir about wellbeing of crippled people, did we ever care to know along with nation is observed Road Safety Month 2021 plight of families left behind those killed, did we ever fix the wherein department of transport besides police, NGOs and guilty, did we ever punish anyone for negligent driving, did students from schools and colleges sensitised people about we ever train drivers and taught them to respect lives or did various safety measures in a routine set by higher-ups that our engineers ever rectified roads that caused accidents ? are followed every year like a 'ritual'. This practice is going Answer to these questions in most cases come in negative. on for about two decades and to draw a parallel people are Like the Government comes out with data of fine collect- continuing to lose their lives or getting crippled on the killer ed, there should also have been a data of people suffering. roads of Jammu and Kashmir with no let-up in the dance of While we have a lot many stories to be told it is hoped that death. the story of this one girl can move authorities or shake up This year also scores of messages as part of road safety their conscience. The phrase "when the going gets tough, the rituals came from higher ups who hardly know ground real- tough get going" is quite often used to motivate people in ities, which are in a mess, for the simple reason that none of business world or even army but when an athlete who has Kritika Khanna with her rowing team. them is a pedestrian, a two-wheeler driver, a commuter in odds stacked against her dazes them all to emerge tougher, minibus or has driven a light motor vehicle for himself on then you get India's first female 'Para Rower' - Kritika these killer roads. Escorted by their pilot vehicles and driv- that this phase shall pass and I will emerge much stronger. big. To my surprise, I got an opportunity to be a part of Khanna who hails from Jammu. Easier said than done, it took me time to reconcile to the fact Asian Games Camp in Pune this year which was out of the en by qualified drivers they didn't care to even mention a She is unstoppable, courageous and motivated enough to single word about those young who lost their lives on road and get back to my new normal", Kritika added. world experience. My very first Rowing experience! It was nurture a dream of making it to Paralympics and other It was the same year when Kritika missed her finals but unbelievable! accidents or were left crippled for life and are today strug- sporting events of national as well as international repute gling to survive in their own way. appeared for mid-term exams and cleared them all with fly- I was there in Pune all by myself ready to conquer, and only to ensure that nothing comes in her way. ing colours. She also completed her MBA in Human learning a new sport, meeting the Golden Champs, Coaches Had anyone ever cared to listen to what happens to fam- It all started with a serious accident on a Jammu cross- ilies who lose their dear ones on these killer roads or to Resources her academic records made her land up working and so many other people. I found a mentor Col Gaurav ing way back in 2003 that changed an eleventh grader's life with a government bank. This too was a stepping stone that Dutta (Para Triathlete), who believed in me and gave me those left crippled or children who are pursuing their shat- forever. Her right leg was amputated that left her family tered dreams; there would have been a decrease in road encouraged her to not to stop at anything and keep going this opportunity. I am so grateful to him. For the very first heartbroken but having courage to fight back, Kritika strong. This was the time when my family also realized that time I moved out of my city leaving everyone in the family accidents and so in revenue generated from fines. However, Khanna didn't let this all come in between her and her things even after observance of this ritual called 'Road I now am an independent girl and good enough to survive in surprised. After all these experiences in life I learnt one dreams. She continued to do workouts to stay fit, kept her- this world, she recalled. thing- "Believe in your abilities". And believing in my abili- Safety Month' remain same or get even worst with graph of self motivated and even posted videos of her exercising accidents showing an upward trend and money generated As parents, the fear for their daughter was genuine, how ties earned me the title of becoming "India's First Female regime on social media only to attract Col Gaurav Dutta will she survive all alone, how will she commute on her own, Para Rower". from fines touching highest marks on pie-chart. (Para Triathlete) who gave her an opportunity and intro- A simple audit from a road safety expert or National she needs someone around every time, but I did everything She narrated that her very first participation at an duced to sport rowing. I could to change their fear into the statement which I love International event as Para Rower happened in October Highway Authority of India (NHAI) can enable those flash- Some are born with birth defects while others like Kritika ing their messages to learn how safe are our roads that have when they say "We are proud of you". This gives zeal to me 2019 which made her feel proud for the reason that her team sustain life-altering injuries after serious accidents but those to live more freely and happily knowing they are proud of had won a Bronze Medal on the eve of Diwali. The very first changed lives of lakhs of people from being 'good' to 'worst' determined overcame their injuries to turn themselves into due to accidents. To have a clearer view of road safety a sim- me, she asserted. participation as a team at an International event was in itself best athletes in the world. Even when Kritika had never par- Kritika goes on to add, "All these years there have been a moment of pride but winning a medal added an icing to ple chat with those affected or the real survivors can also ticipated in any sport before her life changed forever, she help drivers learn road sense and also enable government to ups and downs but that's how life should be. A stagnant life the cake. "There are people who are looking up to us for tried her hands at rowing and emerged victorious. It was would be so dull with no adventure and nothing. I planned inspiration. Be their light, give them wings and make them adopt more serious approach towards safety concerns than tough both physically and mentally but she pushed herself observing these rituals involving children while caring least to enjoy life and started concentrating on my fitness. Every believe in their abilities. We together can achieve greater to her limits and learnt a lot other than rules of the game. day was an adventure in the gym, trying exercises and enjoy- heights. There is nothing impossible for us. We are stars of for the same lot. When asked Kritika said, "It was a morning that changed To recall a few incidents from amongst the unaccounted ing the everyday accomplishments. Every evening I was on our own life but what it needs is to believe in oneself and my vision for life. I was in the hospital waiting for my fami- cloud nine after having won the day's battle. This spirit kept feed", she said. number of deaths three children had some time back lost ly to arrive, scared as one should be in such a situation their lives in Reasi, eleven people on board a superfast bus me going and achieving every day. Being a fitness freak, I Having no support from anyone, Kritika and many likes where my veins were hanging from my limb and foot sepa- decided to take it up to another level and participated in an are continuing to live their altered lives but there sure are no were killed in Poonch, a newlywed couple was killed in rated. I was shattered to see it but tried to be calm as I had Baramulla, thirty five people lost their lives in Kishtwar acci- event at the gym". one who are able to hear the cries of 3 years old Adeeba who one thought in my mind which said immediately, 'you have That was truly transforming as I came to know about my was survived by just her little sister who was not travelling dent, eleven students of a private computer centre, mostly to stand for your parents'. That one thought changed every- girls, were killed near Peer Ki Gali in Poonch, sister of a for- abilities. I completed my very first walk of 3 Kilometres on with her at the time of accident in Kishtwar. She had lost her thing from that single minute and I am happy I did not crib crutches. What an amazing victory it was! All these small mother, father and 45 days old brother who was in the lap of mer minister killed at Bathindi crossing, two friends were or cry". killed at Asia crossing and a young girl Kritika Khanna lost victories brought me closer to achieving bigger dreams. I his mother at the time of accident. Earlier we used to hear "I knew I had lost something big in life and things will kept working out and uploading videos on the Internet with about fatal accidents on hill roads but today such accidents her limb at the same crossing. not be easy. There will be times when I would feel helpless Today also most of traffic lights are not functional, roads a vision that there are people who need motivation, a boost have become order of day in even Jammu city with nothing and want to run and fly like I did. Being an avid dancer, sit- of energy to get going. All this kept motivating me to dream concrete visible that will make our roads safe. are dilapidated, crossings not manned properly, overloading ting in one place was difficult for me. However, I was sure