Buzzing Blogosphere: Life In Siachen, World’s Most Dangerous Battlefield

After a deadly avalanche hit the Siachen Glacier, 9 Indian army jawans lost their lives. However the story of one jawan is something that will always be recalled every time this unfortunate incident is brought in light.  Lance Naik Hanaman Thappa miraculously managed to remain alive 35ft below the heavy snow of Siachen Glacier.  For 6 days after the heavy snowfall and in temperatures at – 45 degrees Celsius temperatures, this soldier managed to keep up with death that swallowed the other 9. The post in Siachen is at an altitude of 19,500 ft. The figures are enough to give us chills down our spines in normal temperatures. Siachen however is one of the most dangerous battlegrounds on earth where India and Pakistan have been fighting wars since April 1984. We bring you some very important facts, perspectives and notations worth knowing from blogs and bloggers from India.

Siachen Glacier is currently a battle between India as well as Pakistan. The incident where India lost 9 of its jawans makes us question the militarization of the area. Zainab Akhter in a brief post talks about the strategic importance of Siachen, life of the general people and our soldiers. What our soldiers are constantly fighting with apart from Pakistani troops is the extreme climatic conditions that make it impossible for a normal life to exist.

“The Indian army employs the largest number of youth from Ladakh for its Ladakh Scouts Regiment. The Ladakh Scouts known as the “Ladakhi noonus” in the army circle (brother in local dialect) have been playing a vital role in patrolling the Siachen glacier. Specialized in mountain warfare they are also known as snow warriors or Snow tigers, given their capabilities to survive in extreme temperatures and climatic conditions. They played a significant role in the Kargil war of 1999 and where instrumental in bringing laurels to India. Colonel Sonam Wangchuk of the Ladakh Scouts was honoured with the Maha Vir Chakara, for his brave act during the Kargil war in pushing back the infiltrators. Every second household in Ladakh has a son employed in the Ladakh scout and it is considered to be an honour to be a part of this regiment.”

The passing away of the brave Hanumanthappa is grieving hearts across nation, but have you ever thought about how is India supplying the needs of the army and the people there? Nitin Gokhale tells us how the provisions ranging from tents, clothing and ammunitions are taken care of in a month by month update.

“Given that the window for stocking up for the rest of the year is only between April and early November after which the passes close and the fact that a full-fledged Army Corps is now deployed in Ladakh, the challenges of maintaining the logistics chain have increased manifold. The planning actually begins 18 months in advance, the two brigadiers tell me explaining the complex operation. The Army has established ‘ordnance echelons’ at key locations along the long supply chain. The trucks bearing various items begin to move after receiving an indication that the passes are open and repaired to take the load. The sequence of travel and loading unloading is all decided a year in advance.”

The demilitarization of Siachen has been in the talking by the governments over the years. However, it has been far of as both the sides lack the political will. Also, India needs to deploy high tech drones apart from troops. The amount of money that goes in carrying out such operations and the loss of human life is immense at Siachen. Guru Aiyer tells us more in his post for Takshila Community Blog.

“The answer to argument ‘What if” Pakistan occupies is to invest in high technology drones and position the troops at such a location where advance warning can pre-empt any such action. A rapid reaction force in Shyok/Nubra valley can effectively deter such a misadventure. Withdrawal will need tremendous political will on both the sides. The most difficult stakeholder to please will be the security establishment. Inder Gill, a well respected General of the Indian army, had this to say in an Op-ed that appeared in The Hindu in 1997:”The amounts of money wasted by both sides is very large indeed. There is nowhere that either side can go in this terrain…We have no strategic-tactical advantage. Nor can Pakistan. We must withdraw immediately and unilaterally and save wastage of money.” The general did not mention human cost—which is of course priceless.”

The news of 10 jawans being killed in the Siachen Avalanche made headlines on February 3, 2016. Then came the news of one jawan Lance Niak Hanumanthappa Koppad remaining alive below 35ft of snow baffled the nation. Prayers, hopes and donations started pouring in from all corners. Tanya Singh reports of the special treatment that he was otherwise served with by students, elders and citizens at large.

“’Namaz’ being offered for Siachen survivor Lance Naik Hanamanthappa in Lucknow.

Special prayers being offered for Lance Naik Hanumanthappa at Ganga Ghat in Varanasi (UP).

Special prayers offered for Siachen survivor Lance Naik Hanamanthappa in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.

Nidhi Pandey, a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh, volunteered to donate her kidney to save Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad. She contacted a local new channel’s helpline and wanted to know how she can contact the hospital and donate a kidney to the soldier.”

Hanumanthappa unfortunately lost the battle against life on February 11 at 11.45 am. He was a victim of multiple organ failure. This left his family and nation in extreme grief and pain. Komal Nathani brings to us the homage that nation paid to this brave soldier.

“He leaves us sad & devastated. RIP Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. The soldier in you remains immortal. Proud that martyrs like you served India. – PM Narendra Modi

I join millions of countrymen to extend my condolences to braveheart Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. Nation will never forget his sacrifice. – Amit Shah”

Alisha Bhatt talks about the deathbed that has killed so many Indian as well as Pakistani soldiers and continues to do so. The reports of the soldiers losing their lives do not even reach to the general public.

“Law-makers from either nation would not budge from their stance; each side believes the harrowing region is their ‘own’ to protect. Pro-nationalists would debate how mountaineers brave the same dangers on expeditions. The point is, the adventure expeditions are carried out when the weather is at its best; and unlike our brave soldiers, they don’t reside in the hellish circumstances for three whole months.

Soldiers manning the Siachen glacier know they might never see their loved ones ever. When their colleagues leave for home after the 90-day stay, soldiers send the message: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.”

Although Siachen calls for battling extreme conditions, getting posted for Siachen is a matter of honour for soldiers. These soldiers are driven by a deep sense and commitment towards their duty more than anything else. An article by Live Mint gives us a deeper look at the reality of these soldiers.

Let’s take a closer look at what is it like to stay below 35 feet of snow in temperatures at -45 degrees celsius. Why the survival of Hanuman thappa is called a miracle and more by the G staff as they tell is about the conditions of the Pak troops and the health conditions of the soldiers at Siachen.

“Sources say that Koppad was conscious at rescue time but drowsy, dehydrated and severely disoriented. After that, Hanumanthappa developed pneumonia which makes his kidneys and liver to become dysfunctional. After struggling a lot, Koppad went into a coma on Wednesday, sending the citizens of a nation into a collective prayer for Koppad’s recovery. It was a sadistic eccentricity of fate for his family.

After the news flashes on TV, his family members are falling into sorrow. Millions of prayer don’t put a stop mark onto death broke of Koppad. Later, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed his condolence and said “Koppad’s death leaves entire nation devastated and sad. You remain immortal in our hearts and proud to say that martyr like you have had served India for a long time” in his tweet.”

The life at Siachen is not a normal one. Not even remotely. The political wars add to the very tough climatic conditions that are not human to the people living there. Abheet Sethi and Krishna Jalan take us through statistics, money spent, equipments and more.

“The Siachen Glacier, situated in a Himalayan region astride the India-Pakistan border, holds the dubious distinction of being the world’s highest battlefield.

Siachen’s forbidding conditions have claimed the lives of many Pakistani soldiers as well. Most recently, in 2012, an avalanche hit a Pakistani army camp at the strategically important Gayari sector killing 140 people, including 129 soldiers.

Altitudes reach as high as 22,000 feet (The top of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is at 29,000 ft) and temperatures dip below -45 degrees C.

Oxygen levels are low, and soldiers are prone to suffer from memory loss, blurred speech, frost bite, lung infection and severe depression. They also deal with the dangers of crevasses (long cracks or fractures in ice surface), especially during summer months.”

We in our normal lives rarely think how largely these brave soldiers contribute to our existence and safety. How we owe them our lives very literally and how unconditionally they serve us without any knowledge whatsoever about us, our families, religion and caste. We pray Hanumanthappa’s souls rests in peace, a soldier who has already inspired hundreds to stand up for the country come what may.