3000 Soldiers every second – being attentive and protecting the Borders of Our Country at the world’s highest and coldest battlefield.
Holding a tough position at a height of more than 5,400 m and at an average temperate of -40 degree, Celsius is not easy, where Jawans have to live in temperatures that can reach as low as -60 degree Celsius, suffering from a shortage of oxygen and food that is essential for human to survive stays frozen. Guarding and living in this region is not at all a cup of tea.
It’s not only about the Harsh weather but in addition, the non-availability of basic living facilities that makes life tougher than imaginable. Snowstorms there can last up to 3 weeks continuously and winds at that height can cross 80 mph within noticeable time. The sense of visibility for a person drops where only snow is visible around them.
Some words from Armed Forces – “We do the difficult as a routine. The impossible may take a little longer.”
The Threat from enemies is not the only concern across the border from Line of Control (LOC) from Pakistan and Line of Actual Control (LAC) from China
(Aksai Chin) but the Diseases such are a Frostbites, Sever Depression, fluid builds up around the brain and Pulmonary Respiration, these deadly diseases result in the death of a Soldier.
The Strategical importance of Siachen to India is that it could be an entry point to Kashmir for Pakistan and China, where the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project raised the level of threats and concern towards strengthening the alertness. It is also the single largest source of fresh water in the subcontinent.
Operation Meghadoot that was launched 36 years ago reminds us the history of one of the toughest battle of Indian Armed troops, On 13 April 1984 led by
Lt Gen Prem Nath Hoon, to capture the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir region, when Captain Sanjay Kulkarni planted the first Indian flag on the glacier at Bilafond La
and Captain P. V. Yadav and troop secured the remaining heights of the Saltoro Ridge who marched and climbed the mountains for four days.
Since 36 years, brave Indian troops have guarded world’s largest and coldest battlefield. From then it becomes impossible for Pakistan to throw a military challenge to India.
It is true courage, bravery in front of danger, the commitment of a soldier to the safety and security of the Nation and its countrymen, the challenge here is not more with enemies but with the soldiers themselves to live in the toughest weather conditions that a human can ever face, as described by a senior Army officer posted in Siachen. Being a soldier is not just a job, it’s the loving responsibility that he carries till his last breath.
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