Salute our Soldiers...

He watched me patiently making a valiant effort to climb the rough metal stairs which extended way above the Khardungla Pass motor road to the top of another mountain, as he sat on a big rock at the top. When I finally got there, short of breadth, shooting pain in my legs, he smiled & gave me a thumbs up, as I plonked myself next to him. He was an officer of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army.

He and I sat there for nearly 20 minutes, first in companionable silence as I recovered my composure and then got chatting a bit. He asked me where I was from and what was I doing trying to climb another 600ft after having reached 18000 feet at Khardungla pass already (after all, everyone else down below was happy to just take endless photos and sip tea/eat maggie). I told him this was another test of my “Believe In Yourself” spirit! 

He told me he was a special force trained at NSG - Manesar. Nothing beyond that. Told me to take a walk around now that I was at the summit, which I did. Saw about 30 other soldiers lifting rocks, cleaning the top & when I asked them what they were doing, said - making a “helipad”. So pretty soon (3-4 months) there’s going to be choppers landing at Khardungla Pass (not sure only for Army or civilians too). I was super impressed with the tough work they were doing (fully gloved, biting cold, lifting heavy boulders) & they were in awe of my feat of having climbed that high alone.

The photo shows how high I was (even the snow capped mountains were way below)

I walked around a bit & went back to sit next to the office as I readied myself for the climb down. This time around, we didn’t say much. But the silence surely did. I felt a sense of extreme pride & gratitude based on what he had told me earlier (they were posted at glacier, stories of what odds they faced, how they survived daily, what they protected ferociously…) I sensed a palpable energy, almost a streak of protectionism from him and his men as they kept an eye on me going down the rickety steps.

What I learnt in those moments is:

1. If one asks, one gets the answers - leant more by asking few simple questions that what lifetime of watching movies taught me

2. If one listens, one gets the deeper insights - I heard his “said” & his “unsaid”

3. If one feels, one build a bond with another which is strong - Together as Indians we felt a sense of oneness

Saluting every solider as we celebrate #OperationVijay THE #KargilVijayDiwas today. #JaiHind

#India #Army #IndianForce #Culture #Purpose #Passion #Loyalty #Nation #Pride