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My quest for adventure was at last realized when I
was informed that I would be forming part of the High Altitude
Trekking Team of the Battalion. Lt Gen AM Verma, SM, VSM, GOC, Desert
Corps, flagged off the team from the Unit HQ by presenting the “Axe of
Confidence” to the team leader Col SB Rai, Commanding Officer, 11 Mech
Inf (18 Rajputana Rifles) on 26 May 09.
Having spent the night at Raiwala, we reached
Okhimath on 28 May 09. The Farewell Ceremony at GIC, Okhimath, was a
grand function, the school students sang songs and even presented a
folk dance to the tune of a Garhwali song Thando re Thando, which the
team hummed along the entire expedition. We then set off for the trek
towards Ransi. Our next stop was at Madhyamaheswar and the trek was
particularly arduous owing to the increase in altitude (6,500 feet to
11,500 feet) and the distance to be covered (16 km). We halted on the
banks of a river for breakfast and such proximity to nature was a
euphoric experience for one and all. It took us a continuous trek of
nine hours to reach Madhyamaheswar but the Temple Complex was a sight
to behold.
The next two days were spent at Madhyamaheswar
during which we trekked to Buddha Madhyamaheswar, which proffered an
imposing view of the snow-clad peaks. The locals told us that before
embarking on the trek we should pay our obeisance to Kshetrapal
Maharaj, who would ensure fair weather for the duration of the trek.
And so the next day we got a puja conducted, distributing the prasad
to the entire village.
Ahead of us lay another steep climb to an altitude
of 16,000 feet. Now that we had set the ball rolling, we moved ahead
undauntingly and after only an hour’s trek one could see
Madhyamaheswar and Buddha Madhyamaheswar in the far of distance. The
tree line also began to thin out and breathing became more difficult
and we had to halt at short intervals. At places there was no track
and the team had to literally jump from one boulder to the other to
move ahead. The rocks were already slippery with the morning mist and
one wrong step could take one down by a couple of thousand feet. But
we maintained a good pace, reaching Kashni Top in five hours. While
the camp was being setup 200 meters down the slope, a few of us
volunteered to visit Kashni Tal. The sight of the snow and the frozen
lake was overwhelmingly refreshing. By the time we reached the camp,
it had started to snow and the temperature dropped to sub-zero. Even
preparing tea became a herculean task owing to the low temperatures.
The illusion that Pandosera was nearby, soon
dwindled away as we crossed one ridgeline after another but somehow
never seemed to have traversed any distance. The path comprised of
loose mud and stones which seemed to shift away from underneath one’s
feet. But we somehow managed to scramble down holding onto shrubs or
lumps of grass. Pandosera was a magnificent place to be, amidst lush
green grass and high-rise snow clad peaks surrounding it. The greenery
around was somehow soothing and alleviated all the exhaustion. The
rocky caves offered the ideal cover for setting up a langar. We also
saw the farmland (‘Dhaan’), said to be cultivated by the Pandavas
during their exile and wondered as to how it had survived till date
and how it was devoid of any kind of wild grass or shrubbery much so
abundant in the area.
We were all geared up to undertake the most
gruelling trek during the entire expedition as we were to cross a
rather long patch of snow-covered ground. Though we had recced the
area and the info by the recce team had boosted our confidence but a
few qualms still engulfed us. Enroute we encountered another frozen
lake ‘Nandi Kund’, an astonishing sight for most of us. We were able
to keep our ice-skating talent under wraps and finally moved ahead
taking in the awe-inspiring spectacle. We also saw the ancient swords
and other weapons supposedly belonging to the Pandavas placed next to
the Kund. We resumed our trek towards Ghia Vinayak Pass (16,800 feet).
The entire route was blanketed by snow and we had to tread cautiously,
poking with the sticks, looking for the hard patches of snow. Due to
scarcity of water we even had to fill up our bottles with the ‘icy’
water flowing beneath the layer of snow. On scaling the pass a sense
of triumph overcame us and it was only when we started the descent
that we realized that it was even more treacherous, as the terrain was
entirely rocky, the boulders shifted at the slightest of nudge making
it awfully dicey. It soon started snowing making the trail icy.
The two towering ridges which had to be crossed
enroute to Bansi Narayan Temple were visible from the Camp. But after
what we had already been through, they did not seem to be much of an
obstacle. On crossing the first ridge Manpai Dhar, we were greeted to
the breathtaking sight of the Manpai Bugyal, a spectacular meadow with
an assortment of exquisite flowers. Snowfall greeted us yet again and
drenched us when we reached the Temple Complex. There were numerous
caves around the temple that we utilised as shelters for the night.
We then started our descent towards the Urgam
Valley halting at Urvarishi Ashram for the night. We visited the
fourth Panch Kedar Temple at Kalpeshwar, halting at a Hospital in
Urgam Valley and finishing the trek in Helang on 16 June 09. Our
arrival was met with a spell of rain. But nothing could dampen our
spirits, we were already on cloud nine. The “Saurashtrians” had done
it again, they had triumphed over yet another great feat and
complimented the glorious history of the Battalion.
In European
Waters
 The
Indian Navy’s Task Force’s deployed to Europe from May 09 returned to
home waters after a two month deployment westwards. The task force
sailing under the command of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet
RAdm Surinder Pal Singh Cheema, comprised the destroyer INS Delhi, the
frigates INS Brahmaputra and Beas, and the replenishment ship INS
Aditya. The task force returned after successfully honing their skills
in joint operations with the Royal Navy and the French Navy. After
seven years of bilateral exercise this was for the first time VARUNA
(Indo French Naval Exercises) occurred outside Indian waters, off the
coasts of Brittany. On the French side assets placed under CECLANT’s
command (the Admiral Commanding Atlantic Ocean Zone), notably the
destroyer Primauguet with a helicopter, the frigate Lieutenant de
Vaisseau Le Hanaff the nuclear powered attack submarine Emeraude
alongwith several French aircraft, including maritime patrol aircraft
and navy’s fighters. also took part in the exercise. India and France
both desire to strengthen their naval cooperation which has already
proven to be solid and is not restricted to VARUNA series alone, as is
evident from ongoing activities in the Indian Ocean, where navies of
both sides are coordinating their efforts towards the suppression of
piracy off Somali coast. In the same voyage the Indian Task group also
progressed Exercise KONKAN, an annual exercise between Indian and
Royal Navies, conducted with the aim of building maritime
inter-operability and mutual understanding. |
