Gypsy at Large

View from my stay on the first day in Leh I had been Leh’d for three times already and knew Ladakh like the back of my hand. So I approached the fourth trip that came after a gap of nearly seven years with a bit of trepidation sparked by reports of tourism boom spoiling the pristine cold desert. Moments after landing in the “Land of Passes”, I realised the misgivings about the callous tourism were not unfounded. I was staying at a place just short of Nimu. So next day after 15 minutes of mild Yoga I headed to Indus-Zanskar confluence. That was the first spot that made me fall in love with Ladakh when I came here back in 2008. Now trash marks the spots along these two mighty rivers – one of them gave India its name. The bevy of ‘selfie-tourists’ have reached this place too. Also present was an edifice selling eatables and promises of adrenaline rush through river rafting. The next pit stop was Magnetic hill, where revving of All Terrain Vehicles reverberated through th...

Siachen Glacier is far beyond what a common person’s imagination can conjure up. Even though the Indian forces have been braving against the formidable foe of weather and other extremities to hold on to the lofty mountains, when I told my mother that I would be heading to Siachen for a month long expedition being conducted by the Indian Army, her question was if it was in China? The question left me amused. The Indian Army personnel have been imposing the national will in those frigid heights and not many civilians are aware what it means to be at that height where chocolate bars freezes so hard that it has to be used as stepping stones. I was one of very few civilians, who were to get a chance to experience first-hand how Indian armed forces personnel are overcoming limits to human body at the world’s highest battlefield, even if for a short period of time. I undertook the journey in 2008 and after nearly a decade I am revisiting the journey that changed me. Pa...

(2008) You may not believe that a vehicle with its ignition off can move, but in Ladakh seeing is believing. Not only do vehicles move without the engine being turned on, they even defy gravity by climbing uphill. A hill on the outskirts of this picturesque cold desert town is so full of magnetised iron that it has the power to pull any vehicle in its vicinity towards itself. Perhaps inevitably, it is called Magnetic Hill. The hill is situated about 25 km from here on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik national highway and is bordered by the Indus river, which originates in Tibet and flows through Ladakh on its way to Pakistan.  Trying an SPG like stunt at Magnetic Hill! The engine is switched off and the Safari is climbing up on its own! Try it to believe it. The legendary powers of the Magnetic Hill have ensured that it has a place in the itinerary of most tourists visiting Ladakh. However, you might just miss the hill in this mountainous region if you fail t...

The Gateway to Siachen Glacier Siachen Glacier : It was for me the experience of a lifetime: an eight-day trek up the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, once regarded as the world's highest battlefield at 22,000 feet where the guns have been silent since 2003 after an India-Pakistan truce. The 80-km trek from the Siachen Base Camp to Camp 3 and back by a 32-member group of defence personnel, military school students and journalists served to vividly bring out the hazards and pitfalls Indian Army soldiers have to face on what was also the world's coldest battlefield where temperatures dip below - 65 degrees Celsius. Getting bit of training at the Siachen Battle School Food goes stone cold as soon as it is taken off the burner, washing your face becomes a luxury, and drinking water smells of the kerosene used to melt the ice. Yet, the soldiers stoically endure this, serving for a minimum of three months on the glacier in a two-year ten...