Author: PNS
Publication: The Hindu
Date: April 5, 2011
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/329346/Jawans-cheer-India-on-Siachen-pitch.html
As Mahendra Singh Dhoni led his boys against
Pakistan in semis and Sri Lanka in World Cup cricket finals, the unknown jawans
guarding Siachen - the world's highest battlefield - rooted for Team India
braving inhospitable weather conditions.
While some of them were lucky to catch the
action live on television at the base camp, the remote posts (located at a
height of more than 24,000 ft) were kept updated through regular commentary
by officers through satellite phones.
The soldiers' josh was at its peak when Dhoni
hit the winning six at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, and some jawans rushed out
to dance. However, officers had to restrain them as temperatures stood at
minus 40 degrees and exposure for a few seconds could kill them almost instantly.
In the grip of World Cup fever, the jawans
did not want to lag in supporting the Indian team and the Army made special
provisions at Siachen, Kargil and Drass. The base camp at Siachen, located
at a height of 14,000 ft, and some adjacent posts had television connectivity
and the soldiers enjoyed live action there.
However, jawans posted at Siachen glacier's
remote posts - known as 'satellite' posts - too were kept abreast of the battle
going on at the stadium. To reach these posts, the farthest of which is at
24,000 ft, it takes more than 15 days's trek from the base camp through crevasses
and avalanche-prone areas. Given the harsh climate and terrain where the armies
of India and Pakistan are deployed since 1984, the Indian soldiers serve a
stint of not more than six months as the environment takes heavy toll on body
and mind. In fact, IAF flies its two-seater Chetak helicopters to maintain
logistic lines with the remote posts as heavier machines cannot fly at that
height, where rarefied atmosphere makes breathing a big problem.
These posts are connected with the headquarters
and base camp through satellite phones. The cricket final saw the officers
at the base camp giving a ball-by-ball account to their colleagues at 24,000
ft, sources said here on Monday.
The hardy soldiers preferred to keep awake
and cheer up Dhoni and his 'fighters' rather than cosy up inside their thermal
blankets in heated huts and yet got up the following morning at 4 for arduous
patrolling in blinding blizzard.
In an apparent gesture to thank the soldiers,
Dhoni on Monday called on IAF chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik at his official
residence here and had a cup of tea with him. The cricketing icon also gifted
an autographed bat to Naik. The Indian captain, who is passionate about fighter
jets, has expressed a desire to fly in a SU-30, IAF's frontline fighter jet.
He would get his chance soon, Naik said.
Incidentally, the Chandigarh airport manned
by the IAF made a record of sorts when India and Pakistan played the high-voltage
semi-final match on March 30 in Mohali. Used to handling 10-15 flights a day,
the rather small airport handled over 130 flights that day, including VIP
flights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani.
