Kargil, (Jammu and Kashmir) Jan 4 (ANI): The Kargil War that transpired in 1999 brought into the limelight the isolated Drass Valley and the town of the same name that suffered the most during the three month long conflict at the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan.
Media's extensive coverage brought the valley to the center stage, highlighting its physical landmarks like Mushkoo Valley, Tiger Hill and Tolo-ling on India's map. In the thirteen years since, it is still only the war that everyone remembers unaware of the fact that there is a lot more to Drass than the war.
A hundred and forty one kilometers ahead from the state capital Srinagar, lies the way to nirvana, as welcoming its visitors stands Drass valley with freezing yet affectionate air. Often described as the "Gateway to Ladakh" it forms a part of the Kargil District. Moving ahead on the "treacherous" Zojila Pass (3505m), the promises of not coming back aroused due to fear of dizzying heights are forgotten in the magnificent beauty of the region.
Also known as the 'Treaty Road', this pass has a history of its own with intrepid traders and explorers having used it in the past to traverse the Great Himalayas enroute to Ladakh, Tibet, Central Asia and China. Since then, generations have come and gone; boundaries have emerged and dissolved but its importance in connecting Kargil to rest of the world remains unchanged. Also unchanged are the difficulties its people face while crossing this pass. In the coming months, when the entire region gets snow bound, the hardy people of Drass will continue negotiating this formidable pass by virtue of their mastery over it.
The harshness of nature is apparent in every form in the valley. From harsh climate to arid landscape, the inhabitants of the valley deal with it themselves being rough and tough. Formed by the Drass River which rises in the Machoi glacier near the Zozila Pass, Drass Valley has extensive willow groves along the river side.
With an altitude of 3,300 m, this town has the distinction of being the second coldest inhabited place in the world, after Siberia. The mercury may drop to as low as 40 degrees Celsius below freezing point. Come November and the region's communication with the outside world will be cut off for six months, thick sheets of snow will cover the brown and ochre mountains, bringing the entire Kargil district to a standstill.
But before the valley goes to sleep, the six summer months are full of hard work for its people preparing for the harsh winter days ahead. "There is no start or finish line to our tasks of preparing for the winter. We stock up piles of wood, dung, coal, wheat, onion, dried vegetables, pulses and oil, so that we don't face shortage of these items in winter. We hibernate in our small mud houses," says forty five years old Sajjad Hussain, a local from the valley. A forced hibernation indeed.
The outcome of such low temperatures are not limited only to restricting people to their houses, they are varied and more dangerous. Heavy snowfall blocks the roads and the entire pass becomes inaccessible. In case of a medical emergency it becomes really difficult to take the patient to the doctors, assuming they are available in the health care centers. The hostile conditions of the region chase away teachers, doctors and other government officials who dread being posted in such difficult areas. Here, after The Maker, only the wisdom of the indigenous people helps.
Another problem of the region is somehow not very different from rest of the country except for the difficulties it causes - absence of electricity. Such low temperatures cause the diesel and water to freeze. "We cannot use our vehicles before ten or eleven in the morning as the fuel gets frozen at night. We burn stoves and woods under the fuel tank to bring it back to liquid state in order to carry on with our lives," shared Najumul Huda, a young activist from Kargil.
In such a situation, even the authorities are snowed under as avalanches damage the telephone wires and make it difficult to get in touch with the outside world. Could you imagine a life without telephone, vehicles, healthcare, education and work buried under snow? Here, these tough people live it!
This natural toughness is somewhere backed by the confidence Drass people have in the Indian Army. They share a cordial relationship with each other as in tough times they both are dependent on each other. During the Kargil War, the people of Drass provided the army with whatever support they needed from them. Since then, the army has taken care of them and constantly involves them in various activities.
The Indian Army, in the recent past, has done some excellent development work in the region. Be it the roads or schools, they are bringing together the communities in order to provide them not only with new means of livelihood but a sense of participation.
We do not require occasion to remember that Drass is as much a part of India as any we are familiar with. Like the Indian Flag that flutters in the air all year round at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, Kargil War Memorial in Drass, the entire region, its people and their development issues deserve visibility in the media.
The Charkha Development Communication Network feels that the day this will be achieved would be the day when writers will not introduce Drass by the Kargil War but the other way round! By Chetna Verma (ANI)
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