'THE HEART BENEATH THE UNIFORM' - a true story from Ladakh

Ladakh is the most beautiful creation of god and also one of the most lethal. To visit it, is one thing... to live there, is another.... but to be there to fight a war is CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

At Nubra Valley, i discovered this fact.

I met a soldier who was waiting at the crossroad of Sumur and Diskit for his pick up. He was standing there for 4 hours because the earlier army truck didn't wait for him. I felt sad for the man in uniform but it was what he said later saddened me more. He continued " I am from UP...this is the first time i am in the mountains. I got sick within few days of arrival. So they sent me to the army hosptial. It was extremely lonely and painful. There was no one from my battalion i could speak with and my family was out of reach. I feared death for the first time... i rather die in war or next to my wife... but not like this... where nobody knows me, nobody cares. I couldnt bear it any longer so I lied about my health and got myself discharged from that god forbidden hospital. Actually i'm still not well to serve. It's been 3 days since i am on my way to my post and i'm worried as i still cant get through to my family. The times seem bad...I pray to god they are all ok. My wife...". Before he could finish his story the truck he was waiting for appeared at the end of straight road. He said, pointing to my bike parked a few feet away, "Please go stand there. They must not see me talking to a civilian. It's a high security area. We are close to Siachen you see". I waved him goodbye but he didn't wave back because the truck had arrived.

Standing there i thought with enemy on the other side of border and elements on this side, Ladakh surely was a wrong place for a man with a heart beneath his uniform.