…Zara aank mein bhar lo paani…
You will surely be reminded of Lata singing these lines once you are in Kargil or Drass.
Its an avalanche of emotions that hits you- absolute patriotism gives way to questions about how can someone think about fighting in such a beautiful place. and then the realities of war surround you- Tiger Hill, Tololing and the Dras War Memorial- all remind of the young men who sacrificed their lives to see the tricolor flying high.
One must go there to pay homage to these brave souls and to see what is it that we have been trying to keep safe.
The snap above is Tiger Hill and the other shot is of the Drass Valley- this is the beauty we have refused to let our neighbors take away from us.
Kargil is almost completely a military town these days & u can find a few hotels/guest houses to stay there. But one does not get a sense of security when being in the town. Drass- which is also the 2nd coldest inhabited place- is around 45 kms from Kargil on the picturesque highway !
What hits you – is the ocassional board on the road that says-“Caution ! The enemy is watching you”. I say this again- you have to go there to feel what patriotism is, to feel what sense-of-security is!
Leave a Reply