On the Siachen Glacier, 1998

by Harish Kapadia

Part 2: The Rose Expedition

We, mountaineers from Bombay, applied to climb on this glacier in 1998. After due consideration for six months permits were granted. Finally on the 22nd June 1998 the entire team of six Indian mountaineers was in Leh. We spent two days in Leh to acclimatise and arrange the final clearance from the army. Travelling to the Nubra valley the team stayed four days at Tigur village for acclimatisation. The Brigade headquarters at Partapur was visited twice to tie up all the final details. On the 30th June we moved to the army base camp. Our liaison officer, Capt. Ashish Suhag with our member Divyesh Muni joined us here completing the team. No local porters were available as most of the Ladakhi population had gone to Changthang to hear the sermon of the Dalai Lama, who was visiting the area. So we decided to ferry the loads between camps with our available strength. The army was most helpful and agreed to shift rations and kerosene to middle of the glacier by helicopters and agreed to provide food at intermediate camps. By 3rd July we were ready to move up the glacier with 8 Sherpas as support, having arranged about our food and equipment.

We were treading on the historical ground . It was a great feeling moving up the glacier once again. Soon we passed the entrance to the Terong valley in the east. We were familiar with this valley, having explored it thoroughly in 1985 and again in 1996. Many memories were recalled. We stayed at the northerly turn of glacier. Several peaks rose in the south and east while in the west we saw the Gyong la valley which led to the famous pass of the same name. Many expeditions had come up to the Siachen by this pass from Gyong valley in the west. Next 7 days we slowly built up the supplies moving our equipment and specialised food up the glacier over 3 camps. These camps were on the moraines as the snow had melted by now. We were camping on rocky grounds everywhere. After the third day several groups of peaks rose in the northeast. We saw the massive Singhi Kangri (7751 m), justifying its name (Singhi = difficult). In the same group was Afraj (6815 m) (one who rises others, Khan Sahib Afraj Gul was an Indian Surveyor who visited the area in 1935 with the Visser expedition and had named several peaks in the area. We decided to name this central peak of the glacier after him). From the middle of the glacier the view as stupendous. In one sweep we could see the upper Siachen glacier leading to India Saddle and Indira Col (name Indira Col was given by Bullock-Workman in 1912 after Goddess Laxmi. It has no connection with Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who was Prime Minister of India when the Indian army started action on the glacier). In the east rose the gentle Teram Shehr glacier with Junction peak rising from the only green meadow on the edge of the glacier. On our immediate east rose the peaks at the edge of the Teram Shehr Plateau. Bullock-Workman had named one of the peaks as Laxmi (wife of Vishnu and goddess of wealth). As Lord Vishnu is God of preservation we chose to give names of Vishnu to some of the peaks on the Teram Shehr Plateau, like Padmanabh (7030 m) to the highest peak on the plateau. This plateau, Teram Shehr, means a destroyed city (based on a Balti legend). It is hoped that Vishnu will protect and prevent any further destruction.

A team was to reach Col Italia on the head of the Teram Shehr glacier. But the prevailing situation of the war did not make it feasible to cross to the Teram Shehr glacier. Throughout our stay we were always aware that this is a war-zone. There were daily artillery firings across and above our route, helicopters were flying and we met soldiers on their way down, tired and haggard. It is a very different playground for the mountaineers.