AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 6 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 158 of 332 enjoyed the scenic beauty from the Mess lawns. We then visited the Hydro-electric project which was well protected and guarded by the Army. It was a glorious site well hidden from the public view and approach. Next day we moved towards Srinagar. We took in all touristy spots of Srinagar, including a shikara ride in the famous Dal Lake. We had a typical Fauji breakfast and set course for Kargil, to pay our Homage to the Martyrs. After a long, arduous, mountainous drive we reached Dras Valley, and had hot refreshments in the Officers Mess of No. 6 Assam. It is indeed one of the coldest, inhabited places with the lowest temperature of minus 30-35 degrees. After a quick wash, we were taken to the Kargil Memorial. Captain Aditya of No. 6 Assam, escorted us to the memorial. I was a Guest of Honour, during the Colour lowering ceremony – a touching scene. The entire family was choked with emotions and it was a tearful experience. It was heart wrenching to see the Resting Place of the innumerable young war heroes, who had given their yesterday for our today. To think of the scene even today, tears roll down our eyes. We also saw the place where our soldiers took shelter near the Masjid area, to avoid attack by enemy. Our soldiers had no doubt given a tough fight before they finally succumbed to the enemy bullets. The entire family said a silent prayer for the brave hearts. We were reluctant to return to the base camp and have dinner. Next morning, we went to the base of Tiger hill and saw how our soldiers guarded the area with utter disregard to their personal comforts. We saw the famous 5140 and 4875 points in close range where the grim battle took place and Capt Vikram Batra and others laid their lives fighting. We came to know that for 8 to 9 months, Army jawans and officers moved up the hills and were living in isolation by themselves with almost nil communication with their families guarding the area in winter. Captain Aditya was also moving to the forward post in the next 2-3 days of our departure, along with the rest of the team, to guard the posts for months. We then moved on to Srinagar with a heavy heart. In the next few days we visited Pahalgam & Sonmarg. Everywhere we noticed the locals to be hostile to the tourists. Our return journey was through the Pir Panjal range route also called the Mughal route. We held our hearts in our hands all along as this route was known for ambush and terror attacks. However, the beauty of the Swiss Alps and Meadows came to mind when we