SNOWBOUND ! (Part 1)

SNOWBOUND!  (Part 1)

by

S. V. Srikantia & Deepak Bellur

It was exactly fifty years ago that this awful incident happened. Way back in September 1962 (20^th September to be precise) a group of hardy geologists and surveyors of the Geological Survey of India were snowbound in a remote part of what is now called Himachal Pradesh and were in terrible risk of losing their lives.

It was a grey, wet afternoon in a place called Bara Shigi in the snowy heights of Lahaul Valley of what was then referred to as Punjab Himalaya. Back in those days the network of roads was just incipient and not as well developed as today. They had to cross the 13,050 foot altitude Rohtang Pass -  a fairly easy task now because of fairly well laid out roads, but was a daunting task back then. This group of earth scientists had been assigned the task of geological mapping along the steep slopes of Bara Shigi. Some parts of the area, especially between the altitudes of 13,000 to 16,000 feet was a geologically virgin terrain and they were engaged in the task of mineral exploration.

Let me begin from the beginning. The group had left Shimla on 16^th June 1962 on an expedition after collecting their tentages, sleeping bags, maps, geological and surveying equipment and provisions for their daily upkeep. At Manali they engaged a fleet of mules for transporting their luggage. Having crossed the Rohtang Pass by trekking on the 25^th of June they reached a village called Khoksar in the Lahaul Valley. The muleteers were a recalcitrant lot often vanishing from sight and reluctant to take risks which was inevitable while crossing rivers and glaciers. But with a great deal of persuasion the group established a camp at Bara Shigi at an altitude of 13,400 feet.

The terrain here, in contrast to the greenery of Lesser Himalaya, is a bleak one with not one green twig of a tree seen anywhere nearby. The valley is surrounded by majestic snowy peaks and mountain ranges. The casual visitor here is warned of rolling boulders that slide down the slopes and of dangerous avalanches. The barrenness of the area and the absolute absence of any traces of civilisation and human contact over a long duration of over two months and fierce icy cold winds that blow along the valley start telling on the nerves. The weather is very unpredictable.

Their world consisted of a few tiny threadbare alpine tents where the group would struggle to fit in after a hard day’s work. Gin Rummy was the only diversion. Some buried themselves in thick bound volumes of story books. It is a common thing that in these circumstances tempers are easily frayed. The work proceeded quite smoothly without any major glitches, and according to their itinerary they were due to close camp by September 21^st, well before the onset of winter.

                                                                                                           To be continued …