Marriages are made in Heaven and Honeymoons...??

Marriages are made in Heaven and honeymoons ...??

Well, honeymoons are made in mountains and what better mountains one would find than those in Ladakh.


I had attained marriageable age when i got posted to a unit in Ladakh in 1982. Ladakh is one of the hardest field areas of the Indian Army. It would have been wise for a bachelor to wait till completion of the non-family-station-tenure (which ranges between two and half to three years) and get married after getting posting to a peace station. But then the marriages, as they say, are made in Heaven. Schedule for my marriage was also fixed 'Up There' and the marriage was solemnized on 20th May 1983 ie,. during the midst of my Ladakh tenure. Our Commanding officer was considerate enough to allow me to get my wife immediately after marriage to Ladakh. A few families are allowed for a limited period of time in some of the areas of the field stations. Hence, after our marriage, Jeet accompanied me to Ladakh.


We had planned our travel by road from Jammu onwards with a view to enjoying the flora and fauna on the way, but when we reached Srinagar, we were told that the Srinagar--Leh road had not yet opened. The said road closes for vehicular traffic due to heavy snow fall somewhere in September and reopens in May. As I was traveling to Leh in first week of June i did not anticipate that the road would still be closed. I had reported at Srinagar transit camp and was put up in a beautiful hut, appropriately named “Aish Mukam” (a place of joy). 


We spent our waiting period in Srinagar, going around various gardens and other places of tourist interest, checking every day about the status of Leh--Srinagar road, but the same was not showing any signs of opening for next few days. The single officers having reported in the transit camp, on their way to Ladakh, were in a position to avail the airlift by the IAF transport aircrafts but since I was accompanied by my wife, I could not do so, because families are not permitted to travel in service aircrafts. After a few more days’ wait, the formation headquarters at Srinagar decided to send the Ladakh bound officers, accompanied by their families, by Indian Airlines flight to Leh. So, instead of undergoing two days’ journey by Army bus with a night halt at Kargil, we reached Leh in less than an hour, though, as i  have mentioned above, i was in favour of traveling by road, so as to enjoy the scenic beauty along Srinagar--Leh Road.


Well, not writing any more words here, i would rather let our Ladakh photographs do the speaking, which i was able to dig out from different places and have uploaded here. For the ease of identification, i have circled myself and Jeet, wherever we are in a large group. The images can be enlarged by clicking over them.

                                                                                                         On top of the world !! with Jeet at Khardung La, the highest motorable road of the world at 18380 ft above mean sea level.

Pangong lake. The brackish water lake stretches across 160 kilometers and has an average width of eight kilometers. It attracts Siberian migratory birds, including the near extinct Black Neck Cranes. Two thirds of the lake falls under Chinese occupied area of Aksai Chin. One can enjoy boating in the lake in summers and can drive a heavy truck over it in winters.Picnic with Unit officers and their families.
Now com'n!!we  couldn't have done such a quick job to produce so many children. They belonged to the battalion officers and mostly hanged around the bride.
At Fukche, the highest Operational Airfield of the world which was put into operation during 1962 Chinese aggression.                                                                                                                                                              
"कोई सिख, कोई जाट, मराठा
कोई गुरखा, कोई मद्रासी
सरहद पर मरने  वाला
हर वीर था भारत वासी
जो खून गिरा परबत पर
वोह खून था हिन्दुस्तानी
जो शहीद हुए हैं उनकी 
ज़रा याद करो कुर्बानी" 
Memorial at Chushul, in the memory of 1962 war casualties.



Humor and high spirits are what keeps Army going in the adverse conditions too.

The ladies had organised Husbands' Nite and gave us just half an hour to wear some fancy dress and come to the Officers' Mess. We grabbed whatever came our way in our rooms and this was the result. I have circled my mug.

This post also forms part of the series on my life journey. To read all the posts in that series, please click here.