Visit to Shangri La

by Air Cmde (Retd)  AD Chhibbar

Introduction

We have all heard the famous words attributed to Gen Patton,

             No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

One tried and tested method of protecting one’s own skin in the battlefield is to ‘dig in’ and live underground. Digging trenches became common during the First World War (1914-19). And later the techniques of building ‘bunkers’ improves with each passing year. My personal experience of living in such ‘dugouts’ is limited. But I have seen many such fortifications during my 36 years service in the army from 1961 to 97. The officers of the Navy and the pilots of the IAF fight their battles from ships and aircraft, and therefore they know very little about these ‘foxholes’. Air Commodore Chhibber is an exception. He got an opportunity to visit an army post, and the experience left an indelible mark on him…for good reason. The post which he happened to visit was an unusually well designed and built dwelling unit.

We have received the following account, thanks to his friendship with Wg Cdr J Thomas. We are unfortunate that he does not have pictures of the post. But his description is so graphic that one can create one’s own images. Now, over to Air Commodore AD Chhibber, who is a second generation soldier. His father was an EME officer.

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The first time I heard about Shangri La was when I read James Hilton’s novel ‘The Lost Horizon’. The author described Shangri La as a mystical, harmonious valley synonymous with any earthly paradise; a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world. In the novel, James Hilton tells us, the people who live at Shangri-La are almost immortal, living years beyond the normal lifespan and only very slowly aging in appearance. Indeed a very utopian thought. In 1972, post the Indo-Pak War, I had an opportunity to visit Shangri La.

 

As an Air Force officer, I was part of an ACT (Aircraft Control Team). The other member of the team was an Army Captain. We were to operate atop a hill in the Bomdi La- Se La area of NEFA (North East Frontier Area), now known as Arunachal Pradesh.

  The Army Captain was already at the designated hill (12,000+ feet AMSL), along with the army jawans that made up the ACT. As an Air Force Officer I was asked to report at Upper Senge for acclimatization. Upper Senge was approximately 9000 feet AMSL.  

At Senge some warm clothing for high altitude was issued to me on arrival, and a room in the transit Officers’ Mess was allotted to me. The Commanding Officer of the Transit Camp asked me to just walk around in the mornings to get used to the altitude. I was mighty pleased since, as the sole Air Force officer in an Army environment, I was being treated as a VIP. On the second day, soon after lunch, as I was preparing for a siesta, there was a knock on the door. I opened the door to see a jawan salute smartly and inform me that the Command Intelligence Officer wanted to see me in the evening at the Divisional HQ. A jeep would be there to take me to the place. When queried, the jawan told me that “Major saab ke bunker mein dinner hai” (There is dinner organized at the Major’s bunker).

Come evening and I was ready for the drive to Divisional HQ. The driver with the jeep was there on time and we set course. The drive was along the Bomdi La – Se La- Tawang highway. The road snaked its way around the mountainous terrain, going over culverts and small bridges. A few streams carried the rain water, forming small waterfalls at many places along the roadside. Beautiful and wild flowers laced the mountain slopes presenting a beautiful picture. After a drive of about forty five minutes or so we reached our destination.

 

“Welcome to Shangri La” written in huge and colorful letters welcomed me. Red, blue, green yellow, purple, orange flags were placed around the board and the path leading towards the Officers Bunkers. Apart from the fact that the Army jawans were going about their chores silently, without the usual shouting of orders associated with an Army camp there was no visible signs of the bunkers. The area was naturally camouflaged along with a few garnishing provided by the Army. A relative peace and calm prevailed in the area giving it a surreal appearance. With a gentle jerk the jeep came to halt besides a couple of flower pots. “Sir, Lift the net and go in to the bunker. Major saab is waiting for you,” the driver said, pointing towards a faint path from the flower pots to a hole in the ground.

 

I lifted the net and saw a hole which actually was a trap-door. A few steps had been carved out. I gingerly descended and entered the bunker. I was stunned to see what I saw! I had stepped in to a room 10’ x 6’ in dimension. The walls had translucent corrugated sheets with a couple of tube lights illuminating the room. In one corner was a wooden bed with a mosquito net hanging from a wooden frame attached to the bed. From the top of the bunker a thick braided rope with a bushy end was swaying gently in the breeze created by a table fan. Next to the bed was a bedside table with a decorative lamp glowing. At the other end was a writing table, with a lamp and a photo frame housing a family photograph within. A “Wow!” escaped my mouth.

 

“Welcome, friend to Shangri La”, said the Major who had been watching me while lying on the bed. He introduced himself and I was pleasantly surprised that he bore the same surname as mine. “When I heard that a Flying Officer Chhibbar is at the transit officers mess, I decided to get you across”, the Major said with an impish smile.

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 A note from the Editor

Chibbars are part of the close-knit warrior Brahmin clan of Mohyals.  See 

http://mohyalwarriors.blogspot.in/2011/03/ancient-history-of-mohyals-as-taught.html and  the  Mohyal Documentary

 

“Sir, I would not have believed this was a bunker. What a wonderful accommodation you have got here,” I blurted while shaking his hand. “This is nothing. Go through that opening,” he motioned towards a curtain at one end of the room. I lifted the curtain to see a dressing room where the Major’s uniforms, boots and other paraphernalia were kept. Another opening ushered me into the washroom. I was impressed to see a western style WC and when I pulled the handle, water gushed from the small tank in to the flush pot!

“Sir, this is truly amazing. No one standing outside would ever be able to make out the grandeur that lies within!” I exclaimed. “Buddy, learnt from the Ramayana to enjoy life in any environment,” the Major said, grinning. “What would you like to drink?” “Sir, a whisky would do,” I responded. The Major went towards the bed and yanked at the rope hanging there. Like Jack-in-the- Box, a soldier appeared at the entrance. The Major asked him to fix two drinks and bring some snacks too. “The rope is connected to a bell in my batman’s bunker,” the Major said as he saw my astonished look. A couple of the Major’s friends arrived and we had a wonderful evening in the 5 Star bunker.

On my way back I reflected upon what I had witnessed. I did not see a single unhappy soldier. Everyone appeared happy and going about their tasks willingly. The entire mountainside bristled with a kind of peace and happy vibes that I had not seen elsewhere. The Army had truly carved out this place and aptly named it “Shangri La”. In a low whisper I said to no one in particular “If there is a heaven on earth then this is it, this it, this it!”

 

Se La  in September

 

 

A  Monpa couple

 

Wg Cdr (Retd)  J Thomas writes :

While under training many of our instructors were veterans of World War II and Kashmir.  In comparison, we thought we were doomed to spend a lifetime of peacetime soldiering.

How wrong we were !

 

Our Army course was commissioned in December 1961 and AF in May 1962.  Many coursemates were thrown  into  the 1962 conflict.  Tragically, several were killed in the ambush below Senge, near Nyukmadzong on 18 Nov 62.  Here is  a first person account by Gen (Retd) Deepak Verma:

“I very distinctly remember 18th Nov morning when I witnessed the biggest ever massacre on several hairpin bends in the road in the gorge between Senge & Bridge II (4 Rajput Bn HQ); men climbing the hill towards Bhutan, opp N’dzong, getting shot by the dozen and falling off in the river. Several vehicles (mostly just inducted Nissan 1 Tons) were seen burning in the hairpin bends.

They may have recorded KIA date as 21 Nov as bodies may have been recovered that day when China announced cease fire and moved back from that area.

To the best of my knowledge, 18th Nov was the biggest ambush in that area since all men, material & vehicles were withdrawing on that road that day after assault on Sela on 17th night.”

Senge is Shangri La  all right.  And “Lost Horizon” was a text book for us in NDA.  But the Senge area evokes some painful memories too.

A painful remembrance: 1962 Sino-India war and lessons India learnt

 

Headlines Today

 

 

1962  Memorial at Nyukmadzong

Photographs provided by Hemant Sharma of XIX  NDA

 

Nyukmadzong is on the road from Bomdilla to Sela. It was the place where a major ambush took place on 18 Nov 62.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/Galleries/Wars/Memorials/Nyukmadzong

 

Riding From Dirrang To Sela Pass

 

 

 

Sela Pass : Struggling through snow

 

 

Sela Pass

 

 

 

 

 

Tawang

 

Kameng River Festival 2016

 

Miss Capital Traditional Fusion Dance Itanagar

 

Arunachal Dances

 

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The Tailpiece.

I am tempted to add the following piece, which I picked up from the Internet. This description apparently pertains to the First World War, and so it is a hundred years old story. It describes a trench which appears to be in sharp contrast with the above ‘Shangri la’!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brief Biodata – Air Cmde Ashok Chhibbar

Air Commodore Ashok Chhibbar is an alumnus of National Defence Academy. He was commissioned in to the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in Aug 1969, and superannuated in  Aug 2004. During his service he flew a variety of aircraft mainly fighters and those at Flying Training Establishments. He was a QFI (A2), and underwent the Air Staff and National Defence College courses. Apart from commanding a fighter squadron and two airbases, he has been Air-I of an Operational Cpmmand and Deputy Commandant of Air Force Academy. He was awarded the AVSM in 2001.

 

Ashok realized his writing instincts early in service life and was a regular contributor to the Air Force Flight Safety Magazine. Post-retirement he took to writing short stories based on his Air Force experiences, some fictional stuff and a few poems. He has authored two books – Raindrops, and The Accidental Pilot.

 

Air Cmde Chhibbar is married to Veena  and they are settled in Pune.