People who work for BRO on Manali-Leh Highway

mridula

I was reading a blog called 'How the Other Half Lives' and came accross this interesting piece by Vikrum and thought I would share it with you all:

http://www.theotherindia.org/workers...of-ladakh.html

He talks about his interaction with people who are part of the team that keeps the Manali-Leh highway open.

"I also noticed that their clothes were pathetically inadequate for the climate. One man had a torn green windbreaker and another wore two long-sleeved t-shirts. It was painful for me to see these grown men shivering as they observed us.

These men, like the Nepalis, seemed eager to talk to anyone who would listen. I introduced myself to the group, and one man answered for all of them. The first thing he said caught me off-guard. He said, in Hindi with a strong country accent, “We are proud to keep this highway open for you all.”

I realized that he worked for the Border Roads Organization. He and his friends were the reason why the road was open and in such excellent condition."

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mridula

http://www.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

asad7874

intresting read.
thanks for sharing it.
The more i read/hear about manali-leh highway, more eager i become to take that route. Looks like not possible this year(kill my boss!!!). I m determined to make it next year!!..come what may!!..and probably take some pics of BRO folks on the way .

dzibead

Thanks for this link. Very moving - there's a lot more to BRO than those funny slogans on the roadside signs

Jay_J

Hi Mridula,

Your post is very correct, i must add. I've just come back from a bike trip and one of my most memorable and humbling experiences remains of a night we had camped with a BRO camp on the new route of Wari La.

The kind of response and warmth we got is unlike any other that we had received in Ladakh and shall remain a indelible part of my memory. These people were simply amazing, their warmth and most importantly the way they made us feel.... unimaginable.

During the course of our conversations also, the main aspect that came across was loneliness, staying away from home for 9 months sometimes not even getting to speak to family for months on end, was a heavy burden to bear

My salute to these brave warriors.

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