India, China battle for one-upmanship at Nathu La
Maruti Gypsys replaced with SUVs, can't afford to be looked down upon
BY Ritu Sharma
Nathu La (Sikkim)
View from top: Hum Hi Jitenge (Only we will win) written by the Indian Army.
PHOTO: Ritu Sharma
Even as the guns remain silent and peace reigns at Nathu La, the Indo-China border at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains a battleground for one-upmanship among the armies on either side.
The words Hum hi jitenge! (Only we will win!), painted in large letters on the side of a mountain here by the Indian Army, sum up the attitude that prevails between the arch rivals.
Indian Army officers, who generally travel around in Maruti Gypsys in the rest of India, drive swanky sport utility vehicles (SUVs) here. The reason: their Chinese counterparts in the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) possess SUVs too!
All commanders are allowed to have 4x4s as staff cars. At Nathu La, we opted for Tata Safaris instead of Maruti Gypsys, as we can't afford to be looked down upon by the Chinese, said a senior Indian Army officer posted at Nathu La.
The game of one-upmanship between the two neighbours who share the longest disputed border in the world at over 3,300 km, does not stop here. The Indians get to meet their Chinese counterparts once a year at a Border Post Meet thats hosted alternately by one of the two countries.
Earlier, China had constructed a small building to host the talks. Then India constructed a double-storey edifice with a tastefully done conference hall for the delegates, just few metres away from the rusted concertina wires put up in 1967 to demarcate the LAC between the two nations.
In response, the Chinese constructed an even bigger building. So what if they have made a bigger building, we were the pioneers of the idea! an officer of the Nathu La brigade said smugly, as a Chinese soldier willingly posed for a photograph for an Indian tourist.
Meanwhile, the Indian soldiers working in the building make sure they always appear in their ceremonial uniforms with headgear, which gives them a height advantage over the Chinese.
Of course, we ensure that the tallest of ours soldiers are on duty during the Border Post Meets. Body language is very important during these events to send across a message thats loud and clear, another officer added, while acting unflustered by the fact that China has brought concrete-paved roads right up to its side of the border, in stark contrast to a dirt track on the Indian side. When this was pointed out, a senior army commander said, By 2011 we will have a four-lane concrete road up to the border.
The Chinese also remain touchy about the concertina wires put up in 1967.
The wires were put up in 1967. Since then they have not been changed and are rusty. We offered to change them under a joint exercise but they refused and insisted on maintaining a status quo in case this was a ruse to alter the boundaries, the commander explained.
On September 7, 1967, Chinese troops had opened fire on Indian troops as they were putting up the concertina wires, leading to a six-day border skirmish that saw an exchange of artillery fire.
Maruti Gypsys replaced with SUVs, can't afford to be looked down upon
BY Ritu Sharma
Nathu La (Sikkim)
View from top: Hum Hi Jitenge (Only we will win) written by the Indian Army.
PHOTO: Ritu Sharma
Even as the guns remain silent and peace reigns at Nathu La, the Indo-China border at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains a battleground for one-upmanship among the armies on either side.
The words Hum hi jitenge! (Only we will win!), painted in large letters on the side of a mountain here by the Indian Army, sum up the attitude that prevails between the arch rivals.
Indian Army officers, who generally travel around in Maruti Gypsys in the rest of India, drive swanky sport utility vehicles (SUVs) here. The reason: their Chinese counterparts in the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) possess SUVs too!
All commanders are allowed to have 4x4s as staff cars. At Nathu La, we opted for Tata Safaris instead of Maruti Gypsys, as we can't afford to be looked down upon by the Chinese, said a senior Indian Army officer posted at Nathu La.
The game of one-upmanship between the two neighbours who share the longest disputed border in the world at over 3,300 km, does not stop here. The Indians get to meet their Chinese counterparts once a year at a Border Post Meet thats hosted alternately by one of the two countries.
Earlier, China had constructed a small building to host the talks. Then India constructed a double-storey edifice with a tastefully done conference hall for the delegates, just few metres away from the rusted concertina wires put up in 1967 to demarcate the LAC between the two nations.
In response, the Chinese constructed an even bigger building. So what if they have made a bigger building, we were the pioneers of the idea! an officer of the Nathu La brigade said smugly, as a Chinese soldier willingly posed for a photograph for an Indian tourist.
Meanwhile, the Indian soldiers working in the building make sure they always appear in their ceremonial uniforms with headgear, which gives them a height advantage over the Chinese.
Of course, we ensure that the tallest of ours soldiers are on duty during the Border Post Meets. Body language is very important during these events to send across a message thats loud and clear, another officer added, while acting unflustered by the fact that China has brought concrete-paved roads right up to its side of the border, in stark contrast to a dirt track on the Indian side. When this was pointed out, a senior army commander said, By 2011 we will have a four-lane concrete road up to the border.
The Chinese also remain touchy about the concertina wires put up in 1967.
The wires were put up in 1967. Since then they have not been changed and are rusty. We offered to change them under a joint exercise but they refused and insisted on maintaining a status quo in case this was a ruse to alter the boundaries, the commander explained.
On September 7, 1967, Chinese troops had opened fire on Indian troops as they were putting up the concertina wires, leading to a six-day border skirmish that saw an exchange of artillery fire.
. I also have such a hard time figuring out Hindi written in a English format. It's been decades since I read anything Hindi. I know , I know- my bad.
