A writer always tends to find out
some inspiration for penning down his thoughts. The inspiration draws the
thoughts of the author from his mind on to the paper. Leh is one of the places,
a person always wants to visit before his death. I had the opportunity to be
there and enjoy the extremities of the climate. State Bank of India presents
you with an opportunity to roam across different languages, cultures and
atmospheres and my Leh sojourn was just a part of this experience only. My Leh
journey started with my reluctance to go there. The reluctance came from only
one reason- the biased approach of the Bank otherwise I was quite excited for
my challenges.
As soon as I landed on Leh
Airport, the beauty of the desert just struck me. In the month of August, the chocolaty
hills with sand were just like a virgin teen covered with the silken thread. My
affair with Leh had started. One of my co passengers was another SBI Chief
Manager who just guided me to my destination in Leh market-The SBI Dormitory at
Leh. I had been cautioned about the low pressure and crippling temperature of
Leh and no matter did i land in dormitory I realised that the times are indeed
very tough ahead both physically as well as mentally
As a very sincere employee, i quietly
went to my joining branch and in order to avoid being marked absent i put up my
joining report. The outside temperature was just freezing even in the month of
temperate August. Watching Mongolian faces around me, i got a feeling of having
landed in some unknown territory. The Branch Manager with the deceptive eyes
looked very shrewd. What a start to this excursion-the intriguing chief manager
in mysterious land- now i knew why Ladakh has been rated as most difficult
posting by my employer.
The Branch Head nevertheless advised
me to take rest considering the change in climate and acclimatisation of the
body to the new atmosphere. I obeyed as I was also feeling bumpy with nauseating
mind and moved towards the dormitory room. The room in Dormitory presented a
look of a prison cell- a 7*7*7 feet cubicle where I had to mind my head every time
I used to stand up in the. I slept thinking there should be no end to this
sleep, crying inside thinking about my family, kids and wife. I was feeling
quite hungry when i woke up. Luckily i was carrying some food stuffs thanks to
my caring wife and could atleast quench my thirst and fulfil my appetite.
As the evening arrived, I met
other colleagues and surprisingly a call from Jammu just pepped up my mood. My
friend Kamal was reaching Leh in another few days- four days exactly from now. Kamal
has been my partner in crime here in this organisation right from the day of
confirmation and my first place of posting.
In the evening we gathered
together for the dinner inside the cell and exchanged pleasantries with each
other over the food which had come from the canteen of the main branch. Within
a short span of 24 hours, there had been a sea change in climate, culture and
of course food. Till 7 AM in the morning I was relishing the home food cooked
by my lady while as in the evening I had to satisfy myself with the stuffy roti
from a Ladakhi kitchen- The fortune had changed. After supper and evening talk
with my lady, I went to bed with reminisces of my kids and wifey going on in
front of me never knowing what was in store for me in this Ladakhi voyage.
Around 2 AM during the night, I woke up to extreme dizziness. As I opened my
eyes I could hallucinate the room moving around me. With heart beating super
fast i fell down the bedding and was almost drooling to death when i caught
hold of bottle of water and gulped it in. I came back , only to realise that
Ladakh experience is gonna be a lifetime experience now. These nightmares
continued for the next couple of days and i had a feeling that my first Leh
experience almost ended my life.
Comments