Sisu on Sela Pass

What do you do when you are caught in a snowstorm on top of a mountain at 14,000 feet? How do you survive when a big boulder falls in front of your ramshackled bus and you can neither move forward nor backward in pitch dark conditions at 2.30 pm in the afternoon? How do you cope with a snow blizzard and a broken window in the bus through which eerie sound gushes in? What do you do when you encounter very strong winds that threaten to push the bus over into the deep valley?
Can you survive extreme cold conditions at -10 degrees temperature for a day without woollens?

When the Prime Minister inaugurated the all-weather tunnel on the road from Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh across Sela Pass a few days ago, it reminded me of those conditions faced by me and a group of Indian Information Service probationers at Sela Pass while on a ‘Bharat Darshan’ trip to the North-East 35 years ago in May 1989. Many people have lost their lives on the treacherous Sela Pass. It was also a witness to many heroic deeds of Indian soldiers during the 1962 India-China war. 

Once we assessed the boulder that had fallen in front of our bus, we realised that we were trapped on Sela Pass. As it was May, we were not expecting severe cold conditions and so had not packed woollens in our baggage. As reality dawned on us, survival instincts took over. We opened our bags and put on an extra shirt and a pair of socks. We tried to block the broken window of the bus with two towels. And we waited.  

Our minds went back to the journey from Tezpur to Bomdila the previous day. The pristine beauty of Bomdila was a delight. The journey from Bomdila upwards was also a very scenic one. The mighty Himalayas humble you and teach you many things. When we stopped for lunch on the way from Bomdila to Tawang, we were told by the restaurant owner to cross Sela Pass before 2 pm as the weather could be unpredictable. Being young, we did not pay heed to his caution and spent more time savouring the lunch. If only we had followed his words and local wisdom!

Caught in the ferocious snowstorm and blizzard, darkness all around, with the danger of being swept away into the valley, numbness in our hands and feet, rendered immobile, we were not sure whether we would survive the ordeal. We were 13 in all, which included one female probationer and one spouse of an officer. When confronted with an imminent danger and extremely harsh weather conditions, our minds can buckle. One officer became agitated and began fighting with others for planning such a disastrous trip. He threatened to cancel his trip and go back to Delhi. 

I was really impressed with the rest of the group who stayed quiet and tried to focus on how to grapple with a sudden landslide and its aftermath. I have read about the power of the mind in the past couple of decades and the importance of hope, positivity and resilience in the face of adversity.

Sisu is a Finnish word which was voted as the most powerful word in 2018. It is roughly translated as stoic determination. Sisu actually means your strength lies in your gut, literally. When someone has sisu, it means he or she shows extreme perseverance and dignity in the face of adversity. 

After a numbing night-long ordeal, we woke up and saw three-foot high snow on the road. The storm had stopped and all around was pure white snow, interspersed with a few trees. It was heaven on earth. Next morning, Indian Army soldiers who were on a routine patrol found us at around 11 am, blasted the rock away, and cleared the way for us. They also gave us pooris for breakfast. We were delighted to see them. We did not have an inkling that rescue could be so swift in a pre-mobile phone era. They brought an end to our 20-hour ordeal on a desolate mountain pass where we were left to brave the elements.

My salute and deep gratitude to the Indian Army, its men and women, who are sentinels often working under challenging circumstances on the border and keep all of us safe. 

The survivors have gone on to assume some top positions in the world of media, diplomacy, the United Nations, and others.My take away from the whole saga -- stoic determination, hope, positivity and resilience can triumph over any adversity.

(The writer is the Founding Vice Chancellor of RV University, Bengaluru)