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“ 18, 632 feet Driving
non-stop from |
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| THE MAN | THE MACHINE |
THE
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Navin Gulia |
TATA Safari 4x4 |
MARSIMIK LA
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After an injury on April
29, 1995, I was medically classified as permanently 100% disabled with a 90%
paralysed body. Today, I have defined my ability on my terms. My ability is only a frame of my mind.
Sept 12, 2004. At Marsimik
La, the highest motorable mountain pass in the world
at 18,632 feet. |
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To |
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The terrain was an acid test for
both, the man and the machine
Driving 47 hours without sleep/break, 55 hours of journey through
one of the toughest terrain in the whole world.
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MARSIMIK LA, THE ROUTE MAP
New Delhi (00 feet),
Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Chandigarh, Ropar, Kiratpur Sahib,
Mandi, Kullu, Manali, Rohtang La, Khoksar, Darcha,
Baralach La, Sarchu, Tanglang La (3rd highest motorable road),
Pang, Karu, Chang La (4th highest motorable road), MARSIMIK LA
(18,632 feet, World's Highest Motorable road) |
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What is the big
deal?
1. In
mountaineering Jargon, an altitude beyond 18,000 feet is referred to as death
zone because a human body can never permanently acclimatize to that altitude.
The body starts degenerating and one can at the best spend some time there and
return back to recover. 2. One usually requires four stages of acclimatization to reach that altitude. I was not going to get any time to acclimatize.
3. There is
about 20-25% less oxygen at that altitude.
4. I am C5-6
quadriplegic, medically termed 100% disabled with a 90% paralysed body.
Which means that in my hands the fingers don’t work and of
course my legs don’t work.
5. I was going
to drive a manual transmission SUV, using gadgets designed by myself. I would be
controlling 5 controls (gear, break, accelerator, clutch, clutch lock) with my
left hand and the steering, horn and indicators with my right. |
MARSIMIK LA – The Story
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When I take on an expedition/challenge
of this standard I tell myself
“I would rather die than turn back”. Such resolve is required
because else a million reasons/excuses will come up to prevent and discourage me
from achieving what I aim for. Its not a negative
statement, it is symbolic of the determination required. Let me also state a
saying I heard long back “If death comes before I prove myself, I promise I
will kill death”. So, come what may, I was going to accomplish it. I would also
like to quote Martin Luther King’s statement “If in your life you have not
discovered something you could die for, your life is not worth living”. As I say
and believe “Life is nothing without passion”. And my passion is life itself, I
want to live every bit of it.
A lot of people were asking me before
the expedition “Excited?” and my answer to them was a smile but inside my mind
the answer was a big “NO”. There was no enthusiasm or excitement about the
expedition (I could not afford to be excited). There was a silence, a tremendous
calm. I believe a calm and a cool mind is the biggest
asset. Excitement drains out ones
mental energy and I would need every bit of it on this expedition. Without
getting out of the drivers seat, I would be driving without sleep for at least
40 hours (which later turned out to be 47). Besides me, there would be the
responsibility of the safety of 6 other lives (my crew members) on me. Therefore
the order for my mind was ‘Be cool’ and ‘Only
basics’.
A lot of reasons had come up prior to
the expedition to discourage me but I pushed them out of my mind. I got the
vehicle just two weeks before the expedition. So let me begin from there. Just
two weeks! A new vehicle, complete hand control modification
required and a world record and first to attempt. It was a ‘Mission
Impossible’. The resolve was so strong in my mind that even if I had got the
vehicle 24 hours before the expedition, I would still have attempted it and made
it.
Me, Ankush (my navigator) and Ajay (my
engineer who fabricates the hand control designs for me) were determined that we
will modify the vehicle within 24 hours. We had done our homework and had an
apparatus ready. The moment we got the vehicle, we headed to Ajay’s workshop and
got working. Ajay was doing the major part of the work and we were just serving
as helping hands and me supervising the implementation of requirements. We took
measurements and prepared a solid bracket to attach the ready apparatus to the
steering rod.
The bracket was attached by the end of
the day and was ready for trial. But as says an old law “the
probability of the first trial to succeed is Zero”. The bracket frame was
obstructing the breaking rod. OH MY GOD! Square one at the
end of day one. Cool head was an impossible condition to implement. But I
didn’t have a choice.
We continued working into the night. We
couldn’t sleep over this failure. I couldn’t. Ajay couldn’t. By midnight another
prototype was ready and Ajay quit for a break. Morning 9am,
we were at it again. By late afternoon the prototype had been installed for
trials. Trials went ok. I couldn’t be picky. Rather than working more on the
controls, I had to enhance my efforts to manage with the same set of controls. I
approved the controls and the controls were removed for final welding, tampering
and painting. The controls were finally installed by next day afternoon. I took
off and started the trials.
After about 100 kms of driving we made
three adjustments. The brake rod was still rubbing slightly against the bracket.
We corrected it by filing off that rub and putting a little lubricant. The whole
bracket was moving with the pressing of the brake, we made a third attachment in
the center to make the apparatus firm. And finally we installed the horn at my
elbow, so I could blow the horn without taking off my right hand from the
steering wheel.
The next days involved practicing driving the vehicle and getting
adjusted to its bigger size and new set of controls. This involved drives to
The expedition started approaching and there were so many preparations to
be made. The equipment and the kit to be carried, was to be our lifeline for the
expedition. While going into detailed preparations could make things easier on
the expedition, missing out on any of the basics could be difficult to handle
and could even sabotage the expedition. Therefore, the first priority was
basics. Vehicle spares, oxygen cylinder and medicines.
The hype was building up. Everybody’s
expectations and hopes were high. The sponsors involved, the War Wounded
Foundation (I had undertaken the expedition to get support for the war
disabled), the media…. Things could pressurise me but I was very clear and
focused in my mind. Nothing….., nothing was going to
shake my focus. The fear of possible difficulties or failure naturally tried to
creep in at times but I kicked away that fear at first sight.
Two days to the expedition! No rest! The whole day was spent getting the
vehicle spares and getting all tyres changed to new radial tyres and managing
two spare wheels and finally a carrier on the roof for the luggage. It was a
tiring day.
The next day was going to be a day of
functions and then the expedition would begin. At least 40 hours of ‘no sleep’.
I had to have a good sleep today. For the first time in my life I took a
sleeping pill and had 8 hours of sound sleep. I was free from the functions and
back home by 4pm. I gave instructions to Keshav (my assistant and Ankush to put
the complete luggage on the carrier, pack up and wake me up at midnight. I went
to sleep. I woke up at 12.15am. Good, at least I had enough sleep to begin with.
The final day of the expedition was
here. It was a battle on hands, a test of my existence and a moment of truth. I
have always believed in infinite ability and this was to be the first
demonstration of my beliefs. After waking up at 12.15am, I went through the
basic routine of getting ready, got into the vehicle,
checked the controls, the equipment. My crew- Ankush
my navigator and companion of my previous expeditions, my assistant of 6 years
‘Keshav’ and a Technician from TATA ‘Vinod’. Yes I could have had a
better crew but then they could have had a better commanderJ. I had a great crew because they never had a doubt ‘whether to or
not to’ about anything. Something, I consider as the most important factor.
I turned the ignition and the engine
purred to life ‘smooth’. Clutch press and release, clutch release lock ‘ummm
OK’. High acceleration, take off, bbrreeaakkk, ‘ummm OK’. My
sitting posture? Slight adjustment needed and done.
All checks done and ready to go. My parents and Ankush’s parents were there to
see us off with best wishes. My mind was well aware of the task ahead and very
comfortable with it. The night was dark and silent. The sound of the engine was
echoing into the night. It was dark inside except for the light coming from the
instrument panel. We started with chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ from me and ‘Jai Mata
di’ (victory to God) from my navigator, an old ritual with us. With the
headlights lighting the way, I calmly drove out of the lanes on to the
When I drive, my body and the vehicle
become extensions of each other. Our frequencies create a resonance resulting in
near perfect harmony. ‘Harmony’ is something I believe in. When I drive, it is
in harmony with my mood, my ability, my vehicles ability, the traffic, the
weather, the road…. Problems arise when harmony is broken. It is true for life
as well. Most problems arise when our actions are not in harmony with our
thoughts and vice-a-versa.
I reached the majestic front of Raj
Bhavan (Presidents House) and turned towards India Gate.
Feeling great. As I approached India Gate (2.15 am), I saw a white
Ambassador Car parked on the side. The NDTV crew ‘Robert and Vinod’ were there
with their set of equipment and baggage (quiet a bit of it). They were to travel
with us. Their baggage joined ours on the roof.
We took a couple of
shots of my vehicle moving with the background of India Gate. Ankush made the
first log book entry- India Gate, 3 am, odometer reading, next bound was to be
the first mountain pass Rohtang (about 600km), signed and verified by Robert. I
took off as Ankush gave me the directions to join the Karnal highway at the
earliest. There were lot of trucks and speed wasn’t exactly fast but I was
getting into a rhythm. I had to spend the next two and a half days in this
rhythm. Vinod was hanging out of the window, taking some shots of the
‘Destination Signs’ passing overhead and the traffic. Finally we reached the one
that pointed right to
A little distance out of
As I crossed Manali and started climbing
up the narrow roads I encountered my first setback. A small tractor trolley
coming down at high speed ripped off my right rear view mirror. ‘Cool head’. We
continued up. Nearly 16hrs from the start and 10kms out of Manali, I drove to
the Army Transit camp at Palchan. Soldiers heading towards high altitude stop
here for some acclimatization. There was to be no acclimatization for us. Here I
was welcomed by the Commanding Officer Colonel Raizada and cheered by a group of
soldiers shouting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ (Victory to mother
I started driving up Rohtang, the first
mountain pass. The roads were much more broken than my last visit and hence the
turns had become steeper and maneuvering difficult. There were steep U turns and
we were constantly gaining altitude. We would be doing so till about 15,000
feet. A few kilometers from Rohtang top I encountered clouds. Along with the
darkness of night it meant zero visibility. I could not see an inch and all the
crew was out of their seats trying to peep forward into the mist. They were all
telling me which way they thought the road was possibly going. We had nearly
gone blind. I literally drove on instinct and at 9pm (18hrs after the start)
reached Rohtang Jot. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief as slowly I drove out
of the clouds and descended into the
From here begins the climb to Baralach
La, the second mountain pass at 16,500 feet. The roads here were horrible, where
horrible is an understatement. The mountains are rocky and a lot of those rocks
and stones find their way to the ‘so called’ road. Ankush was awake by my side
as there could be a contingency any time. The speed was slow. We reached ‘Zing
Zing Bar’ (a few empty huts, no habitation) and continued the grueling drive to
Baralach La top.
But there was no relief from the bad
road till I had sufficiently climbed down and reached the plains where the
fourth Army transit camp of Sarchu was located. I crossed these most broken
roads of Baralach la and reached Sarchu around 8am (29 hours of driving). The
roads were humpy (crests and troughs) in these plains as I reached the check
post.
A welcome by the soldiers again! The
breakfast was ready and waiting for us. I said ‘No’; we could not afford the
time. We asked for water and immediately got two bottles. An officer who was
taking a halt here approached me. “Where to?” he enquired. As I started telling
him he cut me short “Hey Gulia, you don’t recognize me!” I said, “Take off your
sunglasses”, he did “Imtiaz Hussein! How are you buddy?”
He was my course mate from the
Down slope for about 5kms and a bridge
followed by some curves around a mountain and we reached the masterpiece of
mountain roads ‘The 21 Gata Loops’. This is the steepest climb anywhere in the
world with the ‘U’ turns off steep edges. The progress was slow, the state of
mind careful. This happened the last time also. After 3 or 4 loops I missed the
count and by the time I reached the top I felt I had crossed
a 100 loops. Somewhere in between my assistant Keshav, looking over a
steep edge, said, “Look, there is a truck lying at the bottom”. I said, “If I
look there then you will be lying where that truck is”. Finally, finally the
signboard I had been waiting for, appeared ‘Gata
Loops End’. A little more climb and we reached ‘Nakee La’, the third mountain
pass. A little climbing down for 25 odd kilometers over ordinary mountain roads
and the climb starts again, this time to the fourth Mountain pass of
Down Lachlang La are bad broken roads
again and this time the factors of ‘very narrow roads’ and ‘blind turns’ are
included. You have to keep a good second sight ahead for any signs of an
approaching vehicle because there are hardly any spots where two vehicles can
cross each other. I am scared to even think about the prospect of driving in
reverse gear had a truck blocked my path. There is a narrow stream flowing with
a set of steep dry mountains on either side.
After driving for some time the narrow
gap between the two rows of mountains opens up a little and now we can see what
I call ‘____’, I don’t know, I am short of words. It is nature’s art. One needs
to see it to believe it and to feel the wonder. A row of mountain faces having
beautiful shapes carved out by wind erosion. They are simply unbelievable. It is
Mother Nature’s artistic sense at its best. At places they look like castles
with smoothest possible shapes and at places they look like human forms and at
places they are just beautiful shapes. It is a classical example of what I call
‘The creation of the impossible from an infinity of
space and time’. Just like life itself.
Passing through this narrow passage
between the mountains we cross a causeway and reach an open ‘bowl’ with
mountains on all sides, a place called Pang (pronounced ‘paang’). The fifth Army
transit camp. It was 1.30pm (34 ½ hrs since the start). Lunch was ready and
waiting for us. If I had said ‘No’, I am sure my crew would have killed me and
buried me somewhere there only. My crew had their first proper meal in two days.
I could manage a few spoonfuls while getting fuel refilling.
We started from Pang, a few kilometers
of climb, a few kilometers of descent and we reach ‘More’ plains (pronounced
‘moray’), 40kms of plains surrounded by small hills with gentle slopes. At high
altitude they are so beautiful I want to spend a couple of lifetimes there. As I
drive on that straight road I keep looking to the right at the open ground and
the hills beyond. I have always wanted to drive cross-country through the plains
to these hills but never got the spare time to. One day I will. How
can my limited knowledge of words and the limitation of
words itself, do justice to the beauty of this region! I drove on and at the end
of the plains started the climb to my fifth Mountain pass of Tanglang La, the
second highest motor able road in the world at 17,582 feet. On this climb, only
the high altitude or the sub zero temperature could be a problem because my
memory told me the roads and the curves were easier than any I had faced till
now. And I was going to be right.
Ankush was exhausted from the previous
three climbs and he went back for a rest. Mogli Swaran joined me in the
co-drivers seat. We started climbing and I was right that the curves were
comparatively gentler and the road comparatively better. After a few climbing
turns the sun started coming in my eyes. This high altitude sun is horribly
bright and it made me nearly blind when it did fall into my eyes. Robert lent me
his cap and it provided some desperately needed relief. I was exhausted mentally
and had to remain focused. Mogliswaran kept encouraging me “Saab don’t worry,
hoega, aap bus chalaate raho”(keep going). This
encouragement worked wonders for me, as this was the first I was receiving from
a crew- member. Robert and Vinod started with jokes and the whole crew joined
in. I also told a few. The mood lightened up. We kept moving and reached
Tanglang La top around 4.30pm (37 ½ hrs). As I opened the door, a chilling cold
breeze cut into me.
The crew got out for a few snaps with
the stone marking of Tanglang La depicting its altitude. It was a mistake,
because the crew was not acclimatized and the low temperature and oxygen level
could cause health problems. Our technician Vinod started coughing and
complaining of chest pain (not severe). I knew it could/would happen and I was
prepared. We had a handy oxygen cylinder and the plan was to drive down ahead
into the Leh valley and get him medical attention at the nearest Army medical
unit. We started descending the slopes as it started getting dark. I was like a
man drunk. I was exhausted and after some time I was hallucinating. I was seeing
people standing by the road when there was nobody. At times I would see a white
ambassador moving slowly in front of me and I would break. Following which the
car would disappear. I said it aloud and Robert immediately said, “That’s
happening to me also, I am also seeing people”. (Now don’t cook up ghost stories
on it. It WAS exhaustion.)
Concentrating on safe driving we reached
an Army MI Room (medical unit). He got medical attention. The doctor said that
he might get Ok by morning to move with us. I had decided this to be thumb rule.
Any medical problem, the person will have to stop there. The real battle was
ahead. No playing around with lives.
I told the doctor that he was staying here.
Morning it
was dark when we started. As I wheel chaired myself to the Safari, Vinod (the
cameraman) was shooting. Robert asked me “Do you feel the timing has not been
good?”. I said, “No, we are doing
good. We have crossed 5 mountain passes, two are left, and we will do
that now. Lets go.”
A gradual climb on good roads to reach the Army camp at Shakti as the day
broke. From Shakti, there is a steeper climb to the Army checkpoint at Zingraal.
A green valley on left and the mountain on right, the roads are comparatively
good. As we started gaining altitude, I started feeling nausea and
breathlessness. I nearly shut my eyes, switched off my brain and kept driving
looking only at the patch of road in front of me. My mind calculated…. The
morning empty stomach had caused an acidity, which was pressing against my
diaphragm, which was compressing my lungs and making my breathing shallow. It
would go in about half an hour. It did. We reached Zingraal and headed towards
Chang La (Third highest motor able road in the world at 17,350 feet). We made it
to Chang La in good time and down its slopes to the checkpoint at Tang Tse. Here
we had to accommodate a soldier who had been to Marsimik La in patrolling and
could guide us. This was important because Marsimik La doesn’t have a road and
it would be easy to get lost in the climb. Thirty kilometers and we were at
Pangong Tso (Tso means
We couldn’t stop here. From Pangong Tso there were a few dirt tracks going up the climb in different directions. I looked back at our guide for directions. He looked a little left and right and said “Saab, isi pahaadi pe chadhna hai. Kahin se bhi chadh jao”(Sir, we have to climb this mountain, you can start from climbing from anywhere). I chose one of the dirt tracks and started driving up. Within a few hundred meters I encountered a horribly steep climb on loose sand. I doubted if any vehicle could possibly climb that. For the first time on this journey I chose 4x4. I had the option of 4x4 lower and higher. I chose 4x4 lower (lower gear means higher power). We made it up this climb and continued. These dirt tracks had been made by Army’s heavy vehicles (Stalin trucks) and the two tracks had a foot of loose sand and moving on them would take lot of power and vehicle could get stuck. The gap between the tracks was raised high and could hit the radiator of my vehicle. I chose to drive slightly left or right of the track so that my wheels were on hard ground. At times I moved totally away from tracks but it was full of stones and rocks and I had to watch out for stones/rocks, which were more than affordable height. The climb continued to be steep and I was not able to switch to normal gear. Over acceleration would make the vehicle heat up. The needle in the temperature indicator started rising and we had to take a forced break. After a short break we moved again and chose 4x4 higher. The climb was steep and to make it less steep I had to constantly scan the landscape and choose to climb an angle to the left and right alternately. The vehicle was tilting badly to one side and I had to hang on to the steering wheel. I had to select the best possible path to drive up, as choosing even the second best path could mean getting stuck in the loose sand, bursting the radiator over a rock or rolling down the mountain. With the extreme tilt, it was of great difficulty to maneuver the vehicle (My assistant had not been feeling well and sleeping at the back.). The progress was damn slow. Averaging a few kms per hour. The conditions were taking the toll. The probability that we may not be able to reach the top was gaining strength in every one’s mind. I was a man possessed. I was not thinking anything. We had to stop every 15 minutes. Initially I had 2-3 volunteers to get down and put a stone behind the rear wheel. Gradually only one and finally none and we were stuck at the base of a steep climb. How much more! Mogliswaran said “Saab, time ho raha hai, hamko waapis mudna padega”(Sir, its time we will have to turn back), night on that mountain could mean hell. We had to reach back at Tang Tse before dark. I looked at the watch 2.55 pm. I looked in the rear view mirror; everybody’s face was down. I said “if we don’t make it by 4pm, we turn back” (I couldn’t risk 5 lives and my saying this would make every one feel better). Ankush was in the co-drivers seat with his head in his hands. “Ankush” I said and he looked at me “Last attempt, ab upar jaa ke hi rukenge”(now we will stop at the top) I said. “Theek hai sir, ab upar hi rukenge”(Ok, we will stop only at the top) he replied. I accelerated to 5000RPM (the maximum possible) and he released the hand brake. The vehicle started inching up. To cut the vertical climb I turned left, then right and then left again. Even the few minutes of climb appeared to be ‘an infinity’. The vehicle rose over the last bit of the climb and we could see the stone marking ‘Marsimik La’ right in front of us. WE WERE THERE! 18,632 feet, 1232 feet higher than the base camp of Mt Everest. At that point of time we were probably the highest placed individuals anywhere on earth. No one was attempting Everest that day. Sitting next to that stone Robert asked me “how do you feel?” I replied, “If in your life you have not found something you could die for, your life isn’t worth living. LIFE HAS BEEN WONDERFUL, IT WILL BE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL AFTER TODAY”
PS. 1. My assistant fainted on the top and we had to evacuate him at top speed. He is OK now. 2. The Tata technician ‘Vinod’ recovered in Karu and is back. 3. JCO Sub Mogliswaran, our Liaison Officer, received his promotion orders when we got to Tang tse (as a matter of coincidence). He is back in his regiment in Leh. 4. The NDTV crew, Robert and Vinod, flew back from Leh and the result was shown in news. They were great company on the expedition and now they are good friends. 5. I am back in Gurgaon. 6. NDTV showed a ½ hr documentary on both English and Hindi channels, repeated several times.
7.
Our timing is a Limca World Record now and a first. This TATA Safari
became the first private vehicle to reach the top of
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