Siachen – Film Review

SIACHEN. A war for Ice. Documentary by Mariao Casella and Fulvio Mariani. ICEBERG-film in cooperation with TSI. (English version appox. 35 minutes, Italian version appox. 60 minutes) Available from SA, Via Sole 2, CH 6942, Savosa, Switzerland, www.siachen.ch, nps)

Many film makers have tried to make a movie about the on going Siachen war between India and Pakistan. Most were thwarted by their permission being rejected by authorities, specially from Indian authorities. The Swiss film makers have been permitted to visit the glacier in lower reaches and film the training and some life of soldiers on the glacier. They had to be satisfied with interviews with retired personnel who talked to them. They were given almost full access on the Pakistani side where senior officers and serving commanders also articulate their views.

The films starts and ends with most significant shots. The first shot show the ritual played out every evening at the Wagha border between Indian and Pakistani security persons. To impress the large crowd on both sides, there is vigorous banging of legs, marching as if they are about kill the enemy and throwing open the doors as if they are about to break it. This is in front of cheering crowds who shout ‘hail my country’, depending on which side they belong to. The same theme continues to the Siachen war. The film has some stunning visuals and covers military aspects well. It narrates the history, why the war was necessary and how it started. Retired Indian Col. Kumar talks of how he stumbled upon a map which showed borders marked wrongly. In a way it speaks poorly of Indian intelligence establishment- till 1978 almost 10 foreign expeditions had climbed on the upper glacier approaching from Pakistan. And their records were published in mountaineering journals (including The Himalayan Journal/Newsletter) worldwide. No one noticed it? If Indians, narrated by Lt Gen (Retd) M L Chhiber, states how strong Indians are, Pakistani Major Afsar Shah, after a gruelling march in snow, stresses the high moral of their troops. If one side is living at high altitudes in winter, the other side is fighting from below.

Hospitals on both sides are full with injured persons and the dead are being ferried down. All these are dramatically shown. The film does not take sides, does not go deep into politics, simply narrates what is this war about and what price soldiers are paying for defending their country. There is no end is sight, despite a ceasefire in place at present. Col. Kumar firmly rejects any proposal for a Peace Park, till Pakistan include Baltoro glacier in it. At the same time Lt Col. Sohail Khairat, local commander of Pakistan army states that their army is prepared to fight as their cause is right. The result ? The final stunning pictures of pollution on the glacier. Discarded drums, leaking kerosene pipes, dirty campsites and garbage dumps. You are not sad looking at this, simply shocked that such a glacier exists and feeds water to millions of persons in lower reaches. The film makers have done a wonderful job and may put some sense into powers that control such a war. Will they see this film, mull over it and finally do something about

HARISH KAPADIA