BRO organises musical events to boost morale of jawans posted at high reaches of Ladakh

As labourers and officials are working in treacherous terrains and sub zero temperature to build roads up to the India-China border in Ladakh, BRO has reached out to them by organising a chain of musical events to perk up their morale.

Armed by hundreds of men and machines, the Border Roads Organisation is using micropile technology for the first time to build bridges and an all-weather road to Daulat Beg Oldie, a forward post along the India-China border in Ladakh, officials said.

Considering the significance of maintaining all-weather connectivity along the sensitive Indo-China border and facilitating smooth passage of armed personnel and other logistical support, Project Himank has adopted the technology, a first-of-its-kind in Asia, to construct high-altitude roads along the border, they said.

As part of various initiatives undertaken to boost the morale of their workforce, Project Himank of BRO has embarked upon organising musical events at remote forward areas by renowned film and theatre artists, BRO officials said.

The initiative is the brainchild of Project Chief Engineer Brig N K Sharma, who conceived the idea for the sole objective to perk up the morale of his jawans operating in extremely hazardous conditions bereft of even a semblance of entertainment.

The musical shows are performed by different bands through 'Go Magic Trails' a company promoted by Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Uma Sudhindra.

The company specialises in conducting musical events for the armed personnel of the country whose motto is to promote military tourism, they added.

"My jawans perform relentless at some of the world's highest terrains all along the Indo-China border. The areas where they work remain entirely cut-off from the rest of the world with no means of even the basic modes of communication not to speak of any internet facility or any other mode of recreation," Brig Sharma said.

He said discharging duties at altitudes ranging 18,000 feet above the sea level makes oxygen levels highly rarefied. This results in exposing them to high levels of mental fatigue in addition to taking a huge toll on their physical well being.

To deal with such challenges, authorities at Project Himank formulated a multi-faceted strategy. For addressing health-related issues of jawans, medical facilities have been established at vital installations. This has resulted in dramatic dip in casualties over the past three years, they said.