EDITOR'S NOTE

Didi, Dida, Baini, Daju, Bhuli, Bhula,

All our relations,

Welcome to the first edition of PRAYAGA as a full webzine! This has been a long time in coming and our hopes are that it presages a great spiritual awakening and cultural rebirth for our diasporic community abroad, and our sisters and brothers at home.

Unfortunately, Uttarakhand is shuddering under the weight of multiple calamities. Last year's landslide, the recent earthquake, the current heat wave, and widespread forest fires are pounding the hills with incessant sorrow and agony. It is almost as if Shiv Bhagwan has awakened from his long slumber in the Devbhumi, opening his Third Eye to behold the great anguish of his people, and to visit his wrath upon a wayward nation. With new road construction and helipads threatening to bring ever more VIP pilgrims to Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Hemkund Sahib, the ecological integrity of the Himalayas is endangered, further strengthening the forces of destruction in the region.

Uttarakhandis everywhere must themselves rise to overcome this abyss. It is a tall order, as demoralization and despair pervade our community and our very identity. Although first to fight and first to die, we have never been empowered to govern ourselves or to decide our own future. Others, whether the Gorkhas, British, or the Indian State, have spoken for us and defined us. Over the decades, we have even become dependent on them, yet their benevolence has never extended much beyond token exchanges for the great natural wealth taken from the hills.

We must break these chains and affirm ourselves as Paharis, and never be ashamed of this fact. No one can deny us this, that we are sons and daughters of the holy Himalayas and that we are a courageous, generous, and simple people. First, we must rise from the long night of sleep, and begin educating ourselves about our culture, language, and history. Second, we must organize our community, and build long lasting institutions for succeeding generations. As a partially diasporic people, these institutions could prove decisive to bringing health, empowerment, comfort, and wellbeing to the hills.

This PRAYAGA hopes to begin that process by calling on each recipient to print this out and pass it on to family members and the general community. Contained within are discussions on various issues pertaining to the present situation in Uttarakhand, as well as calls by individuals to begin the process of our awakening and renewal as a people.

All our love to you, your family, and your neighbours,

- Rajiv, Secretary

APOCALYPSE IN UTTARAKHAND I:
THE FIRE THIS TIME

Forest fires and record-breaking temperatures are roasting the mountains and their forests, destroying wildlife and watersheds in their wake. Hard on the heels of the March 29 earthquake, the fires have met with little concern in Delhi and Lucknow, even though the ecological catastrophe has been reported extensively and alarmingly in the press. Indeed, while forest officials and villagers have died heroically battling the blaze, no emergency has been declared, nor equipment supplied to help them beyond the stone-age means by which they are fighting the conflagration. The negligence and silence on the part of the central government has been glaring. It can be said that Delhi fiddled while the Himalayas burned.

Press reports in the leading English-language dailies have pummeled this lack of disaster management planning, even in the aftermath of other disasters that should have put the government on notice. Along with the millions of rupees embezzled along the way, very little assistance has reached departments and agencies that would help prepare these regions for such catastrophes. In one particular brazen case, two firefighting aircraft were donated to the Uttar Pradesh government by the FAO some five years ago. Although originally based in the hills, both were taken to Delhi, where one crashed and the other employed by the then Environment and Forest Minister for his personal use. Since then, little has been done for the firefighting in the hills, who witness serious periodic forest fires every four years.

Some NGOs in the area are joining hands to create a Disaster Intervention Secretariat for future calamities. The resources are scarce, although a few philanthropists have stepped forward with financial support for such endeavours. Without greater government accountability however, these efforts will remain minor and it is up to us to pressure elected officials to take natural disasters seriously.

This year, the fires look set to administer an apocalyptic blow to the mountain source of the holy Ganges, a fact that should give the rest of India pause. Along with recent reports on the rapidly retreating glaciers that feed the entire Gangetic plain, the biological death of the Himalayas is fast becoming a horrifying possibility.

APOCALYPSE IN UTTARAKHAND II:
THE EARTHQUAKE AFTERMATH

Earthquakes, landslides, forest fires, man-eating predators, the liquor plague -- all these have conspired to bring about an apocalyptic situation in the hills over the past decade. In this age of ever darkening Kaliyuga, the Uttarakhand Himalayas are shuddering under great calamities, man-made and natural. Even the climactic changes noticed throughout the world are having their impact, pounding the area with incessant rains in the monsoon season, and bringing about drought conditions in the spring, making the forests ripe for fires.

The toll on the Himalayan inhabitants has been catastrophic and heart rending. Already ground down by their punishing poverty, the latest Earthquake in Chamoli district has destroyed almost everything left of value to the people, including loved ones -- mothers, fathers, children. It is no stretch of the imagination that in their minds, the end of world surely must be at hand. At least this central part of the Himalayas will become barren if seismic activity resumes, life remains unbearable, and deforestation proceeds at the current pace.

Adding to the pathos of the situation is the failure of the administration to elaborate any sort of action plan to save the Himalayas and her peoples. Satish Sati of the Bhartiya Gram Uthan Sanasthan remarked accurately, that "It can be an earthquake, a landslide or a forest fire but still no one has come up with a disaster management plan for the hills." (TOI) For the people, the parade of VIPs to the region has only been greeted with disdain. A 60-year-old farmer named Sartulal complained that politicians "come to ask for votes when there is an election, but when the earthquake took place no one cared if we were dead or alive." (TOI) Furthermore, while relief workers and army personnel struggled valiantly to effect repairs and distribute basic necessities, the effort came too little and too late for most of the traumatized victims. Adding to their torment was the absence of a strong response from officialdom, who have been too ill-equipped and undermanned to go to distant villages to distribute aid or to give succor to the grief-stricken. While village elders and desperate people walked dozens of kilometers across mountains to reach relief sites, "the officials asked [them] to go back and wait for the help to arrive," as claimed by one impoverished 63-year-old stone cutter, Ranvir Lal (AP). Even five days after the earthquake, villages as close as 5 km to Chamoli had not yet received aid, prompting a deep rage among the people who had already begun protesting the bureaucracy of relief. Moreover, BJP and Congress party workers have traded accusations, further incensing villagers with their callous adherence to party politics even during this terrible calamity. The fortunate among the new homeless, over 250,000 in all, have been lodged in tent cities, prompting 30-year-old Bimla Devi to cry, "This is our exile. We will live here till we die."

The Indian press has also shown its conflicted nature in covering the disaster. The BBC correspondent for South Asia, Daniel Lak, mentioned in his report that it took the major papers one day to reach the scene, although less than 250 kilometers from Delhi. When there however, the correspondents native to the region did an excellent job in covering the aftermath of the catastrophe, drawing out wretched tales of loss, grief, and terror, while not disguising their compassion in the bland objectivity of news reporting. However, the editorial board of the papers, reflecting largely the prejudices and (in)sensibilities of the urban elite, told a different story. The press gleefully dubbed the Jayalalitha-Sonia Gandhi tea party that same week a political earthquake for the administration, never mind that a great tragedy had occurred in a real earthquake. One column used the occasion to score points against anti-Tehri dam activists, when no cracks reportedly appeared in the Dam structure. Interviews with some experts also proved unhelpful, as when it was recommended that building codes be enforced and further investments made in the structural integrity of homes by homeowners. With the high level of destitution prevalent in Chamoli even before the earthquake, such advice seemed appallingly far outside people's means. With womenfolk in the region working 18 hours a day and most dwellings consisting of loose rock hovels, Uttarakhandis of the High Himalayas cannot even feed themselves, let alone procure steel girders or cement mix for their homes.

For those that lost everything in the quake, their tragedy has been compounded once again by a system that cannot cope with protecting and serving its most impoverished citizens. As long as things remain the same, many more will have to go into exile like Bimla Devi, or die in helpless penury. In the end, their betrayal is our failure.

While tremors continued, the government's efforts came under increasingly harsh criticism for being inadequate and token. Here are some quotes lifted from articles covering the catastrophe:

APRIL 10, 1999
KARANPRAYAG: "Rasta roko (road jam) and indefinite fasts against abuses in relief distribution" NEW TEHRI: "Relief work affected due to shortage of resources", statement by Garhwal Divisional Commissioner at a press conference

APRIL 13,1999
GAUCHAR: "Women snatch tarpaulin sheets in Gauchar", an account of forcible snatching of relief materials due to short supplies. DEHRA DUN: "It is essential to provide shelters before the rains for earthquake victims", statement by B.C.Khanduri, M.P.

APRIL 14,1999
DEHRA DUN: "Allegations of chaos in relief works" ALMORA: "Delay in providing relief supplies to earthquake victims"

APRIL 15,1999
GOPESHWAR: "Rs.4.25crores (42.5million) distributed in Chamoli (district) but tarpaulin in short supply" RUDRAPRAYAG: "Protests by villagers in Rudraprayag over relief distribution"

APRIL 16,1999
GOPESHWAR: "Earthquake victims lay siege to district headquarters"

"There has been resentment in various quarters over the disbursal of relief with the BJP and Congress workers levelling charges against each other. The two parties are the main rivals in the Uttarakhand region."

"The officials asked us to go back and wait for the help to arrive. They should have shown some concern at least." - Ranvir Lal, a 63-year-old stone cutter

"Politicians come to ask for votes when there is an election, but when the earthquake took place no one cared if we were dead or alive." - Sartu Lal, 60-year-old farmer

"If it rains it will be the end for all of us." - Udai Singh Bhandari, a social worker

"No one came here to help. A few area officials did come, they are the ones who put up the banners. Where is this supposed camp? These banners and these visits were only to soften us up before the Chief Minister's visit. Now that he has left so has the administration." - Sita Negi, pointing towards a white banner proclaiming Bhatwari Sunar to be a relief camp.

"Large cracks have appeared all over the mountains in this area. There is a great chance of major landslides during these rains. Further, because there were little or no winter rains the rains this summer are expected to be heavier. The administration has about three months to react before a calamity even worse than the present one occurs." - Dr Anil Joshi, Himalayan Environment Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO)

"What to say sir, I have nothing to look forward to now ...my house is raised to the ground, and my belongings buried there. We are living under the open skies for the past three days hungry and sick. Somehow, I managed to bring my daughter-in-law and daughter to this place..." - 65-year-old destitute harijan widow Darshani Devi, who walked 18 km for help.

THE RECONSTRUCTION EFFORT:
HOW YOU CAN HELP

Compiled below are a list of appeals made by NGO organizations based in the hills. The complete set is also available at: http://www.uttarakhand.org/earthquake-relief.html

Furthermore, young social activists involved with the now famous Chetna Andolan have been organizing villages in the Tehri region. Leaving their exams early, college students have worked hard physically, mentally, and emotionally to rebuild, and have succeeded in activating the village youth for this endeavour.

With such dedication and spirit we can overcome the Apocalypse. Let's get to work!

I am grateful to Niraja Jayal, Virendra Nautiyal, Ravi Chopra, Ajit Tripathi, and Anil Jaggi for contributing to this compilation.

Don't forget to inquire further and donate!

• SAATHI Appeal to Uttarakhandi Community
• PSI/DGSM Appeal to World NGO Community
• SEWAA Appeal to World Mountain Community

A ROAD TO NOWHERE:
A NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE HIMALAYAS THREATENS A NATURAL WONDER

The Valley of Flowers is a high altitude oasis of flora, about 10 km by 2 km in size and resting at a height of 12,000 to 13,000 feet. As one of India's greatest natural wonders, the valley has retained within its lap an immense diversity of plants and animals. Although already under pressure by tourists and pilgrims who wander off the trekkable route about 5 km away, a new road that is under construction in the area threatens its very existence.

The new 15 km stretch of road between Gobind Ghat and Ganghria, which are on the way to the holiest Sikh shrine in the Himalayas, Hemkund Sahib, is being supported by the Punjab state government. Presently a trek route that branches to the Valley of Flowers, the construction project along the same route was cleared by the Environment ministry very quickly, raising suspicions that the decision was politically motivated. Also in the works are parking facilities and 500-room accommodations at Ganghria, as backers hope to capitalize on the brisk pilgrim trade.

Roads in the Himalayas are notorious for the geological destabilization that follow in their wake. The use of dynamite for such infrastructure, although ill advised in an environmentally sensitive region, has continued unabated, while quarrying of mountainsides has highly disfigured the landscape. The recent earthquake should have driven home this message, as many roads were buried by the fall of rubble, loosened when the roads were originally blasted out of the hills. Furthermore, the vehicular pollution and congestion promised by the new road, will severely affect the surrounding wildlife, and in all likelihood, lead to the region loosing its charm.

Local groups and a regional political party (UKD) have already began protesting the construction project, opposing both its harmful environmental effect and the probable disturbance to the surrounding ecosystem. However, what has probably motivated the staunchest opposition is the dawning realization that such roads are destructive and have accrued little economic benefit for locals in exchange for a heavy ecological price. This new one promises more of the same in terms of sheer traffic, resource consumption, and litter, while being run by non-hill inhabitants. Probable also, is that labour for the project will be drawn from outside the area like Bihar, Nepal, or Uttar Pradesh, a common practice on all Himalayan construction projects to get around local organized labour.

The state government is also involved in setting up a helipad at Badrinath, Hinduism's holiest shrine in the hills. All this infrastructure devoted to the tourist trade comes as schools and hospitals in the area remain few and far between, and that revenue generated still never reaches people in the region. Moreover, it seems odd that those who believe that the Himalayas are the abode of the gods, do not deign to treat them or their inhabitants as such. Although commodification of pilgrimages has been a feature of holy journeys since time immemorial, devoting more time to the modern luxuries and comfort of pilgrims as opposed to the well being of mountain ecosystems and societies, seems short-sighted if not sacrilegious. Such crass exploitation of religious sentiments, mixed with a disregard for the environment and people's rights seems destined to guarantee no blessing but only the wrath of the gods.

A CALL TO ACTION I:
ACTIVATING THE DIASPORIC COMMUNITY

Ajit Tripathi of PAHAR hopes to activate the diasporic community in North America, providing a new hope for our battered hills.

Let's evolve a long term strategy to cope with people's issues in Uttarakhand in the wake of the Chamoli Earthquakes.

Let me introduce myself briefly. My name is Ajit and I am a volunteer for PAHAR (www.uttarakhand.net) - People's Association for Himalayan Area Research - a Nainital based social movement devoted to research and to the resolution of local socio-economic issues in the Himalayan region.

In course of our discussions with the Kumaoni-Garhwali intelligentsia, Rajiv (www.uttarakhand.org), and I realised the need for a larger role for the immigrant community towards the resolution of serious issues and problems that continue to haunt our people back home. Over the last year, the alumni in Canada and the US, particularly in Toronto and Virginia have made some serious and commendable attempts to re-establish a cultural identity for us - under a common flag. We seek to extend the scope far across to the lives of our mothers, brothers and sisters living back home in Uttarakhand.

The recent Chamoli quakes brought forth the serious need for evolving a long term strategy to solve local problems. In 1991 Uttarkashi earthquakes, the immigrant community came forward as well.

We propose to establish a Uttarakhand Support Group - whatever name we should choose is immaterial, a non-political organisation of all the people who concern themselves with the people's welfare in the Uttarakhand region. Most of all, let's not wait for further earthquakes, floods and landslides to perform what is our honorable duty towards our villages, our land and our people.

Neither the state, nor the free market are going to create social welfare. The people - we will have to take care of our own destiny. Fortunately, we have a long history of this and we have done it in the past. Organisations like Dasholi Gram Swaraj Mandal - the parent organisation of Chipko - have achieved significant milestones while retaining their apolitical, secular, grassroots movement character - in spite of their obvious resource constraints. That's where we have a role to play. When we say support, we don't mean dollars alone. What is more important is that the people's voice and their concerns be heard where they matter - in the media and in the government for policies to be made in order to achieve maximum welfare.

It would be a gross understatement to say that our people like other communities that live in the remote and peripheral regions of India have been denied their share in development and the resources they owned. In a systematic and callous manner, local forests, water resources, minerals, and land have been snatched away from the local population and exploited without concern for the local environment and geological integrity. The roads and highways, television and all such gifts of the 20th century which were intended to be tools of welfare have been used as tools of socio-cultural poisoning. It is indeed painful for me to enumerate the pilferage that we have watched helplessly in hope of a coming 21st century and I believe it is obvious to any person who has visited a village in interior Uttarakhand.

In the Amazon basin, the Red Cross and people's organisations have come together to help cope with the impending disasters. We can get started with setting up programs in disaster preparedness for example.

The end of 20th century has put forth many crises and equally numerous opportunities. India has come out of her isolated socio-economic slumber and has just begun to face the world's realities. As India Inc. goes global, the voice of the immigrant Indian community is gaining an unprecedented prominence and reach. It would be a blunder if we should let this colossal opportunity go by. We are fortunate in that we have seen how some societies have more successfully handled the problems of development and welfare and ensure that we are able to evolve effective solutions for the problems that we face.

Let's quickly spark off a focused, issue-based idea factory towards the building of a serious apolitical movement worldwide. We need leaders - and we need people who believe in service. The purpose of this letter was to set the process of thought and action. Please hold the baton from here.

Narai, baduli, pyar .. pailak
Ajit, Rajiv

CALL TO ACTION II:
SETTING UP A FOUNDATION

A retired officer lays out a possible plan for foundation work in North America. Coining the term NRU (non-resident Uttarakhandi), the author hopes to draw on the substantial resources available in the West for the economic and social uplift of our hills.

Dear brethren,

The proposed state of Uttarakhand (or Uttaranchal), comprising of the hill districts of U.P., is going to be a reality in the next couple of months. The constant struggle of the people and sacrifices made by them, all these years, for the creation of a separate state and also to project a distinct identity of their own, are bearing fruits. The formation of a separate state is bound to open vast opportunities for its development, resulting in improvement in the living conditions of its inhabitants. This will also help in preservation of its salubrious environment and sacred cultural and religious heritage.

However, considering the hilly terrain and difficult topographical conditions of the area, coupled with the long neglect of the needs of its people in the past, herculean efforts shall now have to be made to make the nascent state economically viable. A huge back-log of development has to be cleared so that it catches up with other states of the country. Owing to the lack of industries, meager agricultural output and inadequate means of transport and communications, the revenue or resources likely to be generated by the new state shall obviously be very limited. However, it is felt that there does exist a great potential for development, particularly of hydro-electric power and tourism, in this area which would eventually bring adequate revenue to the state. The area affords the right environment for the development of electronics, optical and horological industries as well -- though, it would need 10 to 15 years to develop the proper infrastructure for their growth. In the meanwhile, the state would have to depend largely on the funds to be provided by the Central Govt. of India and also potential private or institutional investors. For obtaining requisite financial help from the Govt. of India, the leaders of the new state are expected to take the necessary steps. For other investors, apart from indigenous people and institutions, what better proposition can there be than to seek the help and cooperation of one non-resident brethren? (We would like to call our non-resident brethren as NRUs, non-resident Uttarakhandies).

It has been heartening to learn that our Uttarakhandi brethren in U.S. and Canada have already formed Associations with the purpose of making investments in the development of the land of their or their ancestors' origin. This is praise worthy and fits in the best traditions of service and generosity for which the people have been known for centuries.

Now, the question with how to coordinate, channelize and give a concrete shape to implement plans in this direction. For this purpose, I venture to suggest the following for the consideration of your members and other well wishers:

• 1) The Associations formed in the US and Canada may be activated, strengthened and duly registered under local laws. The members may be suitably motivated to lend their helping hands in the various developmental projects which lead to improvement in the living conditions of their less privileged brethren in Uttarakhand.
  
  
• 2) A corpus (central funds of say one million U.S. dollars), may initially, be raised by the members and other well wishers for the purpose, within a specified period of time. Investments, etc., can be made out of this central fund. In addition, these should be investments, as well as, donations towards philanthropic causes, by individuals and institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
  
  
• 3) An Agency should be formed here, say in Dehradun, with the approval of the members of the Associations in U.S. and Canada, to act as a liaison body between the Associations and the Government of the New State, NGOs, and other organized bodies engaged in the developmental activities in this area. The main function of this Agency would be to collect all the necessary information about the various projects, on-going or proposed, in the area; as well as, the facilities, incentives, tax concessions etc. announced by the State and Central Governments from time to time and pass them on to the Associations. All suggestions and views of the members of the Associations shall also be suitably forwarded to the appropriate authorities by this Agency. It is widely known that bureaucracy, as it functions here particularly, would not be able to respond in an adequate manner to the queries of the members, nor would they reply in time to the requests of investors for any information they may like to have. This work can best be done by an independent, separate Agency which would constantly keep in touch with the authorities concerned and with other bodies, obtain requisite information etc. and also pursue the matter at all levels. In short, this Agency shall act as a link between our brethren in U.S. and Canada, the Government and other organized bodies here.
  
  
• 4) This Agency could be manned by 4-5 persons having experience and also adequate time at their disposal, as well as, the necessary aptitude for this type of work. They shall work in purely honorary capacity. All that this Agency would need is some fund to meet the day to day expenses of maintaining a small office, telephone, postage, travel, and periodical meetings with persons concerned. To our mind, approximate expenses would amount to nearly 5,000 U.S. dollars a year. This would work out to only 0.5% of the corpus to be raised.
  
  

If the above proposal finds favor with the members of your Associations, some suitable persons can be motivated to take up this work in Dehradun. It is hoped that all your members shall give earnest thought to this and suggest improvements therein. The responsibility of contributing his or her might towards the development of the New State has fallen on the shoulders of every Uttarkhandi, resident or non-resident.

Yours Sincerely,
U.S.Rawat *

122, Indiranagar Colony,
Dehradun, 248006 India

* The author of this letter is Umed Singh Rawat, who has been a Senior Officer in the Department of Foreign Trade for the Government of India. During his working life, he was also associated with development of small scale industries, apart from export-development. At present, he lives in Dehradun, after retirement from Government service.

Presently, he is connected with several Organizations working for all-round progress of Uttarakhand. He maintains constant touch with various social, economic and cultural activities in the region. He has been the President of Citizens Council at Pauri in Garhwal District, and is the founder of the Association of Retired Officials in Garhwal.

THE TRUCE:
REMEMBERING OUR DEAD ON MEMORIAL DAY

For as long as I can remember growing up as a child in Canada, remembrance of the Great War, 1914-1918, was marked with poppies on November 11th and a moment of silence for our fallen fathers (In the US, Memorial Day at the end of May marks this most solemn observance of the war dead). Every memorial and cenotaph was draped with flowers and wreaths commemorating the "war to end all wars". The marching bands of the Canadian regiments would come out with their pipes, drums, bugles, and fifes, just as old Royal Canadian Legionnaires would parade through the streets, reliving past glory, their ranks shrinking every year in the final battle against old age or disease.

However, we also read in school mournful ballads like No Man's Land and bitter poems of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, bringing home the terror, wretchedness, and utter futility for which so many had been sacrificed. Indeed, the colonial troops of Great Britain bore the brunt of the casualties for the cause of God, King, and Country. The bittersweet sentiments of "Lest We Forget" and "Never Again", although violated time and time again since Armistice, has lingered to this day in the minds of even those too young to remember the fire of war.

For Indian soldiers mobilized for the front, this was even more true. Fighting in a war not of their own making and for a colonial administration that had badly equipped them, the troops sailed for Europe in October of 1914, reaching France and Flanders in time to bolster the crumbling British lines. From the beginning, these soldiers had to withstand the constant drizzle and heavy shelling that had transformed the rich Belgian farmland into a wretched, blasted moonscape. However, the bitter cold of winter, incessant rains, and the new brutal style of fighting in the trenches did not deter the men in the performance of their duty. Thousands perished before being withdrawn the following year, but not before further honoring themselves for their extraordinary fighting abilities and discipline. The Garhwal Rifles especially distinguished themselves, taking two Victoria Crosses, the highest honors for enlisted men in the British Empire. Yet their triumph over adversity was marked by huge sacrifices, as the young regiment lost more than half its numbers and an entire battalion.

The Garhwalis also participated in a far less recognized event of their proud regimental history -- the Christmas Day truce of 1914. Tales of the fateful day have figured prominently in all legends of the Great War, as it was the one day that the brutality and madness stopped and British and German soldiers crossed over from their trenches to greet each other as brothers.

Along with their British officers, the Garhwali enlisted men also ventured out of their dismal water-logged trenches to meet their German counterparts. The two sides exchanged gifts of chocolate, tobacco, and brandy, shaking hands and passing ironic Christmas greetings in a season of mayhem and murder. Moreover, on Christmas eve, the Germans put candles up in their trees in keeping with their yuletide traditions. This sight astonished the Garhwalis as they so resembled Diwali lights, and invoked desperate memories of home. The next morning, the Germans "went over the top", as did the British and Indians, and both set about the grim task of collecting their dead that had been piling up and decomposing in the field between the opposing sides.

Such fraternizing with the enemy was subject to severe punishment, although the officers of both battalions of the Garhwal Rifles participated wholeheartedly. Indeed, the high commands of each side were greatly angered by the shocking display of humanity and camaraderie that would soon, through the next three years of the most ghastly bloodshed, become the rarest of scenes. Yet that Christmas day, men from nearby forests and distant mountains shook hands, meeting not as enemies, nor soldiers -- but just men -- in no man's land. As such, they achieved something no medal could honor -- perhaps a lesson we have not yet learned.