Shreyank Revadal
Did you know, the Chenab Railway Bridge is soon going to be the world’s highest railway bridge at the height of 359 metres above the river bed, which makes it 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower?
As I listen to the rhythm of the rain descending, sense the cold breeze blowing, experience the petrichor in the air, I cannot help but remember the tranquil Himalayan bliss. I take a moment to reminisce the past winter memories: from the time I was awestruck gazing at the enormous mountains for the first time, to the inevitable farewell.
It all started on the 27th of November with the crisp Bengaluru weather and me staring up at the starry sky from the window seat of my flight, waiting for take-off. The destination was the world’s highest railway bridge, situated on a remote terrain in Jammu and Kashmir. As I departed Bengaluru, I felt the adrenaline rush to my last few brain-cells, as I hadn’t gotten much sleep.
And just as our spaceship entered the wormhole, we said our goodbyes to our galaxy. We had to find a planet to survive. Earth hadn’t endured the destruction caused by humans. The ‘Interstellar’ part seemed a bit strange until it was all a dream.
As I groggily opened my eyes and looked out, I saw the distant and dreamy Himalayan Mountains covered in pristine white snow. In the blink of an eye, I had reached the city of temples – Jammu, and the wonderful adventure that was yet to come had just begun.
The company’s vehicle had arrived at the Jammu airport to take me seven hours away from civilisation. By the time I sat inside the cosy car, the weather had given me an introduction. We started our journey before first light. The drive from Jammu to the bridge was thrilling. There were steep and perilous dirt roads with around 200 meters drop, and the mushy snow was the only roadside barrier.
Before my journey began, I was slightly edgy about travelling alone to a terrorism-prone union territory. But, once I stood against the gigantic mountains, I was merely a speck of dust in an infinite universe.
After several hours of travelling, I finally saw it! Imagine gazing at a bridge that is higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower, and is above a beautiful sterling river. Exactly! When I reached the location, I met my roommate, Agam Singh (Head of the NABL mechanical lab at Chenab Bridge).
How do you wake up at 7 am in such bleak weather? The solution is by playing Agam’s Punjabi playlist on speakers until you bestir yourself. ‘All things are difficult before they are easy’. Is there a better way to begin your day than getting lost in the foggy mountains?
Weeks had passed by, and I had made a few friends. Every night we played badminton and took care of the abandoned pup – Golu, who was adorable. We spent Sunday mornings in our warm, comfy beds with Golu in front of the heater.
I learnt as much as I could, from the installation of deck segments on the top, to the slope stabilisation techniques 50 metres below it. I’ll address a few facts which can be shared, as most of the information is confidential.
- When completed, the bridge will span the Chenab River at a height of 359 m above the river, making it the world’s highest rail bridge.
- Since the area is prone to terror attacks, special blast-proof steel is used to withstand up to 40 kg of TNT blast. Trains can operate even if such an explosion occurs.
- The bridge can withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale. The location falls under Zone IV, but it is being built to handle earthquake with an intensity of Zone V.
- This bridge can resist temperatures of -200C and wind speeds of above 260kmph. Sensors will be installed to check the wind velocity. When the wind exceeds the rate of 90 km per hour, the signal on the track will turn red, preventing the movement of the train.
- The cable cranes, which are used to install the arch segments, are the largest in the world.
- Aerial security is also expected to be provided to safeguard the bridge.
- Indian Railways has built around 22 km of roads to reach the site of the bridge.
- The estimated cost of the Chenab Bridge is whooping 1250 crores.
Nearly a month had gone by, and I only had a few weeks before flying back. I had to make the most out of my trip. So, I asked Agam, “Shall we go on a trip someplace?” with my crappy Hindi; he replied, “I don’t have a lot of work anyway, we’ll ask a few people and go”.
We initially planned on going either to Shimla or Srinagar, but heavy snowfall forced the closure of the roads. We found out that the road to a beautiful place called Patnitop had recently opened. I wrote my project report at full tilt, as my internship was almost over. We discussed our itinerary, and by twilight, six of us (including our driver) were prepared for the next day as the ‘winter was coming’.
The minute the first ray of sunlight touched the ground, we took off. It was ‘Tokyo drift’ until Teja played soothing ‘Raghu Dixit’ songs. We were all as excited as a bird flying for the first time.
The surroundings got prettier with each mile, and we knew that we were getting closer to Patnitop. We spotted a food stall and realised that we were quite hungry. We ate hot Maggi with some delicious lemon tea. After warming ourselves up, we headed towards Patnitop. We spent the entire day at Patnitop, playing and goofing around in the snow like a bunch of ten-year-olds.
The next day, we went to the renowned ropeway. The gondola (ropeway) in Patnitop is the highest European (CEN) Standard certified ropeway in India. We were soaring over the treetops, with a captivating bird’s eye view of the scenic destination. Being acrophobic, I had no other choice but to trust our CEN Standard certified friend. After our thrilling magic carpet ride, we visited a small 600-year-old Nag Temple, which was entirely made of wood. We ended our perfect day with some mouth-watering ‘Kashmiri dum olav’ (a popular Kashmiri cuisine dish).
Who doesn’t love trekking? On the third day, we were all prepared for our trek to reach Nanthatop. After breakfast, we packed plenty of water and started our mountaineering. We took cautious steps as we were slipping and sinking in the fresh snow. As the oxygen depleted, the picturesque view only got better. After five hours, we had finally made it. I sat down thoughtless and speechless as long as I could. Everything faded away from my awareness as I gazed at the astonishingly beautiful view. We stayed there motionless as long as we could. It was the best panoramic view I had ever seen.
We were electrified about the last day, despite it being the coldest day. We planned to visit a small lake called ‘Sanasar Lake’, which was 20 km from Patnitop. To our disappointment, the road was closed. We weren’t giving up on our plan to reach the place. So, we decided to go as far as we could. Our decision backfired when the vehicle got stuck. After we pushed the car with everything we had, it finally moved forward. We hopped back onto our seats after finally realising how a superhero feels after saving the day.
There wasn’t a single soul other than us. The more silent it became, the more we could hear. Every stream burbled, and every tree rustled. It felt good being lost in the right direction.
When we reached Sanasar Lake, we all were awestruck. As the final rays of sun touched the snow-clad peaks, the snow turned into beautiful purplish-pink coloured autumn leaves. The half-frozen lake slowly transformed into a glistening 24-carat ruby.
Everything comes to an end, and so did our exuberating journey. It was time for me to be dropped off at the company’s guest house in Jammu.
Time appears to tick by more slowly when you learn new things. There I was, having spent a month in J&K, which felt like a sublime year. There were so many things that made the memories so incredible: The internet restrictions in J&K made me truly live every moment of the trip, rather than posting pictures on social media.
It’s strange how sometimes the people you’ve known for just over a month can end up being the ones you hold the most dear. I had gone to pursue my internship but came back with so much more.
Despite all the light this journey showed me, there was a part that never wanted to glow. A portion that hid well in the shadows. As I tried to make sense of my inner conundrum, I located the beetle in an ocean of fireflies; it told me, “This place is never going to be the same. The immaculate Chenab River might turn into a place for dumping corpses in the name of religion. The different species of birds that made my mornings could end up with the same fate as dodos.“
If we had looked for a sustainable future instead of filling our pockets with gold, the bridge could’ve been constructed more sustainably; we wouldn’t be having climate crisis; there wouldn’t be extensive habitat loss. Elephants wouldn’t be slaughtered for their tusks; Asian cheetahs wouldn’t have gone extinct in India; sharks wouldn’t be left to die in misery on the ocean floor, after their fins being cut-off for soup.
Is there really any kind in humankind?
We all need to get out of the pit called ‘greed and viciousness’ and take steady steps towards a sustainable future because, travelling through a wormhole is practically impossible.
Shreyank is a third year civil engineering student and a part of Concrete and Credit SIGs at ISTE with a keen interest in sustainable construction. He is very passionate about wildlife conservation and also a big time football enthusiast.
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