After nearly 4 hours of waiting on the road, the word arrives that the road is about to clear so we start rolling. After a couple of miles, we are instructed to stop the vehicle and park behind a line of vehicles. Out of curiosity, we step outside and begin to walk on foot towards the origin of the line of vehicles. An officer from the Border Road Organization informs us that they are going to blast a large rock that is blocking the road with dynamite. Instinctively, we all move to the edge of the road away from the mountain, anticipating that the explosion could send some rocks tumbling down at us on the mountainside. Instead, we are ordered to move to the mountainside and stay as close to the side as possible. The officer explains that it is safer to be on the mountainside as the edge of the road is the weakest point and is most likely to give away as a result of the explosion. So huddled under a jutting rock formation, with our backs to the mountain, we wait for the sound of the explosion.
The officer radios the dynamite team that the civilians have been secured and that they are clear to set off the charge. We wait for a 4-5 minutes in anxious silence, not knowing whether the explosion would clear the way or endanger our lives. Then there is a sonic boom in the distance that sounds like the rumble of a monster roused from its slumber. The rumble reverberates in successive smaller booms across the whole mountain range. Then there is silence, and no one dares move. The officer is the first to step out from under the rock. As he starts walking, we decide to step out into the open as well. As soon as I step out into the open, a cloud of dust obscures the clear sky and engulfs the waiting convoy. The officer makes enquiries over his walkie talkie and disappears into the cloud of dust.
Minutes later as the dust begins to dissipate, the officer re-emerges and informs us that the road is open and that we should return to our vehicles. We comply and wait for our turn to move. After the oncoming traffic has passed, our line begins to roll. As we pass the section of the road which has been cleared by the BRO, we see the same officer standing by the side of the road along with 3 other men involved in the operation. If we hadn’t spent 4 hours out in the cold, it would have been easy to ignore how difficult the working conditions are outside. In the warmth of the cars, we may even have been impatient and petulant.
But we danced and made merry on the road for 3 hours, trusting these strangers in yellow helmets to endanger their lives and well-being to ensure safe passage for us. Our little adventure is their harsh reality. If dancing on the road in the cold was intoxicating, facing these resolute men now is thoroughly sobering. So, as we pass them in the comfort of our vehicles, we offer them the only thing that these proud, upright and courageous men would accept from us – a salute and a smile of gratitude.
