Remembering Afghanistan - I

Life has a way of throwing up surprises, and one such unexpected road which took my life unawares was my posting to Afghanistan. In a hindsight it was a wonderful experience, but living that experience was completely a different song. As one of many aids, Indian government is providing to fledgelling Afghanistan government, road from Zaranj to Delaram (215KM) was also taken up by India. Border road organisation was entrusted with this job. I went there and stayed for two years and came back during November 2007.
I landed up at Kabul Airport on 25th October 2005. The winter was setting in and whip of cold wind played with my unkempt hair as I stepped out of Airport. As I looked out and saw the town surrounded by barren hills, it reminded me of Kathmandu valley. Airport itself reminded me of our old Ziro Airport. Only difference was it had pot holes near the edge of runway and number of bombed Aircraft scattered all over, like broken toy aeroplanes in my children's room. We slowly piled up infront of immigration counter. People at the counter looked at my passport and at me, and scrutinised my face to a point of embrassment, they repeated it for sometime and took me to a different room. They didnt believe I was an Indian and put my pass port to scrutiny again and again. Only after I showed my disqeuit and showed Ministry of External Affairs letter to Afghanistan Embassy, did they let me through ever so reluctantly.
Next morning I flew down to a place called Zaranj in a eight seater small plane. Weather was clear and sky was deep blue stretcing far into the universe. Down below, there was not a whip of cloud, so I could fill my eyes with awsome landscapes. All the way to Zaranj, which took two hours, we crossed mountain range after mountain range, but not a forest was seen. It looked so much like face of mars and other planets as we see in science fiction movies.
Landing at Zaranj was totally a different experience. The runway was not metalled and it was laid with small stone chips. I had the childish fear that one of that stone might pierce the tyre and it would burst. Nonetheless, it landed safely and I experienced the most wonderfull flight I have ever flown.
Zaranj is the capital of Nimroz Province and it is hardly half a mile from Iran border. This is one of the remotest part of Afghanistan. I suppose it should rank among the remotest in the world. The whole of province has not had any metalled road in history. There is a huge market for second hand four wheel SUV cars as all the journey is a cross country run through the desert. There is no system of vehicle registration and driving license. So all the vehicles have the registration numbers of previous country and owner.
There were no banks existing when I landed, and people kept their money with money lenders. There is a money market where various currencies are sold and bought. Currencies of various countries are kept piled up on the shelves and people come and purchase as we buy vegetables from vegetable market in India. It was something very new to me and I took sometime to understand the system. Iran currency i.e rial is the prevailent medium of exchange, although US dollar is also favoured by many. Afganistan govt has introduced Afghani currency and DA Afghan Bank. But people have neither faith in Afgani currency nor DA Afghan Bank. So, they still prefer to keep their money with money lenders and hold foreign currencies. There are no cultivable lands nor any industry, but God has blessed them with acumen for money management. So, they are very gud business men.
Security was a big issue. Although Taliban govt had fallen two years back, it was resurfacing in this part of Afghanistan with much more vigour and determination. Within twenty days of joining, one of our men from Kerala was kidnapped and beheaded. Many a time our people used to be ambushed on the road sides. There was a constant fear stalking us whenever we moved out side. Every vehicle we passed by was viewed as a potential suicide jihadi. There were times at night when one would watch rockets falling around the camp with total dispondency. These were moments of heplessness. We lost number of our own people and also Afghani soldiers who were guarding us to our enemies. Reminds me of " There are no atheists in a cornered place." Everybody thought of their maker in those situations.
I came back to India towards the end of November 2007. Today, the road stands completed and the the remotest place in Afghanistan stands connected to the rest of Afghanistan .
Afghani People are warm and hospitable, but have that trait of short tepmer which comes in a package with honesty and simplicity.
These are some of snaps which I thought I should share with you all.




Infront of my makeshift office with my staff at Gurguri, Afghanistan.
Visiting a road construction site.

New Road being built. Zaranj - Delaram, Afghanistan.

Afghani warriors to guard us.

Commander in the centre fell prey to Taliban bullets.