From the archive record
Early winter snow and ice cover on the world's highest road and traffic jam in the trans Himalayan Ladakh region, on Khardungla pass. The mountains and ridges all around look scintillating in the glow of sunset after a few days of snowfall. Cars begin to crawl as the world's highest traffic jam begins to clear. Fresh snowfall on the passes of Ladakh, and the roads become a passage nightmare, even as they look like a surreal experience and a calm beauty. Grasses and sedges get covered in snow. Prayer flags get submerged in white. The Shyok river looks like a vision in blue against a backdrop of brown... with alluvial fans aplenty. Indian Army Stallion trucks from the Jabalpur plant of Ashok Leyland trundle down from the pass, with snow chains attached to their rear tyres, to prevent slippa