Tawang: Lama Dondup was a young man in 1962. At 72 today, he dreads another war with China. He has vivid memories of the time when the Peoples Liberation Army entered his village Roh, just six hours on foot from China's border.
In his traditional Mompa attire, a yak hair cap and holding prayer beads, he walks down memory lane and revisits 1962 when the Indian army had asked everybody to leave Roh. The army itself vacated its forward position. But every household left one young man behind to look after the homes and the herd of yak.
Dondup, then 25, was among those who stayed back. He recalls how scared they were, left alone to face the unknown enemy. But when the PLA columns rolled in, Dondup was in for a shock. They made announcements like, "Please don't be afraid, we will not harm you. We are not your enemy. Look at you and look at us. Don't we look alike? You have more in common with us than with India." They put up camp some 300m from the village but there were no tents nor did they occupy any village home.
Through the cold October days, the soldiers -- except those on sentry duty -- slept in the fields. They used a granary to store food and moved out only at night. The soldiers remained for 10 days or so. They marched forward after fresh columns arrived.
He recalls an incident when a few Assam Rifles men entered the village and wanted to know where the Chinese were. Most of them had moved on. The Rifles men were shown the granary. They banged on the doors while the locals asked the Chinese to open.As soon as the door opened, the Assam Rifles men threw grenades and left. Most of the men inside died.
But in the morning, only one body was found. The PLA had taken away the rest at night. The villagers also found a wounded Chinese soldier who begged for his life. The villagers hid him under some foliage but the leaves induced itching. Dondup does not remember what ultimately happened to the soldier.But he is hopeful that in the event of another war, India would stand its ground. "The last time round, the Indian army burnt our granaries and destroyed the few wooden bridges we had. Hopefully this time that will not happen."
In his traditional Mompa attire, a yak hair cap and holding prayer beads, he walks down memory lane and revisits 1962 when the Indian army had asked everybody to leave Roh. The army itself vacated its forward position. But every household left one young man behind to look after the homes and the herd of yak.
Dondup, then 25, was among those who stayed back. He recalls how scared they were, left alone to face the unknown enemy. But when the PLA columns rolled in, Dondup was in for a shock. They made announcements like, "Please don't be afraid, we will not harm you. We are not your enemy. Look at you and look at us. Don't we look alike? You have more in common with us than with India." They put up camp some 300m from the village but there were no tents nor did they occupy any village home.
Through the cold October days, the soldiers -- except those on sentry duty -- slept in the fields. They used a granary to store food and moved out only at night. The soldiers remained for 10 days or so. They marched forward after fresh columns arrived.
He recalls an incident when a few Assam Rifles men entered the village and wanted to know where the Chinese were. Most of them had moved on. The Rifles men were shown the granary. They banged on the doors while the locals asked the Chinese to open.As soon as the door opened, the Assam Rifles men threw grenades and left. Most of the men inside died.
But in the morning, only one body was found. The PLA had taken away the rest at night. The villagers also found a wounded Chinese soldier who begged for his life. The villagers hid him under some foliage but the leaves induced itching. Dondup does not remember what ultimately happened to the soldier.But he is hopeful that in the event of another war, India would stand its ground. "The last time round, the Indian army burnt our granaries and destroyed the few wooden bridges we had. Hopefully this time that will not happen."
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