'KBC 15': Amitabh Bachchan lauds 'marvellous' Indian soldiers at Siachen

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) Host of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' season 15 Amitabh Bachchan has lauded Indian soldiers posted at Siachen base camp, located at the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. He said that it is "marvellous" that soldiers are protecting our nation up there, despite the difficult conditions. 

The base camp is 12,000 feet above sea level, a base camp of 102 Infantry Brigade (Siachen brigade) of XIV Corps of Indian Army which protects the 110 km long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Siachen Glacier in India. It is approximately six hours drive from the town of Leh, via, one of the highest vehicle-accessible passes in the world, Khardung La at 17,582 feet.

In episode seven of the quiz-based reality show, megastar Amitabh Bachchan welcomed Yogesh Kalra, from Gurugram, Harayana to the hot seat. He spoke about his life, and shared that he was with the Indian Army for 22 years.

An image-based question was asked to Yogesh by Senior Bachchan, which read as: "In which of these environments is the Siachen base camp located?" Yogesh gave the right answer, and won Rs 3,000.

Big B then went on to say: "Siachen is a glacier located in the Karakoram range in Ladakh. The expedition starts from the base camp which is one of the highest military base camps in the world. Okay. Were you ever posted there?"

The contestant replied: "Sir, I was posted in Sikkim. But the post at Siachen is way higher than that. I have not been beyond Leh, sir."

The ‘Shahenshah’ of Bollywood further said: “All our people there in the Army must have a hard time living in those conditions, sir. With all the snow and the cold. How do they survive there, sir?”

Further describing about the difficult living conditions of the soldiers in Siachen, Yogesh said: "Sir, from my personal experience in Sikkim I can tell you that oxygen levels are too low. And in comparison to Sikkim, oxygen levels are lower by five times in Siachen. The tree line in Sikkim is a bit higher. We got slightly higher amounts of oxygen in Sikkim. Due to the lack of oxygen, we did not feel hungry and had trouble in sleeping."

"I'II tell you about an incident. When we were at the posting, a JCO stayed with us for a month. We spoke when he was leaving and I remembered what he said: 'Everything else was fine, but honestly, I haven't slept well in a month since I got here.’ You see those changes in your body. Sir, this is why specifically for those who are posted in Siachen, we do not let people stay there for over 60 to 90 days for the Army drill. They are called down to the base then," he shared.

Big B shared: "When we travel to Leh, Ladakh, we need to take medicines and rest for a day or two, so that we can acclimatise. But Siachen is unimaginable. Marvellous. And our soldiers protect the nation up there."

'Kaun Banega Crorepati 15' airs on Sony.

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