Armymen rescue tourists stranded in a snowstrom. A Telegraph picture

Nathu-la, Dec. 2: Beating back the enemy or saving tyro tourists, it?s all in a day?s work for the army.

And at the highest pass in the eastern Himalayas,where the mercurial mountain gods revel in the trapping unwary visitors, it has grown to become a habit.

At 14,500 feet, the weather at Nathu-la changes in a flash, usually for the worse.

Incidents of sudden snow swamping the road and sending tourists shivering in the crammed quarters of their vehicle into a fit of praying are frequent.

The armymen, at least that is how both the batches of people who were rescued by the force in the last week of November look at it, are an answer to their prayers.

?It was dark and snowing heavily. The driver said it was too dangerous to drive and without enough warm clothes we were freezing in our car. Then, out of nowhere, the armymen arrived and escorted some and carried the others to their barracks,? one of the persons said.

The jawans provided warm sustenance, hot food and a good night?s rest before sending the group, made up of men, women and children, to safer and more habitable places ? in this case, Gangtok.

The incident had occurred on November 24 and 12 vehicles carrying over 80 people were stranded in the blinding snow. A group of men among the tourists had walked to an army unit and told them of their plight. Almost at once, personnel along the 28-km route between an army camp and the pass were mobilised.

Vehicles and jawans escorted and carried the tourists back to the camp. ?The sight of the army personnel approaching us through the snow added years to my life. We felt so relieved,? said one of them.

?Once at the camp, they were given rooms with heaters and hot food. They went back the next morning when the weather improved. We looked after them as well as we could,? said Lt Col R.J. Cherian, officer commanding, 236 Transit Camp.

A tourist?s statement, however, said it all. ?Given the conditions and the situation, the treatment we got was better than any five-star hotel could give us.?

Four days later, the weather turned sour suddenly once again, this time catching unaware a group of 12 delegates to a two-day seminar at the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology.

The group reached Nathu-la a little after noon, and had just fininshed shaking hands with the guards on the other side and calling relatives on their mobiles when the clouds closed in. Snow followed.

An army naik-subedar asked the group to leave fast, but his instructions came a little too late. By the time the group reached Chhangu Lake, snow had carpeted the road. The drivers of the three vehicles attempted to drive down the mountain road but the verglass surface made the wheels skid. One of the vehicles turned 180 degrees, while another careered off the road, fortunately on the mountain side.

Four members of the group trekked 4-km through the snow to the transit camp, which by then had got word of the latest predicament.

Vehicles, including an ambulance with snow tyres, were sent out and the rest of the group brought back to the camp. Col Cherian, now well-rehearsed in his role as saviour, welcomed the stranded group and extended all help to them.

Among the group was N.R. Madhava Menon, director of National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and formerly of Calcutta

His wife was breathless because of the altitude and complained of a mild chest pain. She was admitted to the camp hospital and monitored by a doctor throughout the night.

A very thankful group left the next morning for Gangtok in an army truck fitted with snow chains, happy they were alive and blessing the armymen for donning the ?civilian saviour? avatar.