Tsewang (14) and Kunzang (12) lost their family when flash floods in Leh flattened their home. Now the sisters are set to start their lives afresh, as the western command of the Army has adopted them.
Now studying at the Army Public school in Dagshai, the sisters were overwhelmed by the gesture of Lieutenant-General S.R. Ghosh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Army Command, who met them at Dagshai on the sidelines of the school's annual day celebrations and felicitated them.
Over 190 people were killed and another 200 went missing in the flash floods in Leh after a cloudburst. Several thousands were rendered homeless. The Army was in the forefront of the rescue and relief operations that went on for over a month in the Ladakh region. When the Ladakh Scouts regiment of the Indian Army, in which the sisters' father had served, came to know about their plight, they were adopted and admitted to the prestigious school here. Commanding Officer (CO) of Ladakh Scouts and his wife are now the custodians of these teenagers.
The tragedy
Their father died during the Kargil war in 1999 and their mother married his younger brother. On August 6 last year, the girls lost their mother, step-father and step-brother when rubble covered the entire Choglamsar village. The girls survived the tragedy as Tsewang had gone to the nearby Saboo village to meet a relative and Kunzang was in the school hostel. “The loss is irreparable and we cannot make up for what nature has snatched away,” said Lt.-Gen. S.R. Ghosh. “But we will ensure that they get the best education and are taken care of in every way possible. They will be provided the best of exposure to the world so that they can grow up as confident girls and pursue their lives.”
The girls get emotional and often break down while talking about the day they were orphaned. But soon their indomitable spirit and steely resolve win over and they start to speak about their friends and school. “I miss the traditional food and my grandmother, but I plan to take some of my friends to my village and teach them the language,” said Kunzang who aims to become a cardiologist. Tsewang wants to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force.
