8 months ago
American Woman Mapped Siachen Glacier in 1912
A long time ago, an American woman named Fanny Bullock Workman went on an adventure to a very cold and high place called the Siachen Glacier.
She made maps and took pictures of this big, icy area.
Many years later, people talked about her journey and how important it was.
They said that if India didn't protect this place, other countries might try to take it.
The glacier is very big and very cold, and it's hard for people to live there.
But Workman's maps helped everyone understand this place better.
Fanny Bullock Workman, an American woman, mapped the Siachen Glacier in 1912, laying the foundation for its strategic understanding.
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground in the world, stretching 76 kilometers in length and 3 to 3.5 kilometers in width.
Retired military officers and mountaineers discussed the strategic importance of the glacier and the hardships faced by soldiers stationed there.
India and Pakistan have territorial disputes over the Siachen Glacier, with both countries claiming sovereignty over the region.
Workman's maps and photographs were crucial in defining the glacier's geography and revealing its true scale and significance.
- Who
- Fanny Bullock Workman, an American woman, and various speakers including Retired Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain, Retired Brigadier Ashok Abbey, and renowned mountaineer Kokila Sudha.
- What
- A talk about Fanny Bullock Workman's 1911-12 expedition to the Siachen Glacier and its strategic importance.
- Where
- CD Deshmukh Auditorium at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
- When
- Earlier this month (specific date not mentioned).
- Why
- To discuss the historical and strategic significance of the Siachen Glacier and Workman's pioneering expedition.
Key facts
- Glacier Length
- 76 kilometers
- Glacier Width
- 3 to 3.5 kilometers
- Workman's Birth Year
- 1859
- Workman's Birthplace
- Worcester, USA
- Workman's Notable Climb
- Pinnacle Peak, Nun Kun massif, Ladakh
- Event Collaborators
- Himalayan Club and Himalayan Environment Trust
- Event Location
- CD Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre, New Delhi
Quotes
Syed Ata Hasnain
Retired Lieutenant General and speaker at the event
“Where did this problem start from? It all started in 1972 when the line of control (LoC) was being demarcated. The line was taken to a point called 9842. NJ 9842 are coordinates on a map. From there, they looked up and saw the glaciers. They used four words in the agreement. It said, the line of control shall go 'north to the glaciers'.”
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“You will have your two adversaries linked up, occupying the northern boundaries of India. You can have a mutual agreement with Pakistan and pull out, but that can never happen. Because you know what happened in Kargil.”
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Shyam Saran
President of IIC and speaker at the event
“I couldn’t sleep at night because of the fumes from the kerosene heaters that were inside the fiberglass huts. Can you imagine, day in and out, those army personnel who were serving there were ingesting these fumes.”
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Kokila Sudha
Renowned mountaineer and speaker at the event
“The morning after we pitched our tent, we had already sunk by one and a half feet. We wanted to commemorate 50 years of Indian Independence and hoist the tricolour on 15 August. But we could only do it on 2 September. We felt very bad about the soldiers’ lives there.”
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Ashok Abbey
Retired Brigadier and speaker at the event
“It is a glacier which is unmatched in its size, beauty and grandeur. It stretches 76 kilometres in length and is between 3 to 3.5 kilometres wide. When you look at the glacier from the air, this is what it looks like. A river of ice. Now, what I am going to show you are her original photographs which she took. This is part of her collection. By the way, this is her original map of 1912, which was published after her exploration of the glacier.”
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Sources
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