When apples saved the day and lives

In 1996, while camping at Marhama near Khanabal in Jammu & Kashmir, I found myself in a scenario that now feels like a surreal dream. Heavy rains had flooded the area, cutting us off from supplies and turning our campsite into a virtual island. Luckily, our tents stood on a slightly higher ground in the heart of an apple orchard, chosen originally for its shade, but it soon became our lifeline.

All around us, the ground was carpeted not with leaves but ripe, red apples. With ration vehicles stranded because of flood, these glossy fruits became our limitless source of sustenance. We plucked them fresh from the branches, relishing their crisp sweetness. So abundant were these that we even used them to shoo away stray dogs — a thought almost absurd today, when apples sell for over Rs 200 a kg in Patiala.

That orchard remains etched in my memory as a paradise born in adversity: apples everywhere, shining in the rain like jewels, turning an anxious, flood-bound stint into a strangely magical experience. It was a reminder that nature sometimes provides its own bounty when man-made systems falter—a moment of unexpected abundance I still cherish nearly three decades later.

Col RS Narula (retd), Patiala