Images of the snow peaked Upper Himalayas are magnificent, awe inspiring and incredibly romantic. But the reality of living thousands of feet above sea level is anything but romantic. Temperatures are way below freezing (upto minus thirty degrees), air is thin, with the barest levels of oxygen, water is frozen, food is scant, healthcare is rudimentary and sparse, and every breath is a blessing. The reality is icy and harsh.

High altitude pharyngitis/bronchitis, snow blindness, conjunctivitis, hypertension, asthma and breathing disorders, gastroenteritis, depression, anxiety, cellulitis, hormonal imbalances, hypothyroidism, scurvy, scabies, alcoholism,hypercholesterolemia, migraines, fever, lacerations, hemorrhoids and cardiac diseases are some of the common health problems in these areas . Since the villages are really scattered, and access to many is totally cut off in the winter months, getting emergency supplies and medication to the people of these villages becomes of vital importance, and is often the difference between life and death. Many people continue to suffer greatly, even fatally, due to the lack of any accessible healthcare.

One little endeavour of Raj K Gopalakrishnan and mine, has been to get vital medications for people in the far flung villages of the Spiti valley.

We are filled with gratitude to Umang Vohra CEO & MD Cipla Limited for donating medicines for hundreds of people, and to our dear friend, Tsering Bodh in Kaza, for organizing the camps in the remotest of villages, many of which can only be reached on foot.

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