Winding through dense woodlands of pine, deodar and oak, a five-kilometre road connects the two ridges. Secluded and shaded in daytime, it is unlit at night. Silence prevails, as if there are signs everywhere. _________. The wind sighing in the leaves, cicadas singing in the undergrowth, a woodpecker hugging a tree trunk, knocking softly on it. A bird calls out in the jungle. Occasionally, an Army truck labours uphill. The growl of its engine lingers in the air. In contrast, downhill traffic glides noiselessly.

Winding through dense woodlands of pine, deodar and oak, a five-kilometre road connects the two ridges. Secluded and shaded in daytime, it is unlit at night. Silence prevails, as if there are signs everywhere. But sounds of the jungle’s pulsing life filter through. The wind sighing in the leaves, cicadas singing in the undergrowth, a woodpecker hugging a tree trunk, knocking softly on it. A bird calls out in the jungle. Occasionally, an Army truck labours uphill. The growl of its engine lingers in the air. In contrast, downhill traffic glides noiselessly.