Like most of you, I believe, I had no idea about the concept of “pregnancy tourism” before I began my research for this article. I knew the Brogpa tribe in Ladakh was referred to as the last “Pure Aryan” tribe in the world, but it never crossed my mind that the concept that propagated the Second World War had been relevant, in some way, in the “tourism” context in Ladakh. There is research on how women from Germany would come to Ladakh to get pregnant with the “pure race.” In 2007, filmmaker Sanjeev Sivan released his documentary “Achtung Baby: In Search of Purity,” where he demonstrated exactly this concept and documented the partial journey of one German woman in pursuit of a “pure born” offspring in Ladakh.
There are so many mystical ideas surrounding this tribe whose name I heard only in a derogatory way while growing up in Ladakh! People from this region were often referred to as uncivilized and even dehumanized by the people in Leh. (Although, I have realized the people of Leh do sit on a fragile pedestal and are quite secretly cruel to anyone from outside of Leh. There is a snide, almost poetic comment for every community beyond a few kilometers.) Although geographically close, culturally, the spaces had vast differences that could not be filled by the lack of distance between them. Other than this shocking phenomenon of pure breeding that daunted the region, it is also known for its breathtaking landscape, the very bold and beautiful attire of its people, and…its wine!
When most people imagine vineyards, they think of green valleys full of life, and the grey landscape of Ladakh doesn’t quite fit that description. But Dha, “a small village of 35 families which is tucked between the foothills, carved by the Indus river,” has the two most essential elements of growing grapevines: abundant sun and dry soil. This village is also believed by archaeologists to be the first Aryan settlement.
Interestingly, according to Dhruv’s notes on the valley, the chef at Tsas, the avant-garde restaurant at Dolkhar, the people of this settlement have resented all forms of change presented by the modern world but have their own dam to provide hydropower electricity for its residents. Some people have their own cars, but all of this merely as a necessity to create basic access to the rest of the world.
As one finds out more about this mysterious community, the range of questions becomes inevitable. My questions about the wine in the region, though, were answered by Dhruv’s notes. According to his research, the grapes in Dha were harvested in mid-September to early October to have a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness. The bunches were then “removed from the stems and twigs carefully by hand. Winemakers would taste a few grapes from every bunch in order to maintain consistency. The grapes are kept in a plastic barrel for 10-15 days, depending upon the temperature, climate, and microbial activity. The process of fermentation would then kick start within the barrel, and natural sugars start turning into ethanol. After this, the entire mixture is then pressed with a wooden mallet to extract the remaining juice, and the juice is then passed through a fine clean cloth to filter out impurities. The filtered, slightly cloudy juice is then bottled into old glass (upcycled used beer bottles) bottles and kept in a cool, dark place.”
This “non-sulfide, unfiltered” wine is locally known as “Gurchang” and is believed to have many health benefits. Interestingly, due to the medicinal nature of this wine, even the Muslim residents of Dha consume this wine even though it is considered “haram” according to their religious norms. The wine is usually sold as a medicinal drink to help the gut and increase vigor once it has been kept for about five years. This wine is now sold locally at a thousand rupees per bottle, and the more mature wines are sold at up to two to three thousand rupees.
I believed until very recently that Ladakh was just its beautiful landscape, but the more I write, the more I realize that I was so extremely wrong. Every time I write a piece, a little more of the valley unravels itself, and it becomes clear that the valley has many a story to tell to anyone ready to listen.
