Craft
Ladakh is mostly known for its beauty, a traveler’s paradise, a home for wandering souls, a getaway to serenity… However, what it is not known for and what has gone predominantly unnoticed is its craft—its sparsely populated artisans and the narrative of their enthralling lives. It is not known for its two potters, a father […]
Dranyen The Confluence of Culture
I first came across the “dranyen” while documenting craft in Ladakh, and I remember being completely awestruck by the instrument—its bright colors, the horse-shaped head, and the skill with which Tsering Angchuk le was playing this fretless six-string instrument. The dranyen, or kopong as we call it in Ladakh, is an instrument with strings paired […]
Let’s keep it moon land and not make it wasteland The impact of tourism on Ladakh.
“Waste generation,” “Plastic waste,” “Degrading environment,” and the list goes on. All of us are familiar with these terms, but how many of us are concerned? The rising menace of waste engulfs the world, and tourism-centered areas are the biggest prey. Boracay Island in the Philippines was closed in 2018 for six months due to […]
Rantak: The Ladakhi watermill
The indigenous use of traditional watermills to grind the locally grown crops is unique to the Himalayan region, especially Ladakh. The watermill is known as rantak in Ladakh. People of Ladakh have been using rantak since the olden days. No history tells us the manual technique for grinding in Ladakh like the rest of the world, where most of […]
The Aryan Valley
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 […]
Open Door to Architecture & Conservation
Vernacular architecture is a source of history, a standing archive of how people lived in the past. The connection one feels to an old house is inexplicable and enigmatic. Traditional architecture plays an essential role in connecting a person to their heritage and culture. However, apathy towards our history and historical legacies have made these […]
Winter Wonderland?
When most people think about Ladakh in the winter, they imagine soft, absolutely white snow swaying through the air and falling softly on the ground, only to make it onto a thick, untouched light blanket of what looks like clouds. “Beautiful” and “enchanting” are two words that perfectly describe the visual landscape of the place. […]
The Beauty of Tomatoes
“Home-grown tomatoes, home-grown tomatoes What’d life be without home-grown tomatoes Only two things that money can’t buy That’s true love & home-grown tomatoes.”** —Guy Clark This couplet from the song “Home-grown Tomatoes” by Guy Clark beautifully captures the feeling that home-grown tomatoes evoke. The whole song describes his love for home-grown tomatoes, and I couldn’t […]
Let’s keep it moon land and not make it wasteland The impact of tourism on Ladakh.
“Waste generation,” “Plastic waste,” “Degrading environment,” and the list goes on. All of us are familiar with these terms, but how many of us are concerned? The rising menace of waste engulfs the world, and tourism-centered areas are the biggest prey. Boracay Island in the Philippines was closed in 2018 for six months due to […]
THE HEALTHY GEM OF LADAKH: SEABUCKTHORN
Berry Berry! Leh Berry!!!! Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) of the family Elaeagnaceae, known as Leh Berry is a thorny shrub of 9-12 m height with ample branches. These plants have a life span of 100-150 years. The plant can tolerate winter temperatures as low as -43 degrees Celsius to summer temperatures up to +40 degrees […]
