Society

Climate Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who led a month-long padyatra—a journey on foot to draw attention to certain ideas as popularised by M.K. Gandhi—from Ladakh to Delhi was detained by Delhi Police on 30 September at Singhu border crossing between Haryana and Delhi. Wangchuk shared a video on social media where he said. “I am being […]

Abdul Ghani Sheikh in front of the remnant of Leh’s historic boundary wall we ‘discovered’ during our exploration of the town in 2015. Abdul Ghani Sheikh was a friend in a way that only he could be. We bonded over our shared interest in the joys of reading and writing. We would spend hours talking […]

I sat on an ice block cushioned with a Lokpa (goatskin fleece) and sipped hot tea. Portraits of Ladakh’s birds and mammals taken by local photographers were displayed on the ice walls. This unique space also had displays of metal products such as intricately designed pots and brass spoons from Chilling village. The centrepiece was […]

Noor Jahan and Wajeeda Tabassum graduated in commerce and their families wanted them to pursue a career in the corporate sector. Noor Jahan explained, “I was not happy with what I was studying at college and was not really interested. My family wanted me to study commerce, take a job in a bank or pursue […]

The Indian women’s ice hockey team was invited to participate in the Union Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2022. The tournament was organised by Fatima Al Qubaisi, who captains the UAE national ice hockey team. The invitation letter was sent to the Ice Hockey Association […]

One day, my mother asked me to take the cattle to graze in the seabuckthorn forest near the village. It was early summer in the late 1980s. The trees were sprouting new leaves just as green shoots of grass were emerging from the ground. Sun was high and its rays were reflecting on the sand […]

As I read books on Ladakh’s history, I realised that many writers had visited Dha-Hanu villages to collect data. This piqued my curiosity to explore this area. In 2015, I joined the PNR Hydro Power Project in Dha village for my summer internship as a Junior Engineer in the Civil Engineering Department of the company. […]

Born in the beginning of the 20th Century in a Ladakhi Christian family, my father, S. S. Gergan left at a very young age for Srinagar, Kashmir for his education. At the time, this journey would take 14 days on foot or pony. In Kashmir, he studied at the Tyndale Biscoe School, where he had […]

Every society and culture has its own method of calculating time and has developed its own calendar. The people of Ladakh follow the lunar calendar to mark various events and record history. One of the most important social events in the annual Ladakhi lunar calendar is Losar or ‘new year’. There are several rituals and […]

Tashi Rabgais was a prominent scholar, historian and one of Ladakh’s great intellectuals. Despite all his achievements, he was always humble and down-to-earth. He had great command over Ladakhi language and Buddhist studies. He has written numerous books and research papers including The History of Ladakh called the Mirror which Illuminates All. His contribution to […]

Reliable scientific data is a critical ingredient in the development of well-informed and evidence-based policy. By and large, this has been inadequate in the Indian context despite focusing on research and development (R&D) over the last seven decades. Scientists generally conduct research to generate and analyse data, which is then published in the form of […]

Whosoever can address this issue! I am a serving engineer in the Public Works Department (PWD) in Leh district. Based on my experience, I feel that there is a dire need for a training facility for serving Civil Engineers (and engineers in general) in Ladakh.  I was inducted in 2015 in PWD Department as a […]

Ladakh is famous for its culture, beautiful landscape, crystal clear Pangong-tso, Nubra’s sand-dunes, Changthang’s pashmina, lush green valleys of Kargil, the beauty of Zangskar, the forts that dot the landscape and so on. Ladakh still holds many secrets and unexplored mysteries. I recently explored one such mystery. There is a village called Sharchay in Kargil […]

Owing to its geo-strategic location, Ladakh has historically played an important role in ancient trade especially the Silk Route. It was the melting point of culture that connected the Indian subcontinent with Central Asia, China and Tibet. The presence of the two-humped Bactrian camels in Nubra valley is living evidence of these historical links. There […]

On 11 June, 2020, the Ministry of Human Resource Development released its fifth edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of Indian universities in which University of Kashmir and University of Jammu were ranked 48 and 52 respectively. Higher education in J&K is gradually improving with numerous central and state educational institutions. Currently, there […]

It is easy to undermine someone. However, it is important that our perspective is informed by facts. In this regard, I must admit that I neither have the expertise to judge P. Stobdan’s skill as a scholar of diplomacy nor can I claim to be a part of the legions of fans who idolise him. […]

In retrospect, I feel like the proverbial rat abandoning a ship before it sinks. When I left Leh on 8 June, its COVID-19 tally was around 90-odd positive cases. By the time I reached Mumbai and the fog of reverse altitude sickness started to lift, Ladakh’s toll had started pumping steroids as it zoomed past […]

The Partition of India and Pakistan was not just a separation of land but also a division of thousands of families. The mainstream discourse on Partition and divided families primarily focus on Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir valley. The pain and anguish of divided families in Ladakh and Baltistan rarely receive a mention. This is a […]

Historically, neither infectious diseases nor quarantine are new to Ladakh or the wider Himalayan region. At first sight, this is a depressing topic for research. However, closer examination points to encouraging evidence of human ingenuity. Above all, it reminds us—if any reminder is needed—of the benefits of modern medical care. Some of the most vivid […]

In the wake of the coronovirus, there is a lot of discussion about the human body’s immune system. The immune system or immunity is the human body’s strong in-built defence mechanism.This immune systemis a collection of cells and various organsthat work together to form the body’s defence system. The organs that play a key role […]