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written by Rinchen.

Followers of Tibetan Buddhism believe that both merit and demerit can be multiplied multifold times during an eclipse. Hence, prayers and good deeds are encouraged. Today’s lunar eclipse was one such occasion. The eclipse period ended at about 12 p.m.

As a beginner(even that would be an overstatement) in trying to follow the Tibetan-Buddhist way, there’s not much I can understand. However, what I’ve gauged is that the normal human mind clouded by illusions cannot always grasp concepts directly but must in fact keep an open mind.

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Wandering Watze.

A red fox on a full moon’s night.

Written by Rinchen.

My dog’s more aggressive-than-usual- bark got me to peek out of the window. A pointed snout, bushy tail and thin body.. behold the Himalayan Red Fox (known as watze in Ladakh) glimmering under the full moon’s radiance. From its body language, I inferred that it was a frequent visitor. As at any other occasion, I wondered what it meant..symbolically that is.

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Young and weathering years.

-Rinchen.

Considering Ladakh’s small population, one hears of suicide all too often; specially amidst the youth. Yet, it’s never talked about. These days, there is no solid support structure for the youth. The ‘elders’ who should be guiding the youth are either themselves misguided or are too busy.

In my opinion, one’s solid as well as individually understood source of support, in this day and age, understanding one’s mind. One way to that is through spirituality.

I’m not certain about other places, but surely Ladakh’s Buddhist youth is slowly getting disconnected from its religion: Tibetan-Buddhism. Factors are aplenty: apathy; ‘too cool for spirituality’; ‘too “rational” for spirituality; not been properly introduced to the tenets of the religion; too busy; lack of guidance. The youth today fails to understand that notions of success and coolness cannot take one far; without a firm understanding of the mind we are essentially just drifting through life. On the other side of the coin, the elderly are either unable to effectively share their knowledge, are ‘too cool’ themselves or are ignorant.

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Holding one’s own in rural Ladakh.

-Rinchen.

Chemrey.

I read a beautiful article this morning in The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine. During the pandemic, I like many others, have found great solace not only in nature but also in learning about nature. The article’s author had written emphatically about planting the right kind of trees in the right region. The author also pointed out the harm of planting trees in areas that are not natural havens for trees: open natural ecosystems (ONEs); Ladakh being an ONE. 

In recent years, Ladakh has witnessed various environmental measures, but do we understand whether they are ecologically sound? I for one, honestly don’t pretend to understand, but I do know that not everything that we think is good for nature is good for nature; that not so incidentally applies to our own well being as well. 

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Chodpa Festival, Khangzar

By Sonam Chhomo

Khangzar Khar, Lahaul valley, Picture credits: unknown person from Lahaul. 

Khangzar palace or locally known as the Khangzar Khar is the only palace which exists in the sTod valley (the upper valley of Lahaul valley). It was the home of the Jo/Thakurs/Wazir of Khangzar and the birthplace of Queen mother of Ladakh, Rani Parvati Devi Deskit Wangmo.

Yesterday the villagers of sTod valley (the upper valley of Lahaul valley) celebrated the Chodpa festival at the Khar where the villagers gathered and paid respect to the local Gods. 

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History of Lahaul

– Sonam Chhomo

Lahaul has been the centre of two flourishing Kingdoms- the Ladakh kingdom in the north and north-west and later the Kullu and Chamba kingdoms in the south and south-west, overtime giving the people a space to form their amalgamated version of local cultures. The exact history of these regions, as Nawang states in the earlier essay, is difficult to establish pertaining to the lack of efforts in documentation in these regions. Similarly, Lahaul in the eyes of a tourist is seen as one combined valley but in reality is divided into different cultural zones within the same valley. Customs, traditions, Gods and even languages are separately defined for each valley within the entire Lahaul Valley. 

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Women of Spiti

One thing that I find common in the women of my region Spiti, is that they have a choice and say in all aspects of life.

-Nawang Chhoetso

Spiti women

The older generation of women -from my grandmother’s age group- are primarily housewives. Their succeeding generation went on to expand their horizons by exploring various career opportunities. Hence, women of my mother’s age group engage in a diverse range of jobs and activities, as teachers, nurses and various other occupations. My generation has ahead us of us a greater number of options. But, what has remained constant for women from all three generations has been the right to make our own decisions. 

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