Features On Ladakh

Jammu and Kashmir’s Monthly Magazine

RNI : JKENG/2007/26070

Jammu and Kashmir’s Monthly Magazine

ISSN 0974-5653

Now Telling The J&K Stories

Epilogue because there is more to know

Epilogue

Jammu, November 1, 2009 / Vol 3 / Issue 11 || Price Rs. 30 || Postal Registration No. JK-350/2009-11 || www.epilogue.in

BRIDGING Divides Via Talks & Trade Special on First Anniversary of Cross-LoC Trade

because there is more to know

An Analysis of Joint Chamber -------------New Delhi's Fresh Peace Initiatives --------------Perspectives on Harnessing Indus Waters

INTERVIEW : NYLA ALI KHAN

RESEARCH :

Author of Islam Women & Violence in Kashmir

Socio-Cultural and Economic Changes Among Muslim Rajputs

November 1, 2009 Vol 3 / Issue 11 || Price Rs. 30 || www.epilogue.in

54

F EATURE S

Travelogue

A Journey to Himalayan enclave MANISHA SOBHRAJANI

I

recently travelled by road from Leh to Kargil, and it was a journey unlike any other – either within Jammu & Kashmir or outside. The Indus river came along till Batalik, and then changed course to make its way into Pakistan. The stark naked, brown mountains provided a very unwelcoming terrain, but the curves and turns got friendlier as one got used to them. On my way, I crossed village Nehmo, from where came the Leh Berry juice until it got embroiled in controversies, and the manufacturing stopped. Nehmo is also known for its sole woman Panch (head) who contested the Panchayati Raj elections in 2001, and got elected to the village council. Tashi Yangskit was the first and only female voice in the first and only Panchayati Raj elections held in Jammu & Kashmir. I crossed many Border Roads Organization (BRO) boards which read: 'You are being watched by the enemy'. I briefly stopped over at Khalsti for a quick snack as I was told it was the last point where one would get any food until Kargil. I kept eyeing the apricot trees which dotted the entire route from Leh to Kargil, and were laden with so much fruit that they seemed to be weighed down under the weight. I was keen to visit Darchiks - the last village in the Batalik sector - which is under Army surveillance due to its proximity to the LoC. I had to seek

www.epilogue.in

permission from the Biama Brigade to go up to the village, which is known for the last few surviving Aryans who live there (Aryans are considered to the seminomadic tribe which wandered in to India from Central Europe around 1500 BC, establishing the beginnings of the 'Indian Culture'). The Army has set up a Women's Empowerment Centre where women from the village are taught tailoring. I have grudged this for all the years that I have been working in Jammu & Kashmir – any civil society initiative for women ends up in tailoring/ embroidery schools, as if women can't do anything else! However, I also do realise that this is something which comes naturally to women; something that does not need too much 'exposure'! The high point of this journey was a visit to the Drass War Memorial. Drass and Kargil became household names after the infamous summer of 1999. National Highway 1D passes through Drass, connecting Srinagar and Leh. Drass also happens to be the coldest inhabited place in India. Situated amongst Tiger Hill, Tololing and Three Pimples - the three ranges captured by the Pakistani Army in early 1999 which led to the war of Kargil - the memorial is awe-inspiring, to say the least. The Kargil war was fought through the months of May and June, and in the soldiers' accounts accompanying the many photographs at the memorial, there is one in particular which struck

Vol. 3, Issue 11

me: The climate was so harsh that 'eggs become tennis balls, and orange juice has to be boiled'. The photo gallery was overwhelming, and I made a mental note of coming back to spend more time there. As I was leaving, I thanked the soldier on duty who had very patiently and kindly answered all my questions, and shown me around the memorial. He even wished me a pleasant onward journey. Overloaded with emotions, I said to him that it was because of him and innumerable other jawans like him that people like me were walking 'free'. He returned the compliment by saying civilians were equally important. He went on further to say that thousands of people worked hard day and night to prepare food and warm clothing, and arranged to carry weaponry etc. uphill so that the soldiers could fight, and eventually win the war. I can't remember a more humbling moment! It made me dwell on the futility of war. Certainly nothing original about this reflection, but something very personalised. Ten years since Kargil, have we – India and Pakistan – moved forward on any front? Leave alone the larger Indo-Pak issues, have we moved any further on the cross-border/ intraKashmir initiatives? Perhaps the only effort which has moved anywhere is the cross-LoC trade – of course not without its controversies. No doubt the cross-border trade is at a very fragile crossroads right now. A

Epilogue, November 2009

Jammu and Kashmir’s Monthly Magazine

RNI : JKENG/2007/26070

Jammu and Kashmir’s Monthly Magazine

ISSN 0974-5653

Now Telling The J&K Stories

Epilogue because there is more to know

Epilogue

Jammu, November 1, 2009 / Vol 3 / Issue 11 || Price Rs. 30 || Postal Registration No. JK-350/2009-11 || www.epilogue.in

BRIDGING Divides Via Talks & Trade Special on First Anniversary of Cross-LoC Trade

because there is more to know

An Analysis of Joint Chamber -------------New Delhi's Fresh Peace Initiatives --------------Perspectives on Harnessing Indus Waters

INTERVIEW : NYLA ALI KHAN

RESEARCH :

Author of Islam Women & Violence in Kashmir

Socio-Cultural and Economic Changes Among Muslim Rajputs

November 1, 2009 Vol 3 / Issue 11 || Price Rs. 30 || www.epilogue.in

55

F EATURE S

Life Stories recent visit to Chakkan da Bagh confirmed the same. There was talk of trade exchange of products which are not J&K specific (I understand this is one of the preconditions for the products being traded!). However symbolic it may be, it does exist. And now that it has completed a year, we must extend all efforts towards sustaining it. Perhaps it is the only ray of hope in the sequence of events beginning with the Mumbai attacks, going on to the controversial meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani at Sharm-el-Sheikh, and ending with the very recent meeting of the two foreign ministers – Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir - in New York. Manisha Sobhrajani is a Delhibased independent researcher working on the various aspects of the Kashmir conflict. She can be reached at manishasobhrajani@e pilogue.in

www.epilogue.in

Spreading the Lamp of Learning–the Ladakhi way ZAINAB AKHTER

L

adakh in the eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir, a highaltitude desert region, on the upper reaches of the Indus River, shares borders with both China and Pakistan. This strategic position by itself has been the single-most important factor in opening this isolated rural society. With high priority on defence since the 1960's, it has attracted subsidies from the Central government and development activities such as schools and other institutions was initiated. Today Education has taken centrestage in national policy and the priority accorded to it is justified. For any society to develop, Education is the foundation and this stands true for Ladakh where the education system was in disarray. Government schools did not function properly remained in dire need of repairs. There was a complete lack of involvement of the families and village communities in schools This is where the local government “Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) along with some highly motivated NGO'S stepped in to don the mantle to revamp education system at the grassroots. The efforts of SECMOL (Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) an organization founded in 1988 by a group of young Ladakhi's with the aim to reform the educational system have been stellar. It attempted to change the attitude and approach of the people towards teaching, from "chalk, talk and stick" to

Vol. 3, Issue 11

child-centered, joyful and meaningful learning activities. And stressed on the use of games, songs, stories, field trips, and low-cost teaching aids. In 1994 SECMOL launched Operation New Hope (ONH), to overhaul the primary education system in the Government schools in Leh district. This addressed the foundational causes of the malfunctioning of the educational system especially in remote villages. The ONH movement rests on the convergence of three sectors on the Government, the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the village communities. One of the key components of the ONH was to inculcating a sense of community ownership of the government schools , to ensure accountability. This was the motivation for a concentrated campaign and the creation of VECs (Village Education Committee. VEC's elected by the villagers themselves have one third women members and include at least two students. The move has caught the imagination of the people and the momentum was palpable. It essentially transformed them from passive bystanders bemoaning the crumbling government educational facilities to taking the onus of improving it themselves. From 1997, SECMOL has organized more than 10 batches of intensive training for 1000 VEC members. The training uses group

Epilogue, November 2009

56

F EATURE S Life Stories

discussion, brainstorming and roleplays to develop techniques of problem solving and planning. To promote transparency and a c c o u n t a b i l i t y, m e m b e r s l e a r n accounting and book-keeping. Insights and knowledge gained by the VEC leaders are then shared with the community where the level of receptivity has been found to be high. . After the success in Leh District, a similar reform movement has started in Kargil District For taking the flame of education beyond established villages to remote areas in Leh, SECMOL runs a hostel to groom community representatives who are willing travel and work in such areas. There they combine their educational training with actual developmental work in the villages. It also provides media training to interested students in basics of video including shooting and editing, audio, photography, reporting and layout. The emphasis on reaching out to village communities is accompanied by expansion of reading materials, both course and for extra reading available to teachers and students. Keeping in mind, the region's needs in developing material related to the cultural, social, regional context, SECMOL's sister concern Melong Publications publishes a variety of genres. Books on Ladakhi language, food, children's stories, school books and teaching materials designed specially for Ladakh are its forte. Being culturally appropriate, students find it much easier to grasp the messages than from books suited to other regions. SECMOL has developed an innovative way of training students from remote areas to become teachers while they pursue higher secondary School education in Leh. The idea is to not disrupt the process of regular

www.epilogue.in

education while instilling in them the spirit and skills to take this learning forward in their respective regions. It has intervened at other levels too, addressing availability of infrastructure. Middle and high schools in several remote villages face problems because of lack of support and infrastructure. In response to one such case in the high mountainous region of Changthang plateau, SECMOL opened a solar heated residential school in September 2001. This combined the resources allocated to middle and high schools and was able to provide free board and lodging for students for whom traversing the mountain terrain on a daily basis was difficult. This was a pioneering move, which has since been picked up by the government to establish similar residential high schools in other farflung areas of Ladakh. Students being trained at SECMOL are being absorbed in the education department of Leh. They are making it to the teacher selection list brought out by the J&K Government. All of this emanates from

Vol. 3, Issue 11

a keen desire, a commitment to education in its widest possible sense. Rather than addressing a single aspect SECMOL has looked at the needs of the region in its entirety. These have ranged from content and syllabus, teacher training, infrastructural needs and community participation. It has then evolved an expansive system which takes into account multifarious needs of a society, a region which remains distinct from the rest of the country and even within J&K in terms of its history , terrain, its culture and language. Today in its 2 decade long journey, this commitment and efforts have paid off, lighting up young lives in Ladakh. A standing testimony to this has been the big jump in enrolment and retention of children in areas of their work had increased to such an extent by 2006, that it was jokingly said that the new problem in the school system was overcrowding! Charkha Features {This article has been written under the “Sanjoy Ghose Ladakh Women Writers' Award 2008-09}

Epilogue, November 2009

Jammu and Kashmir’s Monthly Magazine

RNI : JKENG/2007/26070

Jammu and Kashmir’s Monthly Magazine

ISSN 0974-5653

Now Telling The J&K Stories

Epilogue because there is more to know

Epilogue

Jammu, November 1, 2009 / Vol 3 / Issue 11 || Price Rs. 30 || Postal Registration No. JK-350/2009-11 || www.epilogue.in

BRIDGING Divides Via Talks & Trade Special on First Anniversary of Cross-LoC Trade

because there is more to know

An Analysis of Joint Chamber -------------New Delhi's Fresh Peace Initiatives --------------Perspectives on Harnessing Indus Waters

INTERVIEW : NYLA ALI KHAN

RESEARCH :

Author of Islam Women & Violence in Kashmir

Socio-Cultural and Economic Changes Among Muslim Rajputs

November 1, 2009 Vol 3 / Issue 11 || Price Rs. 30 || www.epilogue.in

57

F EATURE S

Life Stories

A Trek Through Life THINLAS CHOROL

Growing up amidst the mountains in Ladakh, the story of a young girl fired by a dream to become a professional trekking guide, a male-dominated field. The rejection she faces from travel companies and the support from individuals and groups mark her journey to realize her dreams.

I

was born in a small village with around 60 houses called Takmachik about 120 km from Leh, Ladakh . In my village, all the 60 families are divided into groups to take turns at grazing the goats and sheep on the mountains.. We also would make trips to collect grass and store it so that during the long harsh winters, the animals have adequate fodder. Sometimes my father used to go up everyday for 3 or 4 weeks to collect grass in the quantities required. As a child during my holidays , I use to go up on the mountain with my father and our herds. I was afraid that something may happen to him if he was alone. My mother had died when I was a baby and I had only my father, whom I cared about deeply. I did not really cut any grass, I just went because of my father and because I loved the peaceful mountains. This was the bliss of my childhood which I still miss in the village which I still love. But then life changed and I went out into the world to get myself an education and explore possibilities for my life ahead. After Class 10th , I had to leave my village to further my studies. I was selected for the SECMOL (Student Educational Cultural Movement of Ladakh) hostel in Phey, around 25 km from the Leh Town.

www.epilogue.in

In SECMOL I met many volunteers and I went trekking with some of them. One of the women asked me to come with her as a guide. Previously, she had a bad experience with a male guide, who had tried to coerce her into having sex with him. Distraught, she had abandoned the trek and fled. And now was understandably weary of taking a male guide along. She knew that I have trekked before and though I said I did not the route, remained keen to hire me as a guide and offered to pay me my charges. I had been born in the mountains and spent my childhood amidst them. It was natural for me to slip into that mode and become for the first time, a trekking guide! It was an altogether different experience from my childhood wanderings. I found I was attracting a lot of attention with local people coming up to me and speaking to me in English saying they had never seen a Ladakhi female guide ever before. In fact so remote was the possibility of encountering one, many of them thought that I was Japanese! The trek turned out to be wonderful and the woman enjoyed it immensely. She suggested that I think about becoming a guide as a profession. It was the first time, I had got advice of this kind and suddenly the world opened

Vol. 3, Issue 11

up before me. What was a part of my growing up experience could become a way of life, a career option, She pursued this and together we went to meet with the organization “Snow Leopard Conservancy” which runs such programs in the region. Although it did not quite work out with this particular organization, the experience of this foreign women believing in me, left a huge impact on my life. I decided to pursue it on my own steam and approached two travel companies. At one of them, the person in charge asked me if I did monastery tours. He was taken aback on hearing me say categorically, that I wanted to work as a trekking guide. I was rejected. At the second company, it was worse. I was clearly told that local society would not accept a woman going up on the mountains with a group of tourists. These were bitter experiences, leaving me dejected, my dreams seemed on the verge of being shattered. But help was near. I shared my angst with my English teacher, Becky who was from America and found a much needed supporter in her. She encouraged me to pursue my dreams and paid my fees for mountaineering courses. Later, Becky introduced me to a travel agency, she knew well and they

Epilogue, November 2009

58

F EATURE S Life Stories

said they would hire me! It was I knew a turning point for me and I had to prove myself to all those who believed in me. I did a few courses to upgrade my knowledge and skills and also to show the agency that I was really serious about my work. I first did mountaineering course at the Nehru Institution Of Mountaineering and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS India) . It was here that I really learnt how to live in the wilderness. Generally in Ladakh, students work as a guide without any formal training. Men are hired by company even if they do not have this training, any familiarity with trekking routs or work experience. In spite of my training though, in the beginning it was very difficult for me to get hired by the

travel companies. I faced a similar situation everywhere. But I persisted in my efforts. And my lucky break came in 2004 again through SECMOL. They opened a travel company called “Around Ladakh with Students”. Most of the guides were women, all of them were doing cultural guide and monastery tours, except me. I was for the first time a full-fledged trekking guide! It was a dream come true and my joy knew no bounds. This was the beginning of a journey for me. I observed that generally it was very expensive for individual tourists to travel to different regions in Ladakh and get a sense of the local life there. In my present capacity, we use homestays for taking up groups where tourists can stay in homely comfort and at the same

time experience the real Ladakhi way of life. Over time, a few travel companies came to know about our work and approached me to be a trekking guide and I began to get hired for their treks. This is what I loved doing the most and such opportunities encouraged me and gave me a confidence, a renewed faith in myself. I have learnt a lot on my journey and enjoyed it immensely. Women who are interested in the outdoor field or any field dominated by men should be patient and keep the competitive edge sharp. I have learnt that if a woman has the courage to do something in male world, it will be a lot of hard work, but the sweet rewards of success will surely be hers in time.

Read the web version, enjoy pleasure of print edition Subscription rates : Print (Annaul) Rs. 300/- digital - free for three months

Digital Version of Epilogue Now available at ezinemart.com eZineMART

TM

Epilogue

log on to www.ezinemart.com Read Epilogue along with leading news, current affairs, business and lifestyle magazines of country

Also available at www.epilogue.in www.epilogue.in

Vol. 3, Issue 11

Epilogue, November 2009