Ladakh at Crossroads - Environment, Development and Democracy

India's northern-most region, Ladakh (adjoining Tibet), is at a historical crossroads. From being an independent kingdom for 1000 years, to a region within Jammu and Kashmir state of India, and now a Union Territory under direct control of the central government, it has suffered systematic reduction in its autonomy. Mainstream 'development' approaches, including unregulated explosion in tourism, are threatening its fragile ecosystems, climatic security, and unique culture, as also not providing adequate livelihood opportunities for its youth. Now it is struggling to regain autonomy within India's Constitution through statehood and Schedule 6 status, to safeguard its land, environment, culture, and self-governance power to determine its own future. Presentation at Shiv Nadar University's Centre for Himalayan Studies, 14.3.2024.

1. Ladakh at a Crossroads Ashish Kothari Kalpavriksh / Vikalp Sangam / Global Tapestry of Alternatives

2. India’s northernmost region Part of Tibetan plateau - major ecological, cultural, trade connections with central Asia - Baltistan

3. Ecologically unique … Trans-Himalayan (part of Tibet plateau) cold desert & pastures high altitude lakes Indus-Zanskar watersheds sparse tree cover in river valleys distinct wildlife / biodiversity

4. Futoksar scape

5. Singela scape

6. Indus near Phey Zinchen -Zanskar confluence

7. Pangong Lake

8. Blacknecked cranes

9. Pic: Jigmet Dadul Snow leopard

10. Land-based economy Traditional land-based livelihoods: nomadic pastoralism , farming (barley, buckwheat, peas), horticulture (apricot, apple) Collective governance of commons Trade an important source of livelihood for centuries Recently, government/army jobs and tourism

11. Changpa & livestock, Changthang

12. Pashmina goats, Changthang

13. Hanle valley, Changthang

14. Socio-culturally unique … Traditional Bon faith, now part- Buddhist ( Leh ), part- Muslim (Kargil) Pastoral and agri cultural related cuisines , festivals , beliefs , cosmologies , languages , arts 95% population - Scheduled Tribes Religion, gender and caste -based hierarchies and discriminations

15. Mosque, Kargil (pic: internet) Thiksay Monastery Hemis Shukpachan

16. Oracle, Rumtse Traditional drummers, Leh

17. Ledo village women’s group

18. Hemis Shukpachan SECMOL

19. Politics and Governance Independent kingdom for >1000 years Incorporated into Dogra kingdom (early 19 th cent), then (post-Independence) into J&K state Autonomous Hill Council (within J&K) since 1995 Panchayats since 2001 Union Territory since 2019 Significant presence of armed forces Continued reliance on traditional goba / yulpa (village assembly) system

20. Why is Ladakh at a crossroads? Possibly more than ever before, Ladakhis do not have control over their destiny National and global entities are eyeing it for profits, power, and hegemony Change in mindset of Ladakhis – towards more commercial, ‘developmentalist’ aspirations

21. Crisis of livelihoods Decline in traditional livelihoods : low returns, climate change, displacement by mass industrial goods Youth alienation: ‘drudgery’ and low status of traditional livelihoods, attraction of urban jobs Outmigration from villages Inadequate new occupations suited to local context

22. Tourism: boon or bane? 2024: 50 th anniversary of ‘opening up’ 527 in 1974 to 525,000 In 2023 Significant livelihood opportunities Character: from trekking/adventure/wildlife to mass consumerist tourism Heavy pressure on few destinations (‘3 Idiots’ syndrome!) Shanti Stupa, Leh Landfill, Tsokar Lake

23. Development in Ladakh: how appropriate? Highways, tunnels, railway line, mega-solar park, 36 helipads, airport to cater to 2 million annual visitors, etc …. Infrastructure & tourism heavy … suitable to region’s ecological and cultural fragility?

24. CLIMATE and LADAKH Receding glaciers, water crisis (less snowfall), changing crop patterns, grassland changes in Changthang …. V. inadequate focus on adaptation PM Modi: Ladakh as carbon-neutral – but it was always possibly carbon-negative , and now ‘developments’ planned may be reversing this? Ubarak (Zanskar)

25. Crisis of governance Alienated feeling under J&K replaced by even greater loss of control as Union Territory Most officials of UT Administration from outside – little understanding of ecological/cultural fragility Ladakh Industrial Land Allotment Policy – single window clearance by UT Admin. officials All consultancy contracts for vision / planning documents, given to outside agencies (e.g. Ernst & Young) BJP promise of 6 th Schedule status in 2019, never fulfilled – now formally rejected

26. Are there alternatives?

27. Food and agriculture Sustaining, reviving barley ( nas ) Promoting Ladakhi cuisine Replacing junk foods

28. Livelihoods: Community led ecotourism SLC-IT: Homestays; crafts; nature guiding - all linked to conservation SLC-IT

29. Livelihoods: Crafts, small manufacturing, agro -processing https:// loomsofladakh.in

30. SECMOL: innovative use of passive and active (decentralized) solar Energy alternatives

31. Alternative learning SECMOL: focus on head, hands, heart Campaign to prioritise Ladakhi Water/wildlife conservation modules by LAMO, SLC-IT, NCF, Kalpavriksh

32. Leh Vision 2030 : Can it become a model for small towns in India? Reach Ladakh Bulletin

33. When the state is responsive Progressive policies / programmes Mission Organic 2025 Ladakh Vision 2025 Leh Vision 2030 Ladakh Vision 2050 Tourism Vision for decade (2022) Food / cuisine festivals Qs: How participatory? Implementation mechanisms? Will UT ‘development’ plans confirm to such visions? What Constitutional status (5/6 th Schedule? Legislature?) will help?

34. Sustaining traditional governance in new context Goba (headman) / Yulpa (village assembly) system pre-dates all current governance institutions Still enormously relevant for economic, socio-cultural, political functions No clarity re. links to panchayats, Hill Council and UT Administration Gobas as nambardars paid for govt liaison work, but v. inadequately Internal inequities: gender / caste

35. Participatory action research – leading to action 5 civil society organisations involved Endorsed by Ladakh Buddhist Association Led to formation of Goba Association for Leh district Proposed actions on cultural, caste, ecological issues

36. Vikalp Sangam: confluences of radical alternatives for mutual learning, collaborations, joint actions, visioning, and advocacy

37. Ecological resilience & wisdom (rights of nature, conservation) Radical democracy / swaraj (direct citizens’ power, accountable representative institutions, borderless world) Economic democracy: Earth shastra (producer sovereignty, localised self-reliance , caring/sharing, commons; wealth redistribution) Social justice & wellbeing (justice, equity of genders, ethnicities, castes … ) Culture & knowledge diversity (new learning, knowledge commons, celebrating creativity, spiritual / ethical deepening) Flower of Transformation Towards Justice, Equity, Sustainability VALUES

38. 3 Vikalp Sangams in Ladakh –LEDEG, SLC-IT, LAMO, NCF, Local Futures, Hill Council, Kalpavriksh

39. Vikalp Sangam 2021: Food / Agr Recommendations to LAHDC / UT Admin Commitments by civil society Taking Mission Organic 2025 further (e.g. local foods in mid-day meals & PDS) Documenting stories of innovation, enterprise, traditions Developing plan for agro -tourism

40. Towards well-being … Developing a Well-being Index for Ladakh : civil society led, village-level consultations Promoting paradigms that combine old and new, material and spiritual, inward and outward-looking

41. Alternatives will not succeed without autonomy and self-governance Struggle for 6 th Schedule & statehood – uniting Leh and Kargil, building on long-standing demands for self-governance Could 5 th Schedule also be considered? Pic: Karma Sonam 6 th Schedule agitation, 2023

42. Autonomy will be meaningless without Ladakhi re-visioning Challenging ’developmentalist ’, commercial mindset that permeates part of Ladakhi population (e.g. tourist boom) Hill Councillors needing to think alternatively Transforming recent Leh -Kargil unity into long-term co-existence (religious, economic, cultural) Empowering village assemblies and urban area committees , building on goba / yulpa system

43. And finally, a dream vision … Re-envisioning and grounding a bioregional perspective for South Asia – beyond Ladakh-Tibet and India-Pakistan borders re-establishing flows of nomadic pastoralists, wildlife, and trade establishing zones of peace governed by local communities

44. An appeal … Ladakh needs our support! Issue statements / do other advocacy Visit for solidarity Help with action research / RTIs Hold a day’s fast (or longer!) Connect to larger struggle for Himalaya

45. For further dialogue [email protected] www.kalpavriksh.org www.vikalpsangam.org All photos (except where credited otherwise): Ashish Kothari Acknowledgements: SLC-IT, LAMO, Local Futures Ladakh, NCF, Kalpavriksh