Catalysing change in Ladakh

When the author first visited Ladakh in 1975, life in the villages was still based on the same foundations it had been for centuries, evolving in its own environments, according to its own traditional Buddhist principles. In the past, the region was protected from both colonialism and Western-style ‘development’ by its lack of resources, inhospitable climate, and inaccessibility. Change came slowly, allowing for adaptation from within. One of the obvious things about Ladakh was the wide, uninhibited smiles of the women, who moved about freely, joking and speaking with men in an..