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Ladakh with Sonam Wangchuk
Portraying India
Perceptions of India, inspired by the lives of those who embody its most authentic spirit
In this edition, we look at Ladakh from the perspective of visionary engineer and philanthropist Sonam Wangchuk.
From childhood till death, we’re in a constant conversation with the environment around us. The place we are born in holds a special place in our hearts. Even if we travel the world, we always ache to return to our birthplace and solve the problems we couldn’t as children. It was no different for Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer who hails from Ladakh.
Ladakh, classified as a cold desert, is a challenging environment to grow up in. With lack of accessibility and harsh climate, the local population struggles for basic amenities such as food, water and education. Growing up in Ladakh, Sonam Wangchuk has been witness to these conditions and strives to change the situation, one initiative at a time. For his efforts he has been recognised by international audiences and create awareness for issues like climate change, water scarcity and quality education with the help of social media.
Passionate About Education
In 1966, Sonam Wangchuk was born in Uleytokpo, a small village in the Ladakh region. In those years, Ladakh was extremely remote and inaccessible to general public. He did not enroll in a school until the age of 9, as there were none in his village. His mother taught him all the basics in his own mother tongue until that age. He enrolled in a school in Srinagar, but even there he faced challenges due to discrimination. Most of his childhood was spent without any quality education. Despite this, he managed to complete his studies in Mechanical Engineering in Srinagar.
Once graduated, he immediately dedicated himself to improving the conditions for education in Ladakh. Along with his brother and peers, he started Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). After experimenting with school reforms in government high school at Saspol, SECMOL launched Operation New Hope, a campaign to provide “culturally appropriate and locally relevant education” and make government schools functionally effective. From changing the language of instruction to making the textbooks relevant to the Ladakhi culture, SECMOL’s efforts shot up the numbers of graduating students from 5% to 75% in 2010.
Once graduated, he immediately dedicated himself to improving the conditions for education in Ladakh. Along with his brother and peers, he started Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). After experimenting with school reforms in government high school at Saspol, SECMOL launched Operation New Hope, a campaign to provide “culturally appropriate and locally relevant education” and make government schools functionally effective. From changing the language of instruction to making the textbooks relevant to the Ladakhi culture, SECMOL’s efforts shot up the numbers of graduating students from 5% to 75% in 2010.
The Ice Stupas, a Revolution
Being classified as a cold desert, Ladakh has always faced challenges when it comes to water scarcity. The water coming down from glacier often needs to be diverted to sustain arable land that supports barley and wheat as well as fruit trees such as apricot and apple. Aware of this problem, Sonam Wangchuk put his capability for innovation and training as an engineer to invent the solution of the Ice Stupas.
Inspired by the phenomenon of ice melting slowly in areas without direct sunlight, the Ice Stupas became a cost-effective and resource efficient method of preserving water. The conical formation of the ice stupas – which resemble the Buddhist stupas that are used for meditation and are prominent features of the landscape in the Tibetan desert regions – maximises the volume of water that is kept out of the sun, slowing down the melting of the artificial glaciers.
Inspired by the phenomenon of ice melting slowly in areas without direct sunlight, the Ice Stupas became a cost-effective and resource efficient method of preserving water. The conical formation of the ice stupas – which resemble the Buddhist stupas that are used for meditation and are prominent features of the landscape in the Tibetan desert regions – maximises the volume of water that is kept out of the sun, slowing down the melting of the artificial glaciers.
“We need to explore our own deserts and land, which need to be healed and managed on the planet itself. It is not the time to use and throw this planet and we need to explore deep within more than without.”
Tremendous Enterprise
For the Ice Stupas, Sonam Wangchuk crowdfunded a 2015 prototype of his design, installing a 1.5-mile pipeline that supplied 1.5 million litres of water to 5,000 saplings in the village desert. He subsequently won the Rolex Award for Enterprise providing him with £80,000 towards developing 20 further stupas, each 30 metres high. He has gained international attention, with being invited by the Swiss Government to build ice stupas as a winter tourism attraction in the Alps.
Apart from the water crisis, he has been actively involved in constructing energy efficient solar mud buildings and farmstays for tourism in Ladakh. Led by Wangchuk, SECMOL has won the International Terra Award for the best building in July 2016 at the 12th World Congress on Earthen Architecture in Lyon, France. In February 2021, for the Indian army, Wangchuk developed solar-powered tents that trap heat during the day and use it to keep the tents warm at night.
Discovering Ladakh
Of all the landscapes across the world, Ladakh is a unique one. Once upon a time, it was a Buddhist kingdom and is home to beautiful monasteries that dot its sparse landscape. The prayer flags flying high against a blank white, brown and blue landscape is a mesmerising sight.
About 47 years ago, Tushita began in Ladakh when Jan Meer, our founder, walked across the valleys and mountains of Ladakh to map them (the resulting map is above) for those who shared his vision of travel as self-discovery. With Christian, his very first partner in this vision, Jan embarked on the journey of bringing Tushita into a world that was keen to discover the mythical lands of India.
About 47 years ago, Tushita began in Ladakh when Jan Meer, our founder, walked across the valleys and mountains of Ladakh to map them (the resulting map is above) for those who shared his vision of travel as self-discovery. With Christian, his very first partner in this vision, Jan embarked on the journey of bringing Tushita into a world that was keen to discover the mythical lands of India.
Eat a traditional feast cooked by a Ladakhi
Inspired by the unique agriculture and produce in the region, and their dependence on barley as the primary grain, many local chefs have started restaurants and kitchens that offer the food of their region. The fragrant pulao dishes, stinging nettle soups and hearty stews cater not only to the locals but also help understand the culture of the region.
Spend a peaceful day at a Monastery
Of mythic beauty, the monasteries of Ladakh offer a window into Buddhist history and culture through statues, artefacts, manuscripts, and thangkas. Being centres of study and practicing cultural festivals one can also become a part of the sacred chanting in Tibetan and Sanskrit in the assembly halls of monasteries alongwith the monks and locals.
Learn about the local built heritage at LAMO
Much of Ladakh had survived till the beginning of the 21st century. However, threats to built heritage are now imminent due to the accelerated pace of modernisation. Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO) started in 1996 to create an environment where people can learn, create and engage with the arts and cultures of Ladakh.
Experience the Milky Way at Hanles
Being sparsely populated Hanle, a village in Ladakh, has been protected from light pollution. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics has declared the area as a protected dark sky reserve for study of the Universe. Hanle is home to IIA’s Indian Astronomical Observatory and hosts many professional telescopes due to its dark skies and dry weather.
Recommendations for Further Exploration
At Tushita, we marvel at India with you. After 45 years of travelling the country, we’re still enamoured by its beauty every day. From Ladakh, where Tushita was anointed by a Buddhist monk in 1977, to Tamil Nadu, where we worked with locals to showcase one of the oldest cultures in the world, we are partners in your journey to discover our part of the world.
Where should we go today?