Travelling to the last frontier
Reviewed by Vikrant Parmar


Ladakh Changing, yet Unchanged
By Romesh Bhattacharji. Rupa. 
Pages 280. Rs 595

Travelling to Ladakh has been a dream for many, a select few have realised it and a lucky few realise it often. Then there are some who live by the dream and die without realising it; for some it’s just god’s land in the lap of the grand Himalayas that they have read about in a few pages that make for fantasy. Travelogues about Ladakh are aplenty, there is no dearth of books and newspaper articles are an everyday affair. So what’s new with Romesh Bhattacharji’s book Ladakh changing, yet unchanged? Attention to detail, for certain.

Thirty-eight years of comparison to boast of, Bhattacharji had his first date with Ladakh in 1972. The narrative is reflective of that and often moves between "then" and "now". There is a rich dose of nostalgia as the author traverses a path that he is no stranger to while revealing details that only someone who has seen the area for years can. Historical references abound in each chapter, so do "studied" facts about Ladakh’s geographical uniqueness, social diversity, cultural moorings, demographic attributes and climatic fragilities.

There is an intense concern for the environment in the backdrop of increasing pollution and global warming. Receding glaciers, which are "garbage strewn" at most places and the spread of "dirty" moraines underline the looming threat of a climatic catastrophe. So does the receding of the Siachen Glacier, due to heat generated by helicopters, diesel trucks and generators.

The need for systematic demilitarisation, keeping the ecological fragility of the area in mind, has also been highlighted by Bhattacharji. The humane angle is apparent in the author’s concern for the labourers from the less-gifted states of India, who survive these harsh conditions with bare minimum facilities. Government apathy, corruption and red-tape are hinted at, so is the smuggling of goods into and from across the Chinese border. A sensitive word goes out to the martyrs of the India-China war in 1962 – "Our soldiers were brave, fought well, but were ill-equipped".

Throughout the text, there is sufficient sprinkling of interesting facts such as those about the birthplace of Leh Berry juice, which is made out of sage buckthorn berry called Saptalullu in Ladakh, or the Hanle observatory or the breath-taking Tsomoriri Lake, with its only island Letse or the double-humped Bactrian camels.

Prosperity has rapidly seeped into every facet of the vast, arid stretch of the mesmerising land called Ladakh and the author showcases the tapestry with the eye of an expert. "Ladakh is seen from the heart and not the mind" — one could not agree more with the author. Many facets have changed, many are changing, yet many will remain unchanged. More than a travelogue, the book comes across as an encyclopedia of sorts. It is sure to delight the academic and tourist alike, not someone who is looking for a plot.

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