Those  of  us,  who  are  in  their  60s  and  above,  can  say  with  some authority  that  we  have  truly  seen  the  transition  of  Ladakh  from  a medieval period to the modern era, complete with internet and 4G connectivity. With all the good and bad things that have taken place in  the  region,  Ladakh  lies  on  the  ancient  trade  routes  that  once connected us to many countries through Pakistan and China.

Unfortunately,  because  of  poor  geographical  knowledge  and lack of interest on the part of those concerned, these important assets were  ignored. The  fact  is  that  this  region  is  a  stepping  stone  into areas where India could verily assert its new position of economic strength  and  growth  as  a  manufacturing  giant.  Unfortunately, in  a  traditionally—inward  looking  country  like  India,  Ladakh  is considered the last outpost even though successive governments have spent a lot of money in laying out a network of roads which would be the envy of any country in the world.

It is true that the country has only recently come out of a feudal past into the present century, the state of affairs in Ladakh has been a bit more marked in this transition, separated as we are from the mainland  by  the  mighty  barriers  of  the  Himalayas  which  keep  it landlocked  for  five  to  six  months  a  year,  resulting  in  severely curtailing developmental activity.

The road linking Ladakh with the motherland through Kashmir, which was completed over 60 years ago, still permits traffic for only six to seven months of the year, a marginal improvement of 15/20 days since inception, in spite of deployment of massive resources in terms of man, machinery and finance. This in itself is questionable as the slogan of the hour, ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’, should have got us a different outcome.

Geographically located on the Tibetan plateau, at the edge of the region known as Central Asia, Ladakh has been fortunate in that it has politically become a part of the great Indian nation where the identity  and  cultural  uniqueness  of  even  its  tiniest  minorities  is respected and protected. Imagine what our fate would have been had we become a part of any of our neighbours. The fate of Tibet, many times larger than us, and culturally very similar, is there for all of us to see.

Of the three distinct territories which make up the state of Jammu and Kashmir, it is only Ladakh which was truly a sovereign state till 1834 when the Dogra rulers annexed it into their kingdom. In 1947,  with  the  creation  of  the  Republic  of  India  and  subsequent accession of J&K into the Union, Ladakh also became a part and parcel of the biggest democratic country of the world. In retrospect, this has proved extremely beneficial for our people, as the period of  tiny  kingdoms  surviving  on  their  own  was  over  and  we  could easily  have  been  annexed  into  one  of  our  other  neighbours  with unfortunate results.

Since  1947,  and  till  almost  1960,  Ladakh  was  left  to  its  own devices with life going on as it had for centuries. Even the ancient trade routes with Xinjiang and Tibet continued to be used though in a more limited form because of Chinese advance into these regions.

It was only in 1962 when the border war broke out between India and  China  that  Ladakh  truly  lost  its  unique  position  as  a  Central Asian trading post even though it was an informal and unregulated one. This  was  our  biggest  loss.  Otherwise,  one  can  imagine  what our position would have been today with the incredible network of roads spanning all corners and 10 tonne trucks plying over where earlier only horses and camel caravans were used.

However, even now it is possible for ground situation to change favorably if our neighbours see the obvious benefits in engaging in profitable trade with each other. The big manufacturing centres of India  in  the  Punjab  are  only  about  600  km  from  the  international border  in  Ladakh,  and  the  value  of  this  trade  would  far  outweigh the  disadvantages.  One  must  bear  in  mind  that,  in  similar circumstances, countries in Europe which fought what was known as the ‘Hundred Years War’ have become borderless countries today for the sake of trade and the only country in the world to have used an  atomic  weapon  not  once  but  twice  on  an  enemy  became  its benefactor and helped in rebuilding its economy, US and Japan being the countries alluded to. From being a place where there were no restrictions on movement for anyone, Indian or otherwise, the 1962 India-Pakistan war created such a paranoia that suddenly Ladakh was closed to everyone. Even locals had to obtain permits for leaving or entering  Ladakh.  This  lasted  till  1974  and  this  long  period  of 12-14  years  of  isolation  bred  in  the  generation  that  came  of  age during this time, a feeling of insecurity and loss of confidence.

This was a period of economic and cultural deprivation. A lack of economic activity resulting from closure of borders and weakening of  cultural  identity  as  a  result  of  being  left  isolated  were  the immediate results. A sense of inferiority crept into our psyche driven by the vacuum of our existence. An area which had for ages been vibrant  with  cross-cultural  activity  and  the  coming  and  going  of peoples from all over Asia was abruptly converted into an isolated backward pocket.

In 1976, in a truly bureaucratic fashion, it occurred to someone in the higher echelons of the government that the borders which are sensitive  in  this  area  lie  anywhere  between  100-150  km  from  the capital city of Leh, and, therefore, it makes no sense to curb travel to and from here. In one stroke, travel restrictions to Leh were lifted and  along  with  Europeans,  Japanese,  Americans  and  most nationalities of the world, Ladakhis could also come and go out of Leh without having to obtain special permits! Such was the state of affairs.

With the advent of tourism in Ladakh, a new chapter began in its recent history. The people rose as one and took to this activity with such zeal that today Ladakh is one of the prime jewels in the crown  of  Indian  tourism.  Our  geography,  culture  and  religious identity became such an attraction that people from all over the world thronged for a glimpse of this unique land. While this new prosperity led to many positive developments, it was not without its downside too. It is an accepted fact that of all economic activity, tourism has the biggest money multiplier effect—that is to say for every hundred rupees spent, the diversity of people who get to share in it is greater than in any other form of business.

This, on the face of it, is something to be truly desired. But when you realize such a vast number of people involved in chasing that rupee, then that picture somewhat changes. People can and have lost their  moorings  in  this  mad  chase.  In  this  scramble,  basic  human values are inevitably the first casualty. A society which prided itself on its value for moderation in all things suddenly felt nothing was enough. More became the new object of desire, and along with this new injection of money came the need to get it in any way possible; and that is when the story really turned sour.

When money became an object to be desired for itself by hook or  by  crook,  all  negative  aspects  of  the  corrupting  influence  of  it became a part and parcel of one’s life. A man’s worth began to be seen by the amount he had collected, it did not matter how he had got it. True, it is the general trend of things all over the world, but in our tiny society, the ill-effects got magnified manifold.

On  the  other  hand,  as  a  part  of  the  political,  developmental process,  substantial  sums  of  money  allotted  for  various  projects began coming into Ladakh, and along with it, the usual ways and means of how to get a portion of it into one’s own kitty. I feel this has been one of the worst things that has happened to our people on the way to development. It has bred a feeling in certain sections of society that being in a position where money can be siphoned off is perfectly legitimate, and in the unlikely event that you are caught your ill-gotten gains will buy you a way out. The sense of idealism and  the  desire  to  do  something  for  the  community  has  taken  a backseat because of the pervading feeling that everything is well.

Ladakh  has  had  quite  a  glorious  past  considering  that  it  is  so sparsely populated and quite devoid of natural resources other than its  tough  and  resilient  people.  Because  of  its  strategic  location straddling  several  kingdoms  in  the  past,  it  naturally  drew  the attention  of  powerful  neighbours.  One  of  the  most  precious commodities,  pashmina  and  shahtoosh,  were  obtained  from  these regions and this aroused the avaricious interest of the powerful Dogra kings to gain control of these commodities, resulting in the war of 1834 and the subsequent loss of Ladakh’s independent status. As we know, this resulted directly in the incorporation of Ladakh into the State of Jammu and Kashmir as it is today. This was also the reason for much heartburn and unrest among the Ladakhis in recent decades.

Until  1959/1960,  due  to  the  lack  of  road  connectivity,  Ladakh continued  as  a  district  of  Jammu  and  Kashmir  without  much interference from the new political masters who were mainly based in Kashmir. As politics became more intense in the following years and  as  democratic  processes  set  into  motion,  the  then  undisputed position of Kushok Bakula, presiding as the Head Lama of Ladakh, and also a minister in the J&K government, also got challenged.

The position of Bakula is unique in the annals of Indian politics.

By virtue of his status as a reincarnate Lama, he was in a position to do much to strengthen Buddhism in these parts by highlighting the  fact  that  while  it  had  all  but  disappeared  from  the  land  of  its birth, it was very much alive and being practiced in Ladakh by the majority  of  its  people. At  the  time  of  independence,  Buddhists comprised  around  65%  of  Ladakh’s  population,  but  due  to  rigid compliance with the government’s family planning measure, today our  numbers  have  shrunk  to  less  than  half  and  the  very  status  of Ladakh as a Buddhist area is being put into question.

The only evidence of its past position are the numerous artefacts, carvings,  ruins  etc  dotting  the  landscape.  Bakula  Rinpoche  also played a significant part in getting the benefits of modern education to many children throughout Ladakh. However, as he was not versed in developmental skills, his role in the modernization of Ladakh was limited.  It  was  during  those  days  that  my  father,  the  late  Sonam Norboo, by dint of hard work, secured an engineering scholarship to  Sheffield  University,  UK. After  completing  his  studies  and graduating, he returned to India and joined Maharaja Hari Singh’s engineering  services. As  per  his  narration,  when  Sheikh  Mohd.

Abdullah’s  government  was  formed  in  the  1950s,  the  post  of representing  Ladakh  as  a  minister  was  offered  to  him  which  he politely  declined  saying  that  he  would  rather  serve  his  backward region with his engineering skills. Unfortunately, Bakula Rinpoche and Sonam Norboo, close friends in early days, parted ways with the passage of time and the interplay of politics.

In 1974, when the Kashmir Accord took place, and Sheikh Mohd.

Abdullah was released from prison and formally appointed as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, he had Shri Sonam Norboo recalled  from  Mongolia  where  he  was  the  Indian Ambassador,  to serve in his Council of Ministers as Minister for Works and Power with 70% of the State Budget under his departments. His services were  appreciated  so  highly  by  the  people  of  the  state,  that  on  his demise in 1980, Sheikh Abdullah got me appointed as an MLC and inducted me in his Council of Ministers. The people of Ladakh at this  juncture  were  caught  up  in  anti-state  politics,  fuelled  by  the Congress party at the Centre against the National Conference in the state at the behest of Shrimati Indira Gandhi, in order to keep Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah off balance as he was being seen as too strong for comfort. An agitation was spearheaded by Shri P. Namgyal, the then Congress  MP  from  Ladakh.  The  demand  was  for  central administration  so  as  to  separate  Ladakh  from  state  control.  This struck  a  popular  chord  in  Ladakhi  sentiments  and  even  I,  while representing  Ladakh  in  the  State  government,  could  not  take  a contrary stand. In the winter of 1981, I discussed the unrest in Ladakh and the anxiety of the Ladakhi people for their future with the CM who  suggested  that  a  via-media,  short  of  Central  administration, could be found by giving Ladakh the status of a division, thereby breaking  the  state  into  three  divisions—Jammu,  Kashmir  and Ladakh.

I  was  quite  elated  at  this  response  and  I  clearly  remember meeting Shri P. Namgyal on Losar-eve in Ladakh Buddh Vihar in New Delhi when I communicated to him Sheikh Sahib’s response.

I  was  quite  taken  aback  when  he  turned  down  the  offer  and  said, “Now we want regional autonomy”. I suggested that as a first step, we  should  take  what  was  on  offer  and  then  we  can  see  what  the next  step  could  be.  But  I  failed  to  realize  that  this  was  power politics going on in its worst form. However, in 1987, when I was no  longer  a  Minister,  did  Ladakhis  see  Farooq Abdullah  (Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir), Rajiv Gandhi (Congress Leader), Shri P. Namgyal (MP Ladakh), come together on one stage in Leh and praise each other to the skies.