Zanskar is arguably the most pristine part of the Trans Himalayan region sitting majestically along the northern flank of the Great Himalayas. It was once a part of the Guge kingdom in Tibet. Zanskar is famous for its high beautiful mountains and landscape. It is one of the last surviving cultural bastions of Buddhist settlers of Tibet.
The Damsel… 
A first glance might lead one to believe that this barren land and it’s inhabitants have been left far behind in the race of “the modern life“.
On our drive from Purney to Padum, a lady stopped our jeep and despite the steep language barrier, we were able to make out that she needed a lift for herself and the bundle of wood she had on her back after a day of hard labour.
We could not have any verbal communication with the lady, however she knew the word ‘gaun’ for her small hamlet of a village and politely repeated the word three times conveying very clearly that we were at her stop while we were approaching her village.
Although we couldn’t talk to the lady but we could make out how grateful and pleased she was for the ride. And why would she not be, she had just completed a journey in 35 minutes that would otherwise have easily taken her more than 2.5 hours.
Next day, we met the beautiful family of Chomo Nimma, a female Buddhist monk at Zangla village, about 35 kilometers from Padum. My cousin, being a frequent traveler in the region, has some ties with the local community. Every time he is around, he delivers supplies for the monasteries that friends and family pool in to buy– common stuff such as crayons, water colors, color pencils, coloring books, and some sporting equipment like badminton racquets and shuttle cocks. We were visiting Chomo Nimma’s family to deliver these supplies to be distributed in the nearby monasteries.
During our conversation, we found out that Chomo Nimma’s grandfather was really fond of rum, which was a pretty rare find as chhaang is the drink of the land. We therefore took the opportunity to facilitate a meeting of the old man with the ‘Old Monk‘.
It really is an honest mistake to be affected by a savior complex while imagining oneself to be the knight in shining armour for the region. It’s not totally unfounded to believe at first sight that this beautiful land is a ‘damsel in distress’ especially for those of us living in the ‘civilised world’ and having been conditioned to confuse worldly possessions such as bigger houses, faster cars, and smarter phones to be the indicators of happiness and prosperity.
Full disclosure, I too have been a victim of this thought prison, or at least was in the beginning of our odyssey.
The Enchantress…
Just when one unknowingly starts to feel a little sorry for the terrain and it’s people, especially because our minds have been trained since childhood to consider ‘modern‘ consumer lifestyle as being the only yardstick for prosperity, the valley casts it’s spell of beauty and before you know it, one is enchanted by the sheer pristine beauty of the terrain.
The Empress…
Just at the point one starts getting back to one’s senses from being awestruck by the beauty of the realm, one realises the power this ancient land of fables, mystery, and folklore bears.
The beauty of the realm is such that even a photograph of a police check-post here is something that is actually an image that is frame-worthy.
The roads and mountains are is such sync, that amidst all the randomness, one ultimately starts seeing the synergy of nature at work.
As one finally begins to wrap one’s head around the magnanimity and grandeur of the realm, one is repeatedly reminded of the glorious past and resilience of the region. This region has stood tall against invaders and the vagaries of climatic forces for thousands of years. The gompas in the mountains and around settlements instill a feeling of hope and serenity.
The terrain and topography oozes a sense of calmness and peace, as if the landscape has imbibed the wisdom of ancient travelers and centuries of chants from the Buddhist monasteries.
One needs to open up and surrender to the captivating beauty of this wonderland. Zanskar is one of the last standing bastions where nature and innocence has thus far not been trampled under the feet of consumer driven tourism and human greed.
A rude jolt back to “our” reality…
While being stuck in a three-hour traffic jam resulting from human stupidity and impatience on the Bara-lacha pass while it starts to snow, one is left wondering if humanity and it’s way of life is something that needs seriously reconsidering. It has been proven scientifically and is now almost common knowledge that the race we are running as a species does not have a happy ending.
It is high time for Homo sapiens as a species to consider if those of us living on the other side of the proverbial mirror in a few places like Zanskar are the damsels who are in distress or is it the other way around?
One thing we need to get straight is, there’s no knight in shining armour coming to save us from the ticking self destruct sequence we are sitting upon. The people of Zanskar with their sustainable-subsistence and more importantly happy-content lifestyle might just be the only glance we could have at our Knights on shining white horses of snow, a last hope to inspire us to get back to basics and redefine happiness and prosperity before we reach the tipping point, which one can only hope and pray is not already in the rear view mirror.
Edited by: Aparna Nair