The Real Beauty of Ladakh

You get there and try to take in the snow capped mountains and the pink-blue-green-brown-grey and other technicolor rocks. The wondrous white sand and the crystal clear waters of the sangam of rivers Indus and Zanskar make you want to stay there forever. The mesmerizing monasteries and their fascinating frescos are also one of a kind. The varying shades of blue of the Pangong Lake make you thankful for being alive to witness such a wonder. The zigzag roads seemingly at odds with each other but ultimately reaching the same destination, shake you to the core, making you reach depths of thought you never consciously fathomed. The oasis town of Alchi and the bacterian camels of Nubra Valley are bedazzling. Momos and maggi at the highest motorable road at Khardungla, and the hot green tea at K-Top during snowfall is otherworldly. The pashmina shawls and the exotic jewelry at the Leh market redefine luxury for us city folks.

But, all this, taken together, does not equate the real beauty of Ladakh.

The real and absolutely ravishing beauty of Ladakh is its people. Their unmatched innocence and simplicity. Their kindness of heart. Their zest for life in the hardest of circumstances. Their positivity and optimism. Their Julley – one word meaning hello, good bye and thank you – a unique way by which they mandate expressing gratitude at meetings and partings.

United by cricket, bollywood, music and the national language, these people can blend in with anyone and yet maintain their own characteristic naivety. They own their cars but prefer to work as drivers with the customary Dalai Lama picture above the steering wheel; we ask them incredulously, and they say, “This is a great job! Why would I do anything else?” There are blind turns and dangerous alley-roads but they refuse to honk, when asked they say, “But I did honk, didn’t I?”, and the real reason after probing a bit turns out to be, “That poor guy will get scared.” Again in disbelief we can only stare agape. When an accident does happen, we expect a fight and are somehow sadistically pleased that now we’ll see the human side. But, no sir, they just get down, smile at each other sheepishly; the offending driver admits his mistake and pays for the damages, monks who are hurt put on bandages the tourists provide, and everyone moves on. Unbelievable. There is no need for locks because there is no scope for theft. You lose some belongings in one hotel, they aptly reach you at another one – yes, staff from the very hotel from which you moved do that for you. You can only try to smile and say Julley. Walking down a road looking for some transport, a godsend car would invariably stop and offer you a ride for a hundred bucks. Struggling with lack of oxygen and the bitter cold, you could get hot tea at a monastery in the middle of nowhere. Honesty and integrity really mean something here.

The place also sprinkles some of its magic on people just passing through. From the soldiers of the army to the engineers of Border Roads Organization, everybody is happy to help, or even exchange a few words. Tourists, both foreign and domestic, some in search of spirituality, some adventure, some pure old fun, and some a few good clicks, forget language and cultural barriers and whole heartedly discuss just one thing – Ladakh: with all its glories and all its difficulties.

And the icing on the cake is the locals’ easygoing manner of talking and their willingness to go to lengths to please others. Excerpts:

From an apparel shop at Leh market –

Seller: Madam, why don’t you try our pashmina stole!

Madam: Ok. <Tries to put it on clumsily>

Seller: 1 min madam, let me show you how. <Ties it properly>

Madam: Hmm…looks good this way.

Seller: Yes madam, but you will have to learn to tie different types of knots. Videos are available on you tube.

Madam: <totally stumped>Really?

After river rafting –

Barely out of teens Kayaker: Madam, aapka umr kitna hoga?

Madam: Tum batao kitna hoga?

Kayaker: 22-23

Madam: <pleased beyond words>Thanks! Khush kar diya tumne aaj!

Kayakar: Why?

Madam: Arey, young samjha tumne mujhe, isliye.

Kayakar: Oh. Achha. Boyfriend hai?

Madam: !

(And now you know why I really wrote this post..ha!)