25 - 27 AUGUST 1999
LEH-LADAKH, INDIA
Ninth International Colloquium of the IALS
When military clashes in Ladakh subsided towards the end of July, the local International Association for Ladakh Studies committee offered to go ahead with the Ninth Colloquium, the second IALS meeting to be held in Ladakh (the first was in 1993). Most foreign scholars who had indicated their interest in participating had not yet cancelled their travel plans, so a considerable number of local and international participants filed into the Moravian Mission School assembly hall for registration.
By MARTIJN VAN BEEK
Unfortunately but understandably there were no participants from Kargil and few from other parts of India, and a couple of papers had to be cancelled as the presenters did not make it to Leh after all. Despite the brief time allowed for preparation, local organizers, in particular Abdul Ghani Sheikh, David Sonam Dawa, the Revd Elijah Gergan, Dr Nawang Tsering, and Nawang Tsering ShakspoChad, managed to make excellent arrangements for the meeting. In all, some seventy-five participants from nine countries, including Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, the US, and UK took part in the meeting. As usual, a wide range of topics was addressed in the presentations.The inaugural ceremony, chaired by Spalzes Angmo, was graced by the presence of Diskit Angmo, Queen of Ladakh. After a word of welcome by Dr Nawang Tsering, the Hon. Sec. John Bray formally presented the volume of proceedings of the Eighth Colloquium held at Aarhus in 1997. Thanks to the efforts of the publisher and the carrying capacity of John Bray, a few pre-publication copies of the book had reached Leh in time for the colloquium. The volume, entitled Ladakh: Culture, History and Development between Himalaya and Karakoram (edited by Martijn van Beek, Kristoffer Brix Bertelsen, and Poul Pedersen, Aarhus University Press 1999), is dedicated to the founder and current president of the IALS, Dr Henry Osmaston. The first copies of the book were presented to HM the Queen and Henry Osmaston. After a vote of thanks by the Revd Gergan, artists of All-India Radio Leh, presented a colourful cultural show, while Doordarshan Kashmir broadcast a brief report on the conference and opening ceremony the next day.
After lunch, the academic programme began with a session on Representing Ladakh in Local and Global Contexts. John Bray presented a paper on the visit of an eighteenth-century Bhutanese lama to Ladakh. Martijn van Beek discussed the political, economic, and rhetorical marginalization of Ladakh and local efforts to counter these processes, while Helena Norberg-Hodge shed light on the dangers the global economy posed to for Ladakh. The session concluded with a lively discussion. The final session of the day dealt with Historical places including a paper by Tashi lDawa Tshangspa on rock carvings. In the evening, Janet Rizvi of the Institute of Ladakh Studies presented a slide show of images of old Ladakh, mostly reproductions of photographs from rare travel books. The pictures of the old bazaar, the city gates, and other landmarks elicited much interest and excitement among the audience.
The second day began with a session on Education in Ladakh. After Prem Singh Jina's discussion of the history of education in Ladakh, Christian Heyde discussed the work of the early Moravians in this field, including that of his own great-grandfather, the Revd A.W. Heyde. Drawing on archival sources, Gabriele Reifenberg also discussed the Moravian contribution to education, in particular A.H. Francke's views on schools in Ladakh. A session on Ritual and Performance included interesting contributions by Spalzes Angmo on Losar Baks in Tang-tse, by Sonam Phuntsog on Dard culture, and by Mipham Otsal on the state of contemporary theatre in Ladakh.
The first afternoon panel dealt with gender issues in Ladakh. Tashi Cho discussed the problems of women in Ladakh, Dolma Tsering talked about the Women's Alliance (ama'i tshogspa), and Sonam Dolma looked specifically at the central role of women in agriculture and its relation to sustainable development. Ravina Aggarwal offered a rich paper on the recovery of women's voices in Ladakh, showing how these can be heard for example in songs, and Kim Gutschow discussed the education of nuns in Zangskar.
For the final afternoon session, the entire colloquium was shifted to Ladakh Serai in Ayu, where we had been invited for tea by a descendant of Zorawar Singh, the Dogra general who conquered Ladakh in 1834-42. The session took place in a willow grove to the accompanent of steadily rising winds and rapidly falling temperatures. Nevertheless, the audience was treated to a discourse on philosophy by Lobzang Tsewang, who compared the theories of streams of consciousness in Vasubandhu and Freud, and Tashi Stobdan who discussed the Gyajung Nagpo in Stok. In the evening there was another slide show, this time by Ajit Chaudhuri on the Changpa nomads.
On Friday, the day began with a series of papers on Modes of Livelihood. Ajit Chaudhuri presented results of surveys conducted among the Changpa, focusing on survival strategies, and Toshihiro Tsukihara offered a paper on livestock and farming systems. The session then broadened the geographical scope of the seminar with two papers on Kinnaur: Przemyslaw Hinca spoke on pastoralism in Kinnaur, and Rafal Beszterda on bee-keeping in the same region. Karin Helbig discussed the need for and potential contributions of a building centre to Ladakh. The next session focused on health. Dr Tsering Norboo (physician) discussed a series of cases of high altitude cerebral oedema, and Cynthia Hunt delivered an impassioned plea for greater attention to be paid to health education in Ladakh. During the conference a poster prepared by Dr Niels Krag provided information on portable solar refrigeration systems and other solar-powered medical technologies for remote areas.
The afternoon continued this focus on contemporary issues with a session on the Impact of Modernization and Development. Seb Mankelow reported on his research into the effects of modern chemical fertilizers in Zangskar, and Vibha Krishen Sood presented her work on the impacts of tourism in Ladakh. After this, the formal membership meeting of the IALS was held. Henry Osmaston and John Bray gave short speeches and the meeting concluded with a vote of thanks. A final paper session included a presentation by Peter Marczell on the pseudonyms of Csoma de KåSrös and a speed-reading by Clare Harris of Parvez Diwan's paper on the history of Kargil. Hans-Jürgen Trebst reviewed the controversies surrounding a gospel allegedly kept at the Hemis monastery, and Thierry Dodin addressed the problems of Ladakhi language standardization. In the evening the participants gathered for a special screening arranged by Phuntsok Ladakhi of his film Sonam Dolma. A delicious dinner at the Monalisa Restaurant served as a joyous end to the conference programme.
On Saturday, the organizers arranged a guided tour of the Shanti Stupa, the Mahabodhi Society's compound in Choglamsar, and the royal palace at Stok. In the afternoon, finally, the Institute of Ladakh Studies (a separate initiative without formal links to the IALS) had arranged a polo match in honour of the IALS. Henry Osmaston was guest of honour, a status marked by his casting of the ball to begin play and a chat with the players during the intermission, from which he was returned to his seat of honour on horseback.
As is customary, efforts are under way to publish most of the papers as a volume in the Recent Research on Ladakh series. John Bray and Dr Nawang Tsering will edit the proceedings and a publisher is being sought. *
Martijn van Beek
Associate Professor, Department of Ethnography and Social Anthropology
Aarhus University
DK-8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
E-mail: etnomvb@moes.hum.au.dk