Recent ethnic unrest in this "remote" region have to do with the Ladahkis' own victimisation to the phenomenon of "intellectual colonialism" that began with the Western missionary.
This year too, late monsoon rains brought news of devastation as mountain-sides succumbed to the pull of gravity – from the Indian north-east westward, through Bhutan, Nepal, Himachal Pradesh and beyond.
The case of Pakistan is not different from the other countries of the region when the subject is environment. Unsustainable over-exploitation of natural resources by a fast-increasing population (presently at
The chief components of the environment – air, water and soil – are being destroyed rapidly in the mining regions of the Himalaya, particularly in Garhwal and Kumaon. The local people, labourers,
The demand for a separate state of Uttarakhand in the hills of Uttar Pradesh has been voiced off and on since 1952. The proponents of Uttarakhand believe that all the
Mining in the Himalaya has never been easy. The staggering costs of digging underneath the world's loftiest mountains involve risks. And like mountaineers, only the most intrepid entrepreneurs
When a country's tourism policy is geared to financial benefit based on numerical increases, there have been two distinct results. Tourism has brought considerable economic benefit to a
It has been almost 15 years since Erik Eckholm's book Losing Ground hit the stands and made many aware of the perils of Himalayan ecological degradation. Since then,
The lower reaches of Dolpo district in the rainshadow of the Dhaulagiri massif was opened to tourists by the Nepali Government in May 1989. Trekkers can now explore the areas
Strange, out-of-season pink blossoms sprinkle the rhododendron trail from Lukla to Mount Everest Base Camp. But, look again. What you see is, actually, toilet paper (!) mostly Chinese brands, festooning the
Tukis are traditional oil-fed lamps used to light village households. "Tukis" are also the trailblazing villagers who serve as unique agricultural extension workers in the Dolakha and Sindhupalchok
For Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus has been under fire for quite a few years now. Farmers, agronomists, environmentalists and scientists have all condemned the planting of this species. In 1983, Karnataka farmers
