Mohammed Ali at his shack at Appati village near Kargil in Ladakh
Coming down the 13202 feet high Hambotingla Pass on the way from Alchi to Kargil, I stopped for tea at a shack in the village of Appati in the setting sun around six in the evening. A warm cuppa is just what is needed after a day of driving as the temperature starts dropping.
Owned by teenager Mohammed Ali, he runs his outlet all year round even when temperatures dip many degrees below freezing. His clientele includes the residents of the village located a on the mountain at a level higher than that of the highway, as well as Army personnel who pass through this area regularly. [continue reading…]
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Ladakh,
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Zarina, the girl in a village near Kargil in Ladakh
What do the eyes in the image above say to you? Do they say ‘take me with you’ and show me the world beyond my village? (Click on any of the images to see a larger version)
This is Zarina, a class seven girl I met in Maita village (at least this was the name I understood the children saying), an hour and a half drive from Kargil on the way to Zanskar. I had stopped to take pictures of this beautiful village with the twin Nun-Kun peaks towering over it. Within a few minutes of my stopping I was surrounded by village children. At one moment I could not see a soul; in another, I was surrounded by many as they appeared magically from within the tall grasses. Continue reading for the complete experience and lots more pictures
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Ladakh,
Zanskar,
Zarina
If you drive through Ladakh in the summers, or at least in the month of July, you will see trees all over laden with the yellow apricot fruit, mostly ripe to eat. A restaurant in Khaltse does not have desserts on its menu, but the manager will point to the apricot tree under which you are served your meals and suggest you pluck these after for a sweet taste. You will also find children on roads going through villages waving to cars to stop to buy the ripe fruit they have carefully picked trees for customers.
[See more images of the Apricot Man on Flickr by clicking here.]
But the one set of apricots to catch my attention more than any other were those being collected by an old man by the highway roadside a little after Biamah on the Leh – Kargil route via Batalik. Sitting hunched over, with tattered clothes and a Tibetan cap, his bloodshot eyes caught my eyes more than the rest of his condition, wrinkles and grey hair. [continue reading…]
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When you drive from Leh to Kargil in the Ladakh region of the Indian Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir, there is a distinct change in the ‘humanscape’ from predominantly Buddhist to largely Muslim. Being a troubled state, and its close proximity to Pakistan, you are never sure what to expect from the people of this region.
[Click on any of these images to see the full set on Flickr. Or click here. You can also order prints by sending a mail to ajay@ajayjain.com]
It took just a group of children to shatter any stereotyped apprehensions when I stopped at a village about 30 kilometers before Kargil to take some pictures; as I stood with my camera, a group of small boys and girls surprisingly came up to me with a gift of a bunch of peas freshly taken from their fields. And I realized it is moments like these in one’s lives that suddenly make the world so much a beautiful place. [continue reading…]
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pakistan,
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village
I have just come back from Ladakh (in the Indian Himalayas) which I would describe as the trip of a lifetime. I was on the road for 23 days, and personally drove over 4,000 kms (about 2,500 miles) during this period. Yes, the best way to enjoy this region is to drive yourself. A rugged vehicle is a pre-requisite though.
In the coming days and weeks, I will be sharing stories, experiences and pictures of my trip on this blog. Do watch out for the same. In the meantime, to give you an idea where all I went, this was itinerary: (The figure before each location is the day number. Example: 3 indicates day 3). [continue reading…]
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Zanskar
