state of folk culture in a modernizing tourism scenario

Hi there,

Its mid September the weather is excellent here and there is romance in the air as young people are getting married. Our marriages can be both arranged which is rather traditional and family members help in arranging matches as per their qualification, jobs, disposition for either genders.

In the case of lesser arranged marriage the couple would know each other and now the parents and the family requires to approve the couple for their solemn pledge of remaining as married couple for rest of their lives.

But still the marriage can be traditional in its approaches as there would be singing of traditional folk marriage songs by the ‘Nathidpa’ or the ‘Marriage Solomonizer’who must come from a family having both parents alive blessed with well means of life living happily for auspiciousness.

Many of these songs are called as the ‘Tendel Gyi Lhu’ or the ‘Songs of the Interdependence’. My late father Aba Tashi Rabgias le was one of the first Ladakhi scholar to collect the ‘Folk Songs of Ladakh’ which was an assignment of the Department of Art, Culture and Languages of former Jammu and Kashmir Government.

The book came out in the year 1970 and in the year 1971 he was honoured with ‘Robe of Honour Award’ by the then Jammu and Kashmir Government and he got limelight for the first time in his life.

Earlier he had already written, ‘Ting Sung Gyi Lhu’ or ‘Popular Songs’ in the year 1952 while he was working the radio Kashmir Srinagar as a producer and these were broadcast from radio Kashmir in the one hour ‘Ladakhi’ programme. The same book has been re-published titled ‘Poem and Songs’.

One very important impact that this book, Folk Songs of Ladakh’ made was that by the year 1970 we were already losing much of the traditional ‘Folk Singers’, those who were living lacked the basic talent to sing these songs or sang half heartedly many would sing just few stanzas?

In the same year 1970 Leh had its first radio station namely ‘Radio Kashmir Leh’ and there was a spurt in the purchase of the book, ‘Folk Songs of Ladakh’ as all talented singers of Ladakh wanted to sing and create a name for themselves on the air,

Really, it is aptly becoming very clear that there is indeed no culture so multifaceted and versaltile as ours that is, Ladakh’s in the Himalayas besides of course the Tibet’s. Every regions of Ladakh be it Zangskar, Nubra, Changthang, Sham or Lower Ladakh, Brokpa’s Bogdang and Pothringspa or Kargili list is endless such a ranges of ‘Folk Culture’ unfathomable yet robust and live even today!

birthday celebration

Really, it is aptly becoming very clear that there is indeed no culture so multifaceted and versaltile as ours that is, Ladakh’s in the Himalayas besides of course the Tibet’s. Every regions of Ladakh be it Zangskar, Nubra, Changthang, Sham or Lower Ladakh, Brokpa’s Bogdang and Pothringspa or Kargili list is endless such a ranges of ‘Folk Culture’ unfanthomable yet robust and live even today!

Much of this has happened because of the sound and balanced tourism policy of the former State Government and presently under the U.T Administration. There was also apprehension in the later years of 1970s when Ladakh was open for the foreign tourists for first time in the year 1974 when 550 visitors arrived in a short season of two months beginning July 1^st and ending Aug 31.

This was historic the people of Leh sighed a new lease of life as a new means of livelihood had just knocked on the door. The local radio station made announcement asking people to share two or more extra rooms for the foreign guests! There was indeed excitement in the air as season began to unfold.

Mind you everyone had to come by road as this was a very exciting experiment on the part of Central Government. The residents of Kargil too were looking forward this new opportunity of making some quick bucks from our international visitors as it was a nights halt station but save me from the famous Kargili bed bug!

People at the end of Leh bazaar eagerly waited for the arrival of buses, lorries and jeeps and trucks at the present Leh gate. This was also the hippy period but somehow Leh was not to their liking so we were spared of their eccentrcities and halubaloo!

Yes, Leh became the destination for backpackers, research students, photographers, philosophers, wandering fakirs so to say!

So once again it is alright to have a million tourists but we must consider managing our tourism with the same grit and vision so that we continue to inspire them through our treasure of culture and wisdom which can rarely be found anywhere in the world with complete freedom and joyous acceptance! Bye for now.