The Magsaysay award recipient had just completed a five-day ‘climate fast’ from January 26 at nearby Phyang to draw attention to Ladakh’s fragile ecology, which he says is gravely threatened by uncontrolled development, tourism and commerce. Wangchuk is demanding Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution so that Ladakhis can have greater say over every aspect of their land.
Four days before his fast, Wangchuk addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 13-minute video, ‘Ladakh Ki Mann Ki Baat’, from Khardung La, one of the world’s highest motorable passes. Trudging through snow in temperatures well below freezing point, his message was as clear as the skies over him: over three years after the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370, leading up to the bifurcation of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Ladakh and J&K, ‘all is not well’ on India’s highest plateau—a strategically key region sharing borders with China and Pakistan and home to 270,000 people. Ladakh, comprising the districts of Leh and Kargil, has been promised inclusion under the Sixth Schedule several times by the Centre. It’s now pressing for that status—currently granted only to Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura—to ensure local control and protection of land, livelihood and environment.
This story is from the February 20, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 20, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Macallan M 2023 debuts in India
Standing as a pinnacle of exclusivity, The Macallan M 2023 graces the shores of India with limited 10 handpicked bottles for whisky aficionados
Give it up for the science bros
They've got brains, brawn and billions in the bank. A new breed of wellness guru is doing for men what Gwyneth Paltrow did for women.
LIVING BY THE RULES
Chetan Bhagat returns to non-fiction with his new book-11 Rules for Life
The Mysterious City
Anuradha Kumar's The Kidnapping of Mark Twain paints an intriguing portrait of Bombay around the time of the American writer's visit
GOWDA KNOWS
Hot Stage, the third book in Anita Nair's Inspector Gowda mystery series, is here
WITH OUR OWN DESI SLEUTHS
Indian detective fiction gets its due in this massive, two-volume compilation from Hachette
PRIVATE PARADISE
Your home may well be your haven, but here are easy ways to make it your very own spa-dom.
Subversive IN SUBURBIA
A MONTH-LONG SHOW AT ART AND CHARLIE, MUMBAI, SHOWCASING THE WORKS OF POONAM JAIN AND YOGESH BARVE POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER
THE HOME THAT WAS
A soon-to-launch gallery at the Partition Museum in Delhi will showcase artefacts capturing 'The Lost Homeland of Sindh'
The Enchanted Forest
A perfect refuge for city-weary folk, Six Senses Vana, the global brand's first dedicated wellness retreat in India, is where you go to retrieve yourself: Rest, reset and rejuvenate, the blockbuster RRR of the wellness universe.