Essay

Changthang – An Oasis of Himalayan Fiber
Photo: Sherab Lobzang

Changthang – An Oasis of Himalayan Fiber

Himkatha

Nestled amid the lofty Trans-himalayan mountains, Changthang is a unique terrain where climate and topography play a crucial role in the sustenance of local communities. The region consists of wide wetlands and giant mountains which offer indispensable ecosystem services and safeguard our water and food security. Many wetlands in Changthang are located at a higher altitude and are fed by glaciers and snow from the surrounding mountains. The high-altitude wetlands in my region contribute significantly to the downstream landscape productivity and form a unique ecosystem for floral and faunal diversity.

The nomadic pastoral communities composed of distinct groups located at Rupsho, Kharnak and Korzokh rear a variety of livestock such as goat (rama), sheep (luk), horses (ta), yaks, and donkeys (bhungpa) which supports them in all aspects of their lives. The Changpa shepherds are skillful in tending their herds; navigating steppe grasslands, accessing fertile pastures, breeding resilient animals, caring for livestock, and preventing diseases. When there’s less grass in the pastures or the livestock are not able to graze due to excessive snowfall, they provide the cattle with fodder they have stocked months before to avoid weakness and starvation. It is precisely the efforts of the local herders and the nutritious resources in the cold arid land that the livestock we breed gives the finest fiber.

Pashmina Combing | Photo: Andrew Newey (cnn.com)

Ladakh has a highly diverse textile tradition that reflects its physical, socio-cultural, and environmental features. The herd provides different kinds of fiber: Khullu or Sitpa from Yak wool, Ral from Goat hair or Sheep wool, and Lena (Pashmina) from the underbelly of Changthangi goat. The wool is sheared from the livestock around early Spring or before lambing season using a wooden/metallic comb. It takes about 2-3 hours to shear wool from a single sheep and since it requires physical strength to hold a sheep, goat or yak to shear, it is usually men who do the work while women clean and sort the wool to remove any impurities. Once the wool is collected, it is laid on the sheet and beaten with a wooden stick to remove dust, dry grasses, and other impurities. It is then washed, dried, and then hand spun with a traditional spindle called “Phang” – thin yarns are made for weaving while slightly thicker and knottier yarns can be used for knitting. From elaborately patterned garments for the nobility to simple home-spun garments from local fibers, a range of garments are processed and procured in Changthang. The local fibers found in Changthang are used for various purposes; Yak wool and goat/sheep wool are primarily used for self-consumption while Pashmina (Lena) is often traded. The high altitude and the intense cold of Changthang serve a good purpose for the growth of the fine luxury fiber Pashmina. Due to its softness, elegance, and warmth, it is one of the most coveted fibers and fetches the highest price.

Rebo and landscape of Changthang

Weaving is an ancient craft and Changpas are reminiscent of the time when our ancestors wore clothes made up of animal skin. Due to freezing weather, animal skins are still used for various garments, quilts, and mattresses. The rich tradition of textiles came into being when our ancestors learned how to spin, make yarn, and weave. Wool and fiber are an integral part of the nomadic culture as Changpas reside in the traditional tents called Rebo made of Sitpa (Yak wool). Rebos are very functional and aptly suited for the nomadic lifestyle – as the nomads migrate in search of better pastures for their herd, the use of Rebo comes in handy for them.

“Rebos are very functional and aptly suited for the nomadic lifestyle – as the nomads migrate in search of better pastures for their herd, the use of Rebo comes in handy for them.”

Making Rebos are extremely labor-intensive as it is handspun and handwoven and a group of nomads makes it collectively. Rebos are also precious family assets and are passed down from one generation to another but these days the use of canvas tents is also becoming popular. Handcrafting has great significance in Changpa tradition, it is a skill that everyone inherits and proves useful in resource-starved land like ours. Weaving and knitting are so economical and wholly self-sufficient – we knit sweaters, socks, hats, and mufflers, and weave mattresses, quilts, saddles, and even containers for foodstuffs. Imagine having to buy all these!

Traditional weaving in Changthang

Even the traditional clothes we wear Gos made up of fabric called Snambus. All of which are handwoven from scratch! When I think about the olden tradition of Changpas – whether it is sustainable grazing of the livestock, food habits, lifestyle, or the practices of spinning, and weaving I realize how self-sufficient and environment-friendly the whole system is. However, the practices around local fiber and cloth making are undergoing changes. Machine-made fabrics and ready-made clothes are easily procurable from the markets and one doesn’t necessarily have to make everything from scratch like in olden times. Although a great variety of wool and fibers are found in Changthang, there’s relatively little expertise when it comes to processing these fibers and adding value to them. Kashmiri artisans are way more known for their skills in handicrafts and if this gap can be fulfilled locally, the fiber value chain will be complete in Changthang itself.

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Reviving Organic Apple cultivation in Shalkar (Kinnaur)
Photo: Mayank Pathak

Reviving Organic Apple cultivation in Shalkar (Kinnaur)

Himkatha

Kinnaur valley in Himachal Pradesh is well known for their apple cultivation. These high hills provide ideal climatic conditions for apple crops with the requisite chilling season in the winter. An apple variety known as Malus Pumila is a widely grown cash crop in the entire Upper Kinnaur valley. Shalkar village in particular is known for growing organic apples that’s much coveted for it’s sweetness and crunchiness. However, organic cultivation hasn’t always been the default practice in the village. This change is inspired by one man’s zeal and subsequent community resilience for better farming practises.

Photo: Karam Singh Negi

Perched at the altitude of 3200 metres, Shalkar is one of the last villages of Upper Kinnaur region before Spiti valley starts. There are over 110 households in the village – most of them dependent on apple cultivation for livelihood. While apples produced from other districts of Himachal ripen by July, the Kinnaur apples grown at a higher altitude start ripening around mid September or sometimes stretching till November hitting fruit markets across the country just before winter. The apples produced here are bulk transported to neighbouring metropolitan states where it is sold at a premium rate. Like many apple producing regions, the farmers here use chemical fertilisers and pesticides for bulk production. The usage became particularly more popular in recent years. In Kinnaur, It begins during the flowering season and continues till harvest. Use of chemical pesticides like Tefgor, Malathion, insecticide like Rogor, Durmet and a wide range of fungicides like Lethal, Kashstin, Majestic became quite handy for farmers seeking higher yield.

Earlier, many farmers do not use pesticides and fertilisers; most of them cannot even afford these but in recent years, the chemical spraying has increased from doing twice in a year up to spraying seven times in a year. The rampant usage of pesticides deeply bothered Karam Sing Negi – a cultivator from Shalkar village. He became conscious of the long term health and environmental hazards of pesticides and was determined to find an alternative. He gradually minimised the use of harmful pesticides and other chemical fertilisers in his own orchard.

The apple worm | Photo: Chunnit Kesang

For a farmer whose livelihood is entirely dependent on his orchard produce it was a risky move but for Karam Singh, there’s no greater satisfaction than reviving natural ways of farming his ancestors practised for generations. Transitioning his orchard for organic farming wasn’t easy – it needed a slow but consistent approach. He started minimising heavy chemical inputs and used only animal manure, human waste and other biodegradable waste suitable for it. For the initial few years, there was no prominent change and the yields were low. But he kept moving on with the same approach – his land needed to heal and the soil, the plants needed to reach its natural equilibrium.

Photo: Mayank Pathak

Hearing his approach, His Holiness Lochen Tulku Rinpoche (Highly revered spiritual leader) advised everyone in the village to follow the same path. Rinpoche also shared Karam Singh’s concerns regarding long term ecological damage. Adopting natural ways of farming will not only restore damaged ecosystems but also will help avoid killing of small insects and microorganisms. Convincing everyone else in the village to avoid using pesticides and chemical fertilisers was challenging. Shalkar village comprised both big Zamindars as well as marginal farmers. The villagers had an internal community meeting regarding it and there were various opinions/reactions regarding it. Few agreed with the idea while others were concerned about low yield and low productivity which could eventually impact their own livelihood as apple orchards were subject to a lot of pests and diseases. After much discussion, everyone in the village unanimously agreed to avoid chemical fertilisers in their orchards. The villagers even hosted a religious ceremony seeking blessings from local deities for good harvest. Lochen Rinpoche inaugurated the “Jinshak” ceremony by scattering ash and manure in the apple orchards of Shalkar village and advising everyone to revive traditional farming practises. For the first 3-4 years, the apple yield from Shalkar village dropped drastically. With dwindling yields, there were many uncertainties – some farmers even struggled to pay school fees for their children. However, their resilience paid off when the apple orchards of Shalkar village slowly recovered and started bearing luscious apples again!

Photo: Karam Singh Negi

With passing years, the villagers experienced improved yield from their orchard and noticed the apples from their village are different from neighbouring Kinnaur villages. Apples grown in organic farms in Shalkar have a distinctive sweet, crunchy taste with a natural waxy exterior which even gained preference among bidders who are involved in large scale apple export business. The villagers are working towards organic certification which will help them gain due recognition in the market. This story of organic farming and community led change in a small himalayan village shows it is possible to grow pristine apples without harmful pesticides.

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Agricultural Practices in Spiti Valley
Photo: Prasenjeet Yadav

Agricultural Practices in Spiti Valley

Himkatha

“Ney yotna chukpo sam, nor yotna mak”
“Those who have barley are rich, not the ones with money”
Spitian Proverb, Anonymous

Ever since my childhood days, I was very curious to know about the agricultural practices of Spiti valley – traditional crops we grow and how farming happens in a cold Himalayan desert. Like any Spitian youngster growing up I used to help my family with agricultural works whenever I am at home for holidays or during the peak harvesting season but I never got the opportunity to help them for the whole season. But last year, due to an ongoing pandemic, when I came home, I realized it was a good opportunity for me to understand agricultural practices first hand. I helped my family through whole process right from scattering ashes in the snow covered fields to prepare the field for ploughing to cleaning dried-up water canals before harvest season to helping during peak season of ploughing and harvesting. I also wanted to learn about the history of agriculture in Spiti valley and the elders in my family shared some interesting insights with me.

Photo: Lobzang Tandup

Traditionally, the people living in this valley grew barley and black peas for sustenance. They used barley grains to make Sampa (flour) or Arak (traditional alcohol). They also used barley and black peas to barter it with traders from Changthang who in turn would give Lena (Pashmina) and Khullu (Yak wool) in the 1960s however, things started to change in the valley. People started growing cash crops like green peas and potatoes as access to outside markets improved due to development of key roadways. Now, barley and black peas are grown only for self-consumption and are only a small share of the total agricultural production.

Agriculture in Spiti lasts only for six months. It’s the most crucial time for all the farmers. Although the sowing season starts only in April, the preparations start months before. The seeds are either procured or developed and stored safely during the winters. When the snow first melts around mid-April, the farmers plough their fields with the best resource they have – Yak or a pair of Dzo and seeds are scattered by hand, but these days people use tractors, ploughing machines and even tillers are used. Ploughing the field is a two person job, but sometimes the whole family can be seen in the fields helping out the parents. In Spiti, one’s family, relatives and friends are one’s greatest resources. Farming is very communal in nature. Everyone helps each other and sometimes even 3-4 families work collectively.

Photo: Lobzang Tandup

The system of communal farming helps ease the burden of marginal farmers who do not own Yak – they collaborate with Khangchen households (Zamindar family), borrow Yak for ploughing the field and in turn repay through their labour. Yaks are an effective but an expensive farming asset and not everyone can afford to buy and maintain them. The system works because it is based on a reciprocal relationship between Khang-chen (Big Zamindar) and Khang-chung (Small farmers) households and resource and labour are shared communally. Sometimes, the members of the Khang-chen household lend a piece of land for a few years to the Khang-chung household for farming. They do not have to necessarily repay through capital but the Khang-chung family can repay the benevolence through their labour works in the Khang-chen family – for instance, they can help the Khang-chen family during ploughing and harvesting season. This system is called “Shey” in Spitian.

The relationship between people, wildlife and nature go beyond utilitarian aspects. It is heavily influenced by cultural values and local practices around it. For instance, many Spitian households have unique names for their agricultural land which is a helpful marker of identification of one’s land and also carries meaningful ecological symbolism: “Chup- ja” (water-bird) is named for agricultural lands that resemble the shape of long-necked water cranes. “Ti-rik” is named for lands that resembles local barley-flour delicacy, “Dorgya-ma” is named for agricultural lands which is full of stones or pebbles owing to its hilly terrain, “Yur-yok” is referred to lands located beneath a water canal and “Phe-kak” (meaning half in Spitian) is often given to agricultural lands of “Khang-chung” families (small farmers) who gain their land after ancestral subdivision from Khang-chen family (big zamindari household).

There are a lot of farming songs and prayers that people hum while toiling in their fields. Farmers sing particular songs at every step. The songs have rich meanings related to farm works, weather conditions and comprises of odes and incantations towards local deities pleading for bountiful harvest. “Om Mani Padme Hung” – the holy Buddhist mantra is chanted while ploughing which symbolises farmer’s gratitude and compassion for Yaks and Dzos who toil so hard in our fields. “Laso- ho” is chanted in merriment to ease the stress and fatigue of animals when they plough in harsh weather.

As soon as the ploughing is done, the farmers wait for the first crop or sapling to grow a little before the cycle of irrigation begins (Yurma). This period is usually after 40 days from the day of sowing. Water is a scarce resource and there are local systems of water distribution and management called “Chu-rey” (water turns) entirely handled by women of the village. A group of women is appointed to take charge for the season to ensure timely, equitable distribution of water to each household. The Khang-chen (big zamindar) households have more access to water resources – they have frequent water-turns (chu-rey) and more water is allotted in their canals for irrigation. They also have more authority in decision-making as they are the original tax-payers of the land and have earned that right historically. Owing to scanty precipitation, irrigation becomes a daunting task – women get busy with watering works (Yurma) for over 2 months till the crops are fully ripe.

Photo: Lobzang Tandup

The green pea crop gets ready around June in low-lying villages (Kaza, Tabo, Rangrik, Pin) and August in villages in elevated regions (Demul, Komic, Langza, Hikkim, Kibber and Chicham) . These crops are then transported and sold in Delhi and other nearby states. The produce from Spiti is considered of highest quality as the farmers do not use any insecticide, pesticide or weedicide in their fields. Instead they only rely on animal and human waste as manure. The sweet taste of green peas from Spiti valley is the result of unique farming techniques and hard-work of the people who do not give up despite harsh conditions and scarce resources.

The cropping patterns of green peas and barley are different. Green pea, although is the primary source of livelihood for the farmers, requires much more work and tends to consume more water. Barley is a traditional crop of Spiti that is favoured more by farmers due to its low input requirements, better adaptability to harsh conditions and is considered drought/disease resilient. Barley crops and black peas (kala matar) can be harvested later around August-September when the work around green-peas is done. The remaining grass residues are collected to use for fodder or as a livestock feed for animals during winter.

Most Spitian households own a flat ground near their agricultural field called “Ul-tak” where separation of straw and barley (Khu-yuk) are done, cut grasses are brought and flours are grinded. The grains are finally stored in village. A group of women is appointed to take charge for the season to ensure timely, equitable distribution of water to each household. The Khang-chen households have more access to water resources – they have frequent water-turns (chu-rey) and more water is allotted in their canals for irrigation. They also have more authority in decision-making as they are the original tax-payers of the land and have traditional go-downs/storage called “Bhang” for better preservation.

Agriculture is the lifeline of Spitians and it is not just a livelihood means for us, but a way of life. Our tradition, cultural values and regional ethos revolve around agrarian practices. Many local Spitian proverbs (pera) are reflective of that knowledge. I am sharing few as recounted by elders:

Nyima dot la mata, Dotpa chung la mata
Do not rely on the sun’s warmth nor your appetite. This proverb talks about the importance of being alert, active and prepared when one is undertaking any agricultural work. When one leaves home in the morning for the field, a farmer has to be ready for any unpredictability – nor the pleasant heat of sun or one’s appetite at that point can be relied on.

Soye me phung, nyal phung
There will be agricultural loss not when you eat but when you sleep/laze around.

Ley betna, sey nyong
If you work hard, there will be a bountiful harvest.

Ney yotna chukpo sam, nor yotna mak

Those who have barley are rich, not the ones with money.

I am not an expert in farming or possess rich knowledge but I would like to share some suggestions, the ecosystem in the trans-Himalayan region is very fragile. Excessive focus on cash crops like green peas won’t be sustainable for the long run. We need to incorporate traditional crops like barley as well as black peas which are more suitable to local conditions. We should think about long term ecological sustenance and food security for the entire community. Cooperative societies, local management should work in a collaborative manner to fetch fair prices to our farmers. Youngsters should realize that although modern farming and technology are easier and more convenient, nothing beats natural farming technique and indigenous knowledge of the people.

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My farming memories
Photo: Vikram Katoch

My farming memories

Himkatha

I spent my whole childhood in a small hamlet called Garang in Lahaul. In the summers my sister and I would help our grandmother with the household chores and in in the fields. She would cultivate green peas, potatoes and wheat. In Lahaul, the sowing season starts from mid-March. Villagers would first clear the snow from the fields and then start sowing various seeds. Green peas and cauliflower seeds are sown first followed by potatoes. Farming is the sole livelihood of many villagers and before ploughing, people pray to their fields, the tools and the baang (oxen) in hope of a good harvest. After ploughing, the farmers use pickaxe to create small water channels in the fields. Our grandmother would let me and my sister do this task. She would instruct us on how to do this carefully and correctly. She would then add seeds of green peas after us. After covering the field with seeds, she would level it using long dry twigs.

Potato field in Lahaul (left) Fields in Lahaul (right) | Photo: Vikram Katoch

We used to eagerly wait for the seedlings to grow. It would take around 30 to 45 days for the first seedlings to emerge. This was the time when the weeds would be removed and the field would be watered through Kuls. Unlike traditional crops, most of the fields like green peas and cauliflower, require frequent watering – once in every 15-20 days. Around June flowers will start blooming in green peas fields and by August, the crops are ready. Harvesting season is the most important and everyone in the family will help collect the ripe peas. Since there is no farmers market/cooperative for peas in Lahaul, we are often forced to sell their produce to private dealers at meagre sum.

Photo: Vikram Katoch

Similarly potatoes are also grown in our village. Each household prepares their own seed by keeping sacks of potatoes in a pit during the winters. When spring arrives, the seeds are unearthed and prepared. The beds laid for potatoes are deeper than that of green peas and are placed 5 to 6 inches apart from each other. The seeds are buried deep in the soil to ensure high and good production of potatoes. When the seedlings emerge, the fields are watered and by September the harvest is almost ready. The leaves from the plant are removed a few days before uprooting the plants. This helps to thicken the potato skin, thus making them more long-lasting. The potato harvest is ready by early October and the whole valley is suddenly humming with trucks collecting produce and taking it to the market. There are times when it’s even difficult to find trucks in Lahaul and the farmers have to arrange trucks from the nearest town. Farming has changed a lot since my grandmother’s days – increasing mechanization has certainly filled the gap of labour shortage but many households still struggle to find good market exposure.

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Unpredictable Lifelines
Integrated Kashang Hydroelectricity Project, HP, India| Photo: ejatlas.org

Unpredictable Lifelines

Himkatha

Verses of prayers reverberate throughout the valley as men sing and climb mountains to ensure their village has water in the summer. People from Khadra, Akpa and Rarang village trek for 27 km to reach Pangi top and clear the path of the artificial stream – Kashang nahar to let the water flow freely towards their villages. Generations ago many streams flowed towards the foothills but now only a few remain and Kashang Nahar is the only reliable source. Completed in 2005 this canal is helping the local villages meet their demand for water.

Kashang nahar | Photo: Yowan Negi, (Village Rarang)

Khadra, Akpa and Rarang, villages at 8000ft of Moorang tehsil, fall in the semi-arid region of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh and rely mainly on glacial melt for their water needs. Though over the past few decades things are changing. As the climate is getting warmer, precipitation (rains and snowfall) is getting erratic. With each passing winter the glacier is unable to recover due to reducing snowfall trends. This is not only reducing the water availability during summers to the villages dependent on them but also leading to glacial instability. This phenomenon is already bringing grave consequences to the communities living in the mountains as was observed in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. A glacier collapsed and released a ton of water and energy which destroyed everything that was in its path.

During monsoons, flash floods and landslides are increasing and becoming more frequent by each passing year, adding to the woes of the communities. A few years back, in my village of Khadra and the nearby villages of Akpa and Rarang, a major landslide washed away many agricultural fields leading to loss of acres of productive land. This year we faced a severe heat wave which led to fires in our forests. As Deodar and Chilgoza trees around us burned and fell and the wild species fled, we felt so helpless as the water in Kashang nahar fell short. Some of us collected the water at the base of the nahar and managed to save a few trees. But a lot of the damage had already been done. Each year we are caught up in a dichotomy of drought and heavy devastating rains and we don’t know what we should prepare for.

Forest fires in Akpa & Jangi forest | Photo: Heer Chander (Village Jangi)
Aftermath | Photo: Sunder Negi

Development based on destruction

Himachal Pradesh, being a mountainous and river rich state, is known for its potential to generate hydro power. However that is coming at a cost to the communities. Villages and community forests are sanctioned under different projects to either be submerged or cleared off for the development. Around our village we have two hydro power plants – Tidong (150 MW) & Kashang Integrated (243MW) under construction and one mega project – Jangi Thopan of 804 MW is proposed. Kashang integrated project has plans to divert the Kashang nahar to meet its production needs. These projects are hindering the flow of our already distressed rivers and causing long term implications towards the health of the ecosystems and communities dependent on them. We have always opposed such mega developments and will continue to oppose them.

Photo: statkraft.in

Science and spirituality

To our communities, water means much more than a resource. Our ancestors have revered and protected the resource not just for themselves but for the generations to come. And today we continue to reap the benefits. Even today elders in the village guide us with ways to protect the water and thank the spiritual beings for their benevolence.  Every time we go to the source of a natural spring, we recite Naaga Chhonme, an ode to nature thanking her for the abundance of resources. It is deep rooted in our basic nature to feel connected to the forests, streams, rivers, mountains and we treat them as living being.

As much as spirituality is important to help us stay grounded and connected to our land and water we are also focusing on taking informed decisions to monitor and manage our resources based on scientific tools at our disposal. In early June this year, the youth of the 7 village clubs- Spillow, Kanam, Moorang, Jangi, Akpa, Rarang and Khadra, organised and attended a workshop conducted by Himdhara and People Science Institute on long-term monitoring of the health of the streams around our village. It was a 3-day workshop and we explored various themes around water including topics of development, climate change and its impact on our hydro and ecosystems. With the help of the Open Foris Collect, a mobile application, the youth have already started recording their readings of our streams.

River monitoring workshop | Photo: Sunder Negi

Climate change is a problem that we cannot solve at our village level. In the coming few years, the negative impact of climate change will only worsen and all we can do is prepare for the challenges we are to face. What we can do as a community is to raise awareness, write about the issues and continue to engage people in action towards climate change.

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Changes in Agriculture (Lahaul)
Photos: Prasenjeet Yadav

Changes in Agriculture (Lahaul)

Himkatha

I hail from Gumrang – a small rugged village in Lahaul (Himachal Pradesh). There are about 22 households and we are majorly dependent on agriculture. Farming along with livestock husbandry and agro-pastoralism has been traditional livelihood for locals here but there has been significant changes in since last decade. I have been farming for over the last 17 years, I have seen how much has changed in the valley in terms of food sustenance, practices around agriculture and resource usage.

I remember, when I was young, we used Yak and bulls to plough our fields. Traditional methods of ploughing like this required at-least two men and yaks to complete the task but we have gradually shifted to machinery to get the work done single handedly. About 30-40 years ago, we would cultivate Kaatu/Kathu (buckwheat), Jo (barley), Kala matar (black peas) in Lahaul which is enough for our sustenance. These traditional crops are full of nutrients and are suitable for people living in high altitude landscapes. In the current economy, even with introduced cash crops like green peas, potatoes and apples, it is sometimes hard to make ends meet. One cannot fully rely on cultivation anymore, we are less resilient towards changes in weather and crop disease.

Photos: Chhering Gaaji

Many villages in Lahaul are dependent on snow fed glaciers and springs for water resources. People wait for glaciers to melt and collect in water reservoirs before it is channelled for various purposes. In older days when the water was abundant, we could make water channels by our hands and get the water to the fields. Irrigation was done through hand-made Kuls (canals) and the water was distributed among different households on a rotational basis. However, due to change in weather patterns and growing need, the glacial water melt is a scarce resource and sometimes there is also a need to pump it up from the river. The general access for water and irrigation has become more convenient with the use of drip and sprinklers in the fields but at the same time, many of the natural water sources like springs are drying up and there’s less water in our Kuls now. Sprinklers and drip irrigation seem to consume less water but I realized our crops require frequent watering (2-3 times a week) as the water is not able to penetrate deeply in soil.

Years ago, each household had 40-60 livestock which was a good source of manure to the fields. Many families now have sold their livestock and now it’s hard to find any cattle in the villages. Due to this, the access to manure also reduced and the fields produced less. Cash crops like green peas, cabbages and the cultivation of exotic vegetables like broccoli which is increasingly becoming more dominant in the valley require more tending. The families then opted to supplement their field with urea fertiliser which caused damage. Excessive usage can deteriorate the soil quality and can lead to more pest attacks. In many cases, it also impacts the field of neighboring families who might be using organic fertilizers for the crops. I hope we, as a community, become more sensitive to these changes and be mindful of long term sustainability of our land and resources.

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Mushroom Cultivation in Spiti
Photo: Kalzang Ladey

Mushroom Cultivation in Spiti

Himkatha

Majority of Indians stay in rural areas with agriculture as their primary source of livelihood making India, largely, an agricultural country. Farming varies greatly across different regions given its geographical conditions and access to resources. It is increasingly becoming difficult due to growing effects of climate change across the country. Melting of glaciers, extreme weather patterns and excessive drought and rain have further increased our vulnerability. Farmers who are completely dependent on agriculture for their livelihood will face the brunt of changing phenomena and it is important to diversify our cultivation patterns. To aptly complement existing agricultural patterns, these alternatives need to be time-saving, less laborious and should also offer decent economic returns for the cultivator.

Photo: Kalzang Ladey

Given Spiti’s mono cultural practises, I realised that mushroom cultivation in Spiti will provide a viable option for the locals. Growing mushrooms is fairly easy and anyone can replicate the process once they are a bit familiar with it. One can easily cultivate mushrooms 2-3 times a year without any mechanical equipment. Moreover, there are no constraints on the scale of cultivation. It can be considered as a viable option by both small and big farmers alike. All they need is a small space in their houses. It roughly takes one month to cultivate mushrooms from scratch. In addition to usual agricultural crops, mushrooms can be added delicacy to your meals. Mushrooms are one the cheapest crops to cultivate if done with proper care -thus, with limited space and time, one can obtain a good yield. Mushrooms are extremely delicious and nutritious. It is a great way to build a diet full of protein, fibre and minerals. It contains a lot of vitamins, especially vitamin D. The nutrients available in mushrooms are helpful for people suffering from diabetes and other ailments. It is not surprising, then, that its presence in global as well as Indian diets is increasing. This is all the more reason for farmers to take up mushroom cultivation.

Photo: Kalzang Ladey

Many types of mushrooms are in demand, but specifically in Spiti, we cultivate oyster mushrooms. Both fresh and dry varieties of these mushrooms are sold in the market. The mushroom soup you get is made from these oyster mushrooms. We have experimented with the cultivation of White oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus florida), Pink Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus Djamor), King Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus Eryngii/Kabuli Dhingri), Gray oyster mushroom (Pleurotus Sajor Caju) and Tree Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus Ostreatus). Oyster mushrooms are the best varieties to cultivate if you are trying it for the first time. These are very nutritious and require much less space and environmental conditions for a beginner. Mushrooms can be grown either through spawns or substrate. Spawns are referred to any carrier material which has mycelial growth to propagate mushroom. It can be considered like a seed in mushroom farming and comes in various forms like sawdust spawn, grain spawn (most popular for home grown mushroom cultivation process), woodchip spawn and straw spawn. Substrate is a soil-like material that provides mushrooms with the nutrients, moisture and energy. It is high in organic matter making it desirable for cultivation. Different species of mushroom have different preferences of substrate hence it is important to match those requirements. A good substrate is dense woody fibrous material full of carbon.

I will briefly explain the cultivation process for those who are interested. There are two methods of mushroom cultivation:

  1. Organic sterilisation method
  2. Chemical sterilisation method but I will recommend people to follow the organic cultivation method.

In the organic sterilisation method, fill a large sized utensil with ⅓ of water and keep it to boil. When the water starts boiling, add straw which will play the role of substrate. In Spiti, we add dry grass chips called Phungma. Keep the mixture on boil for about 2 hours (depending upon the quantity). Drain the excess water, lay the straw on a clean mat to dry it (overnight). When it is completely dry, you will need strong poly bags (14X18 or 16X24 inches) to transfer the material. As for spawning, for 80 Kgs of straw, we require 1 Kg of spawn (mushroom seeds). The spawn can be sprinkled on the straw and can be mixed. Then comes layering where first we put some spawn in the polybag, then apply the first layer (2 inch straw), followed by another layer of spawn and finally topping it with the final layer of straw till we fill the poly bags to the brim. When this is done, close the bags in a way that it’s air-tight and there’s no room for moisture to enter. Once the bag is closed, make around 10-15 holes in each bag. Place these bags in a dark empty room or closet at 25 degrees Celsius for 15-20 days until the entire bag turns white. If there is any other colour formation, you’ll have to dispose of the bag and start over.

It is important to keep the bags in a clean room with good humidity. Keep checking the mushroom bags every other day and start sprinkling the floor with water to increase the humidity in the room. Once it starts sprouting, softly twist individual mushrooms and pluck them for consumption. For the chemical sterilisation process, add 125ml of formalin and 10 gm of bovesteen (fungicide) in 100 litres of water. Washed and damp straw is then soaked in this water for 12 hours. Following that, the excess water is drained and straw is dried out and then transferred to polybags. The polybags are then tightly closed with a string and left for cultivation. Once the bags start becoming white, you can make a few more holes in it. Roughly, at every 3 inches, there should be one hole in the bag. This will help you get a better yield. These holes should be made by only those cultivators who are unable to maintain 90% humidity in the room.If the room temperature is between 20-22 degree celsius, then it is considered to be the most ideal for incubation.

Once it sprouts, same bag of mushrooms should be harvested together otherwise, it would take longer to prepare for the second flash. Second flash can be carried out roughly 7-8 days after the previous harvest. In this way, each bag can take 3-4 flashes easily. After 3-4 flashes of harvesting, remove the poly bags and prepare for the second batch using different bags. If this is done with proper care, the mushrooms will be ready in 25-30 days. If you are planning to cultivate pink oysters (Pleurotus Djamor), then a slightly higher temperature is required in the room. Thus, you can cultivate these mushrooms in the month of June or July in Spiti. Other mushrooms can be cultivated between the months of April to September.

The Department of Horticulture in Spiti and honourable Agricultural Minister Shri. Ramlal Markanda helped me immensely in my journey of cultivating mushrooms. They helped me procure seeds, gain training and greater awareness about mushroom cultivation and subsequently helped me popularise it among local farmers. Along with the Department of Horticulture in Spiti, I have visited multiple villages to spread awareness and conduct training about spawn. We visited Losar Panchayat, Pangmo, Kibber Panchayat, Pin Valley, Kewling, Langza, Komic and trained about 500 people on mushroom cultivation. Men, women, young and elders all showed great interest and several of them started cultivating at household level. Along with awareness, we would also distribute free Spawns to encourage them.

We have been cultivating Oyster mushrooms till now, we can certainly try button mushrooms if we get the seeds. Institutions like ICR-DMR (Directorate of Mushroom Research), Centre for Mushroom Research and Training in Palampur and Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, in Nauni (Solan) has been carrying out extensive research and training for mushroom cultivation. We should gain firsthand insights and attend their workshop. Their hands-on training is extremely beneficial. I am very thankful to the department and its officials. I will continue to work for mushroom development in Spiti and I hope that we are able to bear the fruits of this venture in future. My request to all farmers is to adopt mushroom cultivation actively and in case of any hurdles, please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any queries.

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The sun returns home for the mother bird
Photo: Stanzin Dorjai (Gya)

The sun returns home for the mother bird

Himkatha

Spiti Valley has a remarkable ancient agricultural heritage that has sustained several thousand people in the remotest corner of high and arid Western Himalayas—one of the most inhospitable and climate-sensitive regions in the world—for more than a thousand years. The enduring sustainability of agriculture in Spiti Valley rests with its farming calendar.  The calendar uses stories, evocative names for months, and traditional knowledge to guide the timing of local farming activities according to the unique natural rhythms of “Spiti, the Valley of Gods” (Piti Lhayi Lungpa).

The natural rhythms of Spiti Valley are captured in Spiti’s calendar with unique timing and names of months, which are different even from neighbouring Tibetan Buddhist regions of Ladakh and Kinnaur.  In addition to local timing and names of months explained below, the calendar is used with other local and Indigenous practices of telling time. For example, Spiti farmers mark sunrise and sunset over stone cairn markers atop high mountains and note shadow lines on mountainsides to identify important days and times, such as the solstices and equinoxes. Farmers also use their observations of colours, sounds, and rhythms of local plants and animals to tell time, such as observations of brightness and colour of the sky when birds sing at dawn.

Winter Months 

For Spiti farmers, the year begins early in winter with rest and celebration after a hard year of work in the field.  The first month is called Losar or “New Year” and is celebrated three months before the Tibetan new year.  Losar is celebrated early in Spiti, usually around mid-November of the Gregorian calendar, because the valley, including the villages and pathways, will soon get covered under layers of snow for months.  The timing is ideal for Spiti farmers who have customarily completed all essential seasonal livelihood activities, and are now ready to turn their attention to the important family, communal, and religious gatherings of the Losar month.

Photo: Prasenjeet Yadav

The second month is called Jhama or “Mother Bird.” The bird here is Gharog or raven.  Raven is a bird of augury and protection in ancient Spiti and Tibetan beliefs, like in many cultures around the world.  It is said that once upon a time the divine bird, Gharog (raven), was unable to hatch chicks from eggs despite its many attempts because its body was excessively warm for incubation.

Devastated by this failure, the raven prayed that it would be able to hatch chicks from golden eggs during the coldest winter months. That is the reason ravens prepare their nest on a mountain cliff during the second winter month and the month is named Jhama. There is a local saying that describes Spiti’s coldest winter months: “Jhama Jhama zerna Jirug a-chu-chu.”  This saying suggests one shouldn’t complain about Jhama’s cold weather because Jirug, the following month, is even colder.

The coldest winter month is called Jirug or “Baby Bird” because it is the time when ravens lay eggs and hatch their baby birds. References to divine birds are common in Tibetan calendars. For example, the 2008-09 farming almanac of the nearby region of Kinnaur notes the following during Spiti’s Jirug month: “the divine bird has completed 30 days, if this is followed by snowfall, the divine bird will lay golden eggs, and there will be bountiful agro-pastoralism in Tibet.” It is also important to note that Jhama and Jirug are named not only for mythological reasons but also, and more importantly, to categorize seasonal times based on timely behaviour of natural environment. Researchers, for example, have found that common raven egg-laying and brooding behaviour begins in February, which comes during Jirug month.

Spring Months

The first spring month is called Degya (‘de rgya), which means to “soak in the Sun’s energy” as days become warmer and longer with the spring equinox. As snow cover begins to melt and days become brighter, blue sheep and ibex nibble on dormant plants on distant mountains, often under the lurking eyes of hungry snow leopards.  The month is named after the Sun’s warming energy during this month because it is crucial for melting the snow from the fields so that farmers can start Spiti’s short growing season early next month.

Photo: Dr. Tashi Tsering

The second spring month is Shingdeo (zhing ‘debs) or “cultivate the fields.” On the chosen auspicious day of the month, the farmers gather a few loose rocks on their fields, between which they burn juniper leaves to make smoke offerings. This is followed by offerings of libation drink carefully wrapped in a white scarf and marked symbolically with a dab of butter called yar. Yar-butter is marked on the foreheads of people, on horns of the yaks, and on the ploughs. And all through the ploughing period, the ploughman sings songs and prayers which may guide the yaks to turn, stop, or continue ploughing, or pray for absolution of sins that may come from harming insects and bugs in the process of ploughing.

Photo: Deepshikha Sharma

Spiti comes alive in bright colours during the final spring month of Na-ngon Sa-ngon, which means “blue skies blue earth.” This name invokes the beauty of lush green fields under bright blue skies.  Yaks graze freely on the mountains for the rest of the year until winter snowfall to produce the main source of energy for the village economy: dung for fuel and manure.  During this month, farmers count and wait forty days from seeding to first watering, guided by traditional knowledge, to ensure ideal conditions for seed germination in local soil, water, and weather conditions. Then expert women farmers do the first “mother watering” or Yurma, with Tirping, an irrigation tool made of blue sheep horns that ensures greener crops.

Summer Months

The young, irrigated crops begin to flower in early summer which is why the first summer month is called Metog or “flower”. Metog is indeed a flowering month as all kinds of flowers bloom throughout the valley during this time. The second watering called Rhakti or “watering the sun-burned” plants happens during this month. Farmers allow ten days to pass between the first and the second watering, making young crops dry and sun-burned. This practice teaches the young crops the value of the nourishing powers of scarce water, making them absorb more water in the future. These farming practices follow stringent customs based on the calendar, such as the yearly “ban on the use of sickle” or ban on cutting plants from summer solstice (June 21) until harvest season to ensure maximum plant biomass growth on Spiti’s arid landscape.

Photo: Prasenjeet Yadav

By mid-summer, the farmers’ labor bear fruit as grains begin to grow on the barley ears. This is the reason the mid-summer month is called Drebu or fruition of one’s labor. Farmers wait for the grains to become ripe for harvest next month. As tufts of bristles grow on barley ears, farmers irrigate the fields with a special technique called Kirchuyi. Now watering is done after carefully preparing irrigation channels and sluices in such a way that water will flow to all parts of the field by itself after it is released from the main sluice of the field. Another name for this convenient method is Minchu or seed-ripening water.

The last summer month is called Selda or “harvest month.” Unlike new commercial crops, traditional crops like barley are harvested methodically according to ancient customs. After the crops are cut, the sheaves are laid out in the field in neat rectangle-shaped patches to cover the barley ears from drying under direct sunlight. It is only when the crop sheaves are brought to the threshing ground that the ears are exposed to the sun for drying. The importance of observing this practice is told in the story of Jhojho Druguma.

Photo: Prasenjeet Yadav

Jhojho Druguma was a rich woman who did not bother to dry her barley sheaves in the proper manner. As a result, the ears and grains became too dry, and they fell off when the sheaves were carried from the field to the threshing ground. That is why, to Spiti farmers, the stars of the Milky Way are spread out the way they are so spectacularly over Spiti’s night skies. The stars of the Milky Way are Jhojho Druguma’s grains that fell on her way to the threshing ground.

Autumn Months

The first autumn month is named Khuyu. Khuyu is the Spiti word for circular threshing that is done to separate the grains from the husks. The process involves tethering yaks and other animals to a sturdy central pole and making the animals trample over harvested crops in a circular fashion. When the animals go round and round, tromping the husks and the grains, farmers use wooden pitchforks (zar) to mix, push or spread the husks so that the grains are properly separated. The whole process is blessed with Khuyu songs that can be heard from distant corners of villages.

The penultimate month is called Nyirug. “Nyi” is a short for Nyima or the Sun. “Rug” means to gather, specifically to gather animals back home before sunset. As such, Nyirug is the month when sun sets early, and days become shorter when farmers gather their horses and yaks back from the mountains in preparation of the oncoming long and cold winters. Farmers also follow stringent customs to ensure that there is enough winter stock of barley flour, dung, and fodder in their households during this month.

The last month is called Nyikhyim, which refers to the twelve zodiac houses of the sun in Tibetan astrology. “Nyi” means sun and “khyim” means house or home. Nyikhyim here refers to the Sun’s return home after completion of its annual cycle. For Spiti farmers, however, the Sun returns home to fulfil the mother bird’s prayers. This is expressed in the local proverb, “nyima garlog, jhama yin”. The Sun returns home so it becomes cold enough for the mother bird to arrive and hatch chicks. As such, the story of mother bird comes to a full circle at the end of the year along with the sun’s annual return home, while in anticipation of “Spiti’s deep cold winters when even yak-horns crack into pieces.”

In sum, the farmers of Spiti Valley practice a calendar that integrates local economy and ecology into a cosmic unity filled with wonderful stories and ancient wisdom that is perhaps more relevant today than it ever was.

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Celebration of Churs-pon
Saboo village | Photo: Dawa Dolma

Celebration of Churs-pon

Himkatha

I was a young girl when I first visited Saboo. It was a school picnic and the lush green beauty of Saboo mesmerised me. Having been born and brought up in Choglamsar – a suburb of Leh, filled with overcrowded concrete buildings with sparse vegetation, I assumed all villages in Ladakh to be dull, dusty and barren. So finding a green patch of land was unbelievable. My interest in Ladakh renewed in my early twenties when I first started exploring lesser known places and experiencing its unique socio-cultural practices that sustained life in the region.

Within a few kilometers outside of Leh, one can start to observe the changes in the land-use. Saboo (Sa-phuk in Tibetan), traditionally referring to an inner grassland near mountain foothills, has abundant water resources and greenery. There is relatively less influence of tourism and people still practice traditional agriculture solely dependent on Gang-chu (glacial water melt) and Chu-mig (natural springs). Due to its proximity to glacial water melt, the area supports healthy mountain grassland and diverse agricultural fields. But the main difference between Leh and Saboo is deeper than mere land use. The rural lands in Ladakh are governed by local traditional systems and customs which are truly rooted in the reality of people living there. These governance practices are highly visible in case of village resource management and are as effective as any other form of governance. Although the nearby town has grown multifold in the past few decades, nothing much has changed in Saboo, which is still a village of 500 households. One such fascinating tradition that has stood the test of time is a local custom of electing a water leader in their village. Water leader is the one who is responsible for governing water resources. In my curiosity to know more about water management, I spoke to a local farmer who shared with me the story of Churs-pon.

Photo: Dawa Dolma

Water is the most precious resource and the election of Churs-pon is an indispensable part of the traditional festival in this village. “Chu” means water and “pon” means leader. Churs-pon therefore is a unique water management system which ensures local governance, maintenance and distribution of water resources. Located at the high altitude, cold arid zone with a short cultivation period people have devised local systems that maximizes their resource usage with minimal conflict. Like any social institution, churs-pon enables farming communities in Saboo to judiciously use their land, water resources and enjoy greater prosperity. Churs-pon are annually appointed at the beginning of the agricultural season and Saboo being predominantly an agricultural society, the election of churs-pon is quite an important tradition in the region.

Historically, villagers unanimously elected a well respected man in the community who had rigorous knowledge of customary duties, rights and responsibilities around water management. Now, Churs-pon is appointed rotationally. The selection process differs in each village but in Saboo, the day is marked with auspicious ceremonies and prayers. Venerable lamas are consulted for an auspicious date and communal meetings are held. It is no less than any other cultural affair and locals host a festival called “sa-phak” which celebrates the selection process of churs-pon. Water being a crucial resource, there’s great excitement around it and at least one member of each family is present during the selection ceremony to ensure appointment of a competent leader. The two key Buddhist prayers “Tashi Tsekpa” and “Nangsa Nang-gey” are recited by monks to mark the auspicious start of farming work and bless the newly elected “churs-pon”for his work. The religious ceremony is particularly important for the rightful selection of the leader, who ethically follows all rules and regulations to ensure equitable distribution of water and harmony among farming communities. Communal prayers and holy tantric rituals like “tormas” (barley flour effigies) are offered to deities for agricultural productivity and to garner their spiritual support during the farming season.

Photo: Dawa Dolma

Traditionally, high-altitude communities have self-sufficient agricultural systems and religious ceremonies are done to invoke spiritual blessings of the local deities and to harmonize people’s relation with nature. “The tasks are overwhelming and challenging – a churs-pon has to monitor the water reservoir from five in the morning till eleven at night. Therefore, the right to churs-ponship is mostly given to male members”, says Tsering Dorjay (46) who was Saboo’s churs-pon a few years back. “Earlier we used to have 2 churs-pon but these days we have 4 as there are numerous agricultural lands and we need to ensure equitable distribution to all fields. The work has become more laborious” he concludes.

The agriculture in Ladakh is governed by a short growing season during which Gang-chu (glacial meltwater) is the most important resource. All Ladakhi villages have a community water reservoir called “zing” where glacial water melt is directly collected for irrigation. The zings are connected with water canals called “yura” which feeds water to all agricultural fields. The water is distributed based on requirements of the crops. Since food and cereal crops consume more water, it is first distributed to wheat fields, followed by green pea, barley and finally to fodder crops which are more resilient. A churs-pon is responsible for managing water distribution, irrigation turns, overseeing maintenance of zing, yura, resolving water disputes and ensuring equitable distribution of water among all families of the village without any personal bias and favoritism.

Churs-ponship of Saboo village is a classic example of how a community resource like water is effectively self-governed by villagers and is codified into distinct rules and regulations that everyone follows stringently. The lives of people are dependent on such traditional systems which are orally passed to the next generation, representing a unique community-led, self-governing system. The ethics of impartiality, equity, mutual cooperation and reciprocity are built inherently into the system. However, there’s considerable decline in the tradition of churs-pon due to alternative livelihood options like tourism and younger generations growing up without any knowledge and awareness about the local agricultural system. Mohammad Akbar, a 52 year-old churs-pon of Saboo village, painfully mulls over the loss of this beautiful tradition in his village, “it is doubtful whether the youth these days will continue with the tradition and do farming. It will be a huge loss if churs-pon becomes another lost tradition in the coming few years”. Entire agricultural practices of Saboo and other villages following this practice will fall apart if there is no churs-pon system. It is an indispensable part of people’s livelihood and forms crucial part of their identity.

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Stone breaking ceremony and Buchen of Spiti
Picture taken in 1998 | Photo: Buchen Tsetan Dorjee

Stone breaking ceremony and Buchen of Spiti

Himkatha

Buchen “the great disciples”

The first time I witnessed a Buchen performance, I remember feeling eerily awed. I do not remember much details about the performance but their ghastly white face smeared with flour and the cheek piercing ritual has stayed distinctly with me. My mother used to scare me that if I ever behaved badly, I would be taken away by meme buchen at night. 

Buchen are a group of religious performers in Spiti who enact elaborate rituals and ceremonies to ward off evil spirits that bring misfortunes. They entrap the spirit in a stone and demolish it through a sacred stone breaking ceremony. The ritual is also associated with curing diseases and healing an ailing heart. Nowadays, it is most commonly commissioned to prevent agricultural mishaps, disease outbreak, disaster and water scarcity in a region. Buchen are well-known for performing folk lore, enacting stories of Buddhist saints, Lhamo (opera) and Namthar (biographies). Given their dynamic role in Spitian society, they are viewed differently as ritualistic performers, opera performers, healers, storytellers and messengers of Buddha’s teachings.

Photo: Pitt Rivers Museum, UK

The Buchen of Spiti trace their lineage to Thangtong Gyalpo, a 14th C religious practitioner in Tibet who was famously known as “Chak zampa” for making iron bridges and stupa in Tibet. It is said that the stone breaking ceremony was first performed by him to curb an epidemic in Tibet; the capital city Lhasa was plagued with 360 different types of deadly diseases – massively ravaging the lives of ordinary citizens. A demonic force is believed to have caused the disease outbreak and it was then Thangtong Gyalpo first performed the sacred stone breaking ceremony to tame the evil spirit. It is believed that he entrapped the demon in a stone, performed the ritual by breaking the stone, and successfully managed to stop the disease from spreading.

He performed it the second time when a demonic spirit was obstructing the monastery he was building. Whatever was made during the daytime was demolished by demons at night. He then performed the stone breaking ceremony where he subdued the evil spirit in a stone and annihilated it by performing the ritual. The monastery eventually came to completion after the demons were tamed. The practice then became widespread in other Himalayan regions and became an important tradition.

Photo: Tenzin Sonam

Thangtong Gyalpo was a versatile figure. He was a highly revered Buddhist tantric master, skilled in monument making, and nurtured a strong penchant for performative art forms like opera, theater, folk songs and writing. He was also the first priest to spread religious teachings through physical enactments of morality plays, allegorical folklore, song & dance and narratorial acting. He strongly felt that the core teachings on compassion, kindness, peace and impermanence should be taught in a way people can understand and implement in their real lives rather than just instructing from scriptures. He then founded the first theatre group in Tibet which goes to every village and performs religious teachings through morality plays and songs. Buchens of Pin valley in Spiti are disciples of this great master and they consider themselves as his sons “Bu-chen = great sons” who will follow the legacy of their master. Paying tribute to Thangtong Gyalpo is a huge part of Buchen’s performance; they put his statue on the altar, pray to him, sing odes and his teachings are orally passed through many generations.

Buchen as healers – relevance of the ceremony

I have seen several Buchen ceremonies during my growing up years and their performances are always invariably very striking. They are bold and impressionistic – one can remember the visuals long after the performance is over. Their repertoire, the enactments, narration and audience engagement are hugely appealing. It is like when they are performing – you are part of the stage, the play and the world they created for you. You might be a silent audience observing them from a distance but they will break the barrier by suddenly putting you in the spotlight – asking you questions, mimicking you and making you part of the play. As such, the distance between the performer and the audience is fluid. You are part of their stage, their world and they derive inspiration, anecdotes from you, your life and the larger community.

The Buchen’s performances are highly centered on religious precepts but with time, it has evolved to incorporate social realities of local communities. The practice is no longer restricted to impart religious teachings but it’s also done to avert serious social and ecological crises like drought, disasters, plague, agricultural loss and to bring harmony among communities. Locals appeal Buchens to perform ceremonies before agricultural season, during particularly low snowfall year, for recovery of physical ailments, while building houses, before starting any new venture in life or to bless a pregnant woman for health and happiness. Meme Buchens play a critical role as healers in Buddhist societies in Himalayan region and their blessings are sought during times of insurmountable distress as well as to bring peace and prosperity. Last year, when the world was gripped with novel coronavirus and there was panic everywhere, remote communities from Spiti sought solace in the healing powers of Buchen, to protect and safeguard them.

Photo: Buchen Gatuk Sonam

Stone breaking ceremonies were performed in many villages like Kaza, Demul, Khurik, Ki and Pin valley. They were also invited to many parts of Ladakh, Zanskar, Lahaul and Kinnaur to help communities deal with crop failure and drought. They were once invited to Patlikuhl, a small village near Kullu/Manali where an annual flood was causing huge devastation. Similarly, in 2018 when His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fell gravely ill after an eye surgery, meme Buchen of Pin performed a stone breaking ceremony in his “sim-chung” (private residence) for quick recovery. Individuals, villagers, institutions and monasteries consult them for healing, to dispel hindrances and for an auspicious beginning deed.

Sword dance and the stone breaking ceremony

Buchen form groups of 4 or 5 people. The troupe is led by the head Buchen (Lo chen), an actor who plays the role of Lukzi (shepherd) or Onpa (hunter) followed by two other actors who assist them in various tasks. The Lo-chen performs all key ceremonies and religious narratives while Lukzi grips the audience through his skillful narration, storytelling and repertoire. He is the most captivating character – his deliveries are a blend of social commentaries, mimicries, moral teachings and comic interludes.

The Buchen head opens the ceremony with prayers, places the statue of Thangtong Gyalpo on the altar, pays him homage and narrates Namthar (biographies). The other team prepares the stage by placing a large boulder near the altar, drawing a human figure on it symbolizing the evil spirit/ demon that is to be demolished and burning incense. There will be brief prayer in between and after that, followed by a dance led by the head Lama rhythmically swinging the sword in slow dance movements.

Then comes Lukzi’s turn, who enters the stage wearing a sheep skin and face smeared with white barley flour. He takes over the performance, engaging with the audience – making them crack into loud laughter and burst into tears while the head Buchen prepares for sword dance. He strips the upper part of his body naked, then slowly pierces his cheeks with a large pin and there’s considerable excitement, fear and thrill among the audience who watch him do this. It is a slow careful action and is done to dispel ill omens – the piercing of cheeks symbolizes purity of speech. He then proceeds to point the tip of the sword on his belly and slowly jumps to put all his body weight on it – repeating the act by drawing a sword in his armpits. The whole ritual of body piercing symbolizes the mutual existence of the mortal human body and lha (spiritual deity) that resides in each one of us. The sword dancing and body piercing symbolizes purity of body, mind and speech.

At the culminating act, while Lochen prepares himself for the sacred stone breaking ceremony, the dancer on whose body the stone is to be broken, lies down. A thin cloth and a heavy stone is placed on his body while the other actors look for a second stone. Lo-chen enters the scene, lifts the second boulder and smashes it on the stone placed on the dancer’s belly. The stone breaks with loud thudding noise signaling annihilation of the demon whose spirit was entrapped in the stone. Meme Buchens undergo intense tantric training, yoga, meditation and scripture learning in retreat to acquire such high feat. They acquire immunity towards fatal injuries and mishaps while performing ceremonies after decades of stringent training and disciplining of body and mind. They acquire mastery over their being before they perform healing treatments on others.

Photo: Buchen Tsetan Dorjee

They travel extensively within Spiti and outside to perform stone breaking ceremonies among various communities in Himalayan region like Ladakh, Kinnaur, Kullu/Manali, Riwalsar (Tso Pema), Sikkim and Nepal.  Every year they make a journey in small groups carrying the traveling altar, a trunk comprising their costumes, props and other material used for performance and leave from Pin for months at stretch. Sometimes they are out of their homes for as long as six months and come back only during harvest season for the farm work. They recite Namthars, folksongs and perform ceremonies in settlements where they reside and also make trade deals with the locals. They also sell horses and in turn receive Khullu (Yak wool), hand spun blankets,  Lena (Pashmina) and apricots. The Buchen tradition has seen huge decline in Ladakh and the meme Buchens of Pin valley often get invited to perform ceremonies to revive crop failure, crop damage and to appease local deities for abundant snowfall. They travel all over Ladakh; Demchok, Korrzok, Tsokar in Changthang to Choglamsar, Parang valley and even in Zanskar. Alternatively, in Kinnaur they visit Chango, Nako, Malling, Leo, Hangrang and even go as far as Rampur where the biggest trade fair in Himachal happens. Wherever they go, they are treated with utmost respect and their sword dancing and stone breaking ceremonies are considered equivalent to the Jintsak ceremony performed by highly incarnated Rinpoches (religious leader) to dispel ill omen and bring prosperity in the region.

Buchen tradition has undergone a tremendous change over the years. It used to be a widespread practice in many Himalayan communities but now it is actively pursued only in Spiti and that too minimally – there are only 10 remaining Buchen households in the region. “.. people no longer value our skills” laments Meme Buchen Tsetan (76) who is one of the oldest Buchen in Spiti. “Earlier people would bow down in front of Buchen to show their reverence but there’s considerable change in people’s attitude.” They also confide that with the influx of tourists, photographers and filmmakers, the practice has been reduced to a bare minimum where they are generally not interested in listening to prayers and Namthar (biographies) and rush them to perform sword dance and stone breaking which has more element of spectacle.

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