Winter in Ladakh is harsh for lack of basic and proper facilities and all sorts of shortages people have to face due to extreme temperature (minus 20 average minimum) and closure of roads; mobile and internet communications also fail often. Despite a frozen winter in Ladakh and difficulties, there are a few pleasant things to cheer about during these months.
Children forget cold when they play on ice, even older people are busy organising and playing ice hockey that keep everybody gelled together bringing cheers on their faces. Interestingly, even politicians find winter time an ideal time for politicking as people (voters) have lots of time to spare. Of late, both LUTF and Congress have found a new subject Justice Sagheer's report on Kashmir solution to oppose and gather momentum in drawing public opinion as the Hill Council elections approach.
Most importantly, winter time is the time for all sorts of social events festivals, losar, new year (which is just over) and yes marriages that keep people involved and warm in cold temperatures. Yet there are those people who shy away from winter and activities that take place during these months and prefer to live in plains Delhi, Jamu and eslewhere. Older lot make better use by doing pilgrimage to holy sites in India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Those were the days when there was another thing to be worth waiting anxiously for, which was the storytelling (legengs such K Sar, Abi Tsao phata, Achey Lachik Nono Yulat, Zomo Ruyon so and so forth) that keep children drawn to their grandparent; hope same tradition still prevail. But in town TV has taken that place which was exclusively private in homes.
Children studying in higher standards continue to be burdened by their studies taking away the fun of vacation; schools are closed but they go for tuitions facing the biting chill of winter, walking on ice to be clogged in rooms imparting tution by same teachers who teach them at school.
Winter time is also time for many to devote themselve in spirituality, especially in first month of local calender (Tangpo) when people (buddhists) observe fast and pray (Neynes, Nyungnes), prostrations (Gochag) while for Muslims id and muharram engage them in their religious pursuit.
.jpg)
