Synopsis
Ladakh, or Little Tibet, is a wildly beautiful desert land high in the western
Himalayas. It is a place of few resources and an extreme climate. Yet, for more than
a thousand years, it has been home to a thriving culture.
Traditions of frugality and cooperation, coupled with an intimate and locationspecific
knowledge of the environment, enabled the Ladakhis not only to survive,
but to prosper. Then came development. Now in Leh, the capital, one finds
pollution and divisiveness, inflation and unemployment, intolerance and greed.
Centuries of ecological balance and social harmony are under threat from
modernization.
The breakdown of Ladakh's culture and environment forces us to re-examine
what we really mean by progress - not only in the developing parts of the world, but
in the industrialized world as well. The story of Ladakh teaches us about the root
causes of environmental, social and psychological problems, and provides valuable
guidelines for our own future.
The VDO