P O S T C A R D S F ro m L A D A K H 9

JISPA: THE MOOD

KICKS IN

THIS IS IT. THE EDGE OF HEAVEN. AS FAR AS OASES GO,

Jispa's tough to beat. A recommended night halt before
Ladakh, it's just the place where the mood kicks in.

It's the last green spot - with trees, flowers and

wheat fields - till you hit Leh. Jispa lies at 10,890 feet
on the bank of the Bhaga, whose waters lull you to sleep
at night. Mudhouses and chortens complement the
serenescape.

It's quiet. Very quiet. Except for the rumble of

passing tankers and trucks ferrying supplies to Ladakhis
and the Army. You'd think the locals are introverts,
barely seen except in the mornings when they reach the
communal taps to brush their teeth and wash their
utensils. Or to stroll and ruminate like the cows leading
them - at least like the three men I saw.

I spotted some boarding a bus to Keylong. A sign

inside asked passengers on seats 1 to 3 not to sleep lest
they make the driver drowsy Some women were shopping
at a grocery store run by 'ex-man' Karam Singh; methinks
the sign should read 'ex-serviceman'.

Jispa can be a destination in itself for travellers.

Pity it's inaccessible eight months of the year.

Ô The old woman at Jispa
waiting to go to work
Ô Three men out for a morning
stroll with their cow
P O S T C A R D S F ro m L A D A K H 11
GRANNY OFF TO
MAKE ROADS
ONE EARNING MEMBER USUALLY FEEDS AN ENTIRE
family in rural India. It could even be the grandmother.
Like the one I met by the highway in Jispa.
Knitting and smiling away, she sat waiting for other
villagers. Together, they would go make the roads that
travellers like me drive on. She was probably a
beneficiary of the government's rural employment
guarantee programme. But how much work could her
ageing body put in?
Some locals work as daily wagers like her, she said,
though Jispa's chief occupation is agriculture. Its main
crops are potato (sold in the mandi or wholesale market)
and peas (sold locally). During the harsh winter,
villagers knit woollens and weave carpets but mostly for
their own use.
She pointed to a local school, an impressive building.
No student or teacher plays truant here, a major
achievement in India. A board highlighted targets of the
government's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education for all)
programme: By 2003, all children to be enrolled in school.
By 2010, all children to study till the eighth grade. Seems
Jispa is well on course to achieve these milestones.
Granny posed for some pictures. Then, a cheerful wave
and she was off to make roads...
 P O S T C A R D S F ro m L A D A K H 13

(BUDDHIST) STAIRWAY
TO HEAVEN

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN AN AFTERLIFE, THE

aspiration is always to go to heaven. And every faith
shows you a way to reach it.

Buddhism too has its prescriptions. Climbing steps is

one. Not those in your house but the ones crafted
especially for the purpose.

The first I saw of these was in Jispa, resting against

a mudhouse and leading to the roof. Cut into a log of
wood, the rungs were much smaller than most adult feet.
And the design, evidently a local one, didn't include any
climbing support How does one climb without support,
especially when carrying something?

A guide enlightened me when I next saw a similar

contraption at the Alchi gompa. If anyone can mount these
steps all the way to the top without support, said he, that
person bags himself a heavenly spot in the afterlife. It
is certainly not a simple task. With my big feet and the
pending long drive, I dared not take the challenge lest I
took a tumble!

The ticket to heaven doesn't come easy.

 P O S T C A R D S F ro m L A D A K H 15

THE MIGRATORY
ENTREPRENEURS OF
THE HIMALAYAS

HERE'S A LESSON IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP YOU WON'T

learn at Harvard.

Hozer runs a makeshift cafe at Deepak Tal, 23 km

ahead of Jispa. The menu offers 'veg momo', 'chowmin',
'Meggi' (actually Maggi instant noodles), cold drinks, tea,
coffee besides meals. Hikers, bikers and cyclists can also
rent beds here for the night for Rs 50-200. Indians pay
less, foreigners more. And a dollar gets you a spin on
the lake in a bright yellow boat.
Ô Hozer and his wife
Dorma has an enterprising streak too. She single-
handedly runs Shanti Cafe in windy, dusty Pang. She
served me excellent cardamom tea and beans with rice. Her
husband is an armyman, posted on a glacier near
Khardung-La. Her daughter, 13, lives in Leh with her
sister. Her son, 19, studies in the eleventh grade in
Delhi, aspiring to become a policeman. The family gets
together once a year.

Ladakh is dotted with such itinerant entrepreneurs.

They set up cafes in the four summer months and return
to their villages in winter, having earned enough to pay
their bills all year round. Dorma earns Rs 30,000-50,000
in a season.

But for the food and shelter they offer, many an

adventure traveller wouldn't be seen in Ladakh.
Ô Dorma
 P O S T C A R D S F ro m L A D A K H 17

ALL IN THE
RIGHT SPIRIT(S)

WOULD YOU GO TO ZING ZING BAR LOOKING FOR PEACE?

Many backpackers, especially from the West, certainly

do. At ZZB, 34 km from Jispa, they stop by to roll joints
and get high. How much higher do they want to go than
the 14,000 feet they're already at? Some creative ones
have even painted peace signs on rocks, and named a local
eating joint Peace Cafe. Amen to that.

Drive beyond Sarchu, and there's more high-spirited

branding. First up is Twing Twing Bridge, which was being
repaired when I crossed, delaying my journey by an hour.
Two jollier ones follow: Brandy Bridge and Whisky Bridge.
A toast to the Border Roads Organisation's imagination.

These names seem a little out of place though, what

with the BRO itself having posted road signs like ‘After
Whisky, Driving is Risky’ and ‘Drive on Horse Power, not
Rum Power’ Then again, an Army mess at a camp in Ladakh
is also called Zing Zing Bar. Will this bring peace to
India's borders? One hopes so.

Till then, look around. Ladakh's landscape is all you

need to keep your spirits up.