RSIS - LADAKH PROJECT

It was 9^th of July when Manoj, Udhay and I were supposed to report for the RSIS Project (Ladakh) at the YMCA Hotel, Delhi. We boarded our flight for Leh, early next morning. We were very anxious and excited about the project. The view of the mesmerizing landscape from the top made us even more elated. In our group we had 25 students and 3 leaders. The group comprised people from Germany, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Oman and India. On the first day while we were going to a monastery something unfortunate happened. I lost my camera!!! My project leader tried to help me but I still couldn’t find it.

Two days later we moved to our project site. It was a small village near Leh called Thiksey. We were required to prepare two rooms (a library and an office) and also complete the verandah of a dormitory which was constructed last year. At the campo we stayed in tents. Two people shared a tent and both of them had to be from different nations. We had to get up at 6:00am on our own, have tea and reach the worksite by 7:00am. Our camp was at the foot of a hill, near a monastery where the monks started praying at 5:30 in the morning. Their enchantment could be heard at the camp. The sounds though not pleasing worked as an alarm to wake us up. The work was divided in three work sessions of two hours each. We were divided in groups of four and there were six groups in all. One group was on domestic duty everyday. The domestic group was not supposed to go for work, instead they had to clean up the camp compound and help in cooking. The group also had to prepare a game which was played before dinner. There was also a group journal in which the activities of the day were recorded.

At the worksite we did multiple tasks- made chains and shifted bricks, collected logs and also cut them, moved and mixed water with mud which worked as a plaster and we also painted. After one week of work we were taken to Pangong Lake. The lake was very beautiful and at the other side of the lake was China’s border. In the second week two groups in rotation went to the Lamdon School to teach the local children. On the last day at the worksite the villagers had organized a small cultural night for us. Out there they performed some dance and later had an archery competition.

After completing the project we left for a five day long trek. We had forty horses along with us carrying our tents, luggage and food stuff. After completing the trek we stayed in Leh for two days. On the second last day we went for rafting in the Indus River. On the last day we had a farewell dinner with our tour guides and the cooking crew. The next day- 2^nd August’09 we had our flight back to Delhi. We did not realize how quickly the three weeks had passed and now it was time to return. The Indians left the group from Delhi but the foreigners continued and went to Agra and Jaipur. Though the project is over and we are back to our normal lives, what we would never forget is the feeling of satisfaction we got after a day’s hard work and the light moments shared by our new global friends.

Sambhav Palawat

Manoj Kapila

Udhay Grewal