Is Muslim population growth in Ladakh a part of a plan?

Filed Under Kunzum, Social Issues | 6 Comments

A major concern of the Buddhist Ladakhis is the population increase by Muslims in Ladakh, where the latter are in a minority, as part of a plan to disrupt the existing demographic patterns. If true, the consequences could be socio-economic as well as political in nature.

And for those indulging in such practices, the law helps them too: in India, polygamy for Muslims is allowed but not for other communities. As a result, large Muslim families are not a surprise with each wife bearing more than a couple of children. The Buddhists feel Muslims are spreading their influence in the mostly Buddhist areas of Ladakh by consciously having many more children – some men have been said to father over 20 – and buying property. The Buddhists believe the money to buy such property and support football team size families comes from the rich benefactors in the Middle East. Read more

Aug

18

Muslims marrying Buddhists in Ladakh can only mean violence

Filed Under Travel, Social Issues | Leave a Comment

According to a senior and responsible army officer posted at the Siachen glacier, a point of conflict between India and Pakistan, the town of Leh in Ladakh sees the local residents getting violent twice a year on average. The issue: When a Muslim decides to, or already has, marry a Buddhist.

And this sentiment was echoed in many parts of Ladakh. In the town of Padum in the Zanskar Valley, a young student named Ghulam Ali Baig told me Muslim – Buddhist marriages are virtually unheard of. When couples do decide to go in for such inter-religion marriages, their only option it to quietly run away to another place like Leh or Jammu where no one knows them. The only mixed couple living in Padum are Ghulam’s own grandparents: his grandfather is Muslim. But that was many years ago when society was more moderate according to him. Read more

Aug

17

Buddhist monks fear being killed in Srinagar, don’t wear robes

Filed Under Politics, Social Issues | 1 Comment

Buddhist monks (lamas) in Ladakh (and probably everywhere else too) are supposed to be in their robes all the time, even when they are allowed breaks for some leisure. The exception is when they are in Srinagar, the capital of the disputed Indian Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir; if they are identified as lamas, there is the fear of being shot by Muslims. As a rule, they have to be in regular clothes when visiting Srinagar.

This was told to me by Rigzen, a 20-year old lama posted at the Chamba Statue of the Maitreya Buddha in Mulbeck, a 75 minute drive from Kargil when going to Leh during my recent trip to Ladakh. If what he said is true, it just goes on to show how violent elements do not spare even practitioners of a peace loving religion like Buddhism. Read more

May

21

Drugs Tourism in Himalayas: Are visas being restricted to Israelis?

Filed Under Public Interest, Social Issues | 2 Comments

Is the Indian Government getting more stingy about the duration of visas it issues to backpackers who supposedly come to stay in the Himalayas for months to enjoy the easy access to cheap drugs? And with a good number of these from Israel, is the Israeli Government getting worried about the image of its country?

During my recent trip to Mcleodganj and surrounding areas in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh I met Nimrod, one of the thousands of Israelis for whom this region of the Himalayas are Shangri-La - not mythical but real; many of them are supposedly here to unwind after undergoing the rigours of compulsory military training. Or at least this is what a lot of people told me. The Israeli Government seems to be getting concerned about the image of their country with its citizens ‘reveling’ in the Himalayas according to an acquaintance of mine; while consumption of drugs was commonplace, he claimed to have seen them having an orgy in the jungles once. But nothing seems to have been done to date. Read more

Dec

19

Amartya Sen: Unions can improve public education, healthcare

Filed Under Public Interest, Social Issues | 3 Comments

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, speaking at a seminar titled ‘Right to Education – Actions Now’ in New Delhi today, came up with an interesting thought on how to address the issue of poor primary education in India. His suggestion: involve the unions of teachers working in the public education system.

Now this did sound a bit of a surprising statement, especially as the event was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the audience comprised some of the who’s who of Indian business. What was Dr. Sen’s reasoning? This is what he said, and I would tend to agree with him: Read on, it’s worth it…