Ladakh News
André Alexander
23/01/12 07:46
With great sorrow we have to report that our friend and colleague André Alexander died of a heart attack in Berlin on 21 January. He had celebrated his 47th birthday only four days earlier.
André was the co- founder of the Tibet Heritage Fund (THF), and a pioneer of the restoration of historic buildings all over Tibet and the wider Himalayan region. His early work was in Lhasa where, together with Andrew Brennan and Pimpim de Azevedo, he launched the Lhasa Archive Project in 1993 with the aim of documenting Lhasa's vernacular architecture. In 1996 he launched the THF and over the next four years worked with traditional craftsmen in Lhasa to restore and upgrade some 20 historic buildings and to train a new generation of artisans. In the 2000s he extended his range as far as Amdo, and the old city of Beijing. In 2010 he was exploring the possibility of beginning new projects in Sikkim and Bhutan.
The seeds of THF’s work in Ladakh were sown in 1995 when André met IALS founder Henry Osmaston at a conference in Graz (Austria). Henry pointed to the need to record old Leh’s historic buildings as soon as possible, as Leh was changing fast, and old buildings were disappearing all too quickly. In 2003 and 2004 a small THF team conducted a survey of Old Leh, reviewing both the state of its buildings and the social and economic conditions of the people who inhabited them. In 2006 THF and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to preserve historic Leh. In the same period THF worked with local people to set up the Leh Old Town Initiative (LOTI), which is registered as an NGO under the India Society Act. Since then, André and his colleagues have worked on a series of restoration projects in Leh and Tsatsapuri (Alchi). Information about their work can be found at www.tibetheritagefund.org
André took part in the IALS conference in Ladakh this summer and then presided over the launch of the Central Asian Museum in the Tsa Soma garden to the west of Leh palace. The museum is an enormously impressive new building constructed with traditional techniques, and designed to celebrate Ladakh’s historic links with Central Asia. Among André’s many achievements in Ladakh, this was perhaps the crowning one.
It is particularly poignant to have to record the early death of someone who was so full of energy and had so much more to contribute. Among many people who worked with him, André was a source of both inspiration and expertise. His work will – and must – continue.
André was the co- founder of the Tibet Heritage Fund (THF), and a pioneer of the restoration of historic buildings all over Tibet and the wider Himalayan region. His early work was in Lhasa where, together with Andrew Brennan and Pimpim de Azevedo, he launched the Lhasa Archive Project in 1993 with the aim of documenting Lhasa's vernacular architecture. In 1996 he launched the THF and over the next four years worked with traditional craftsmen in Lhasa to restore and upgrade some 20 historic buildings and to train a new generation of artisans. In the 2000s he extended his range as far as Amdo, and the old city of Beijing. In 2010 he was exploring the possibility of beginning new projects in Sikkim and Bhutan.
The seeds of THF’s work in Ladakh were sown in 1995 when André met IALS founder Henry Osmaston at a conference in Graz (Austria). Henry pointed to the need to record old Leh’s historic buildings as soon as possible, as Leh was changing fast, and old buildings were disappearing all too quickly. In 2003 and 2004 a small THF team conducted a survey of Old Leh, reviewing both the state of its buildings and the social and economic conditions of the people who inhabited them. In 2006 THF and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to preserve historic Leh. In the same period THF worked with local people to set up the Leh Old Town Initiative (LOTI), which is registered as an NGO under the India Society Act. Since then, André and his colleagues have worked on a series of restoration projects in Leh and Tsatsapuri (Alchi). Information about their work can be found at www.tibetheritagefund.org
André took part in the IALS conference in Ladakh this summer and then presided over the launch of the Central Asian Museum in the Tsa Soma garden to the west of Leh palace. The museum is an enormously impressive new building constructed with traditional techniques, and designed to celebrate Ladakh’s historic links with Central Asia. Among André’s many achievements in Ladakh, this was perhaps the crowning one.
It is particularly poignant to have to record the early death of someone who was so full of energy and had so much more to contribute. Among many people who worked with him, André was a source of both inspiration and expertise. His work will – and must – continue.
Garsha, Heart Land of the Dakinis - A Mirror into Lahaul Sacred Time and Space
16/10/11 13:17
170 pages full colour illustrated book.
This newly published volume is based on the knowledge as preserved in the local tradition as well ancient texts in Sanskrit, Sharda and Tibetan (Bhoti) language, collected by the best Historians of Lahaul, Ladakh and the Western Himalayas, Lahulis, Tibetans and foreigners, including art historians, epigraphists, etc. A very well documented yet inspiring book designed pimarily for the pilgrims and local people, full of amazing stories and 150 colour photos, with 4 maps, 60 endnotes for academic discussions, more than 110 bibliographical references.
For more details and to purchase a copy please visit www.drukpa.com
This newly published volume is based on the knowledge as preserved in the local tradition as well ancient texts in Sanskrit, Sharda and Tibetan (Bhoti) language, collected by the best Historians of Lahaul, Ladakh and the Western Himalayas, Lahulis, Tibetans and foreigners, including art historians, epigraphists, etc. A very well documented yet inspiring book designed pimarily for the pilgrims and local people, full of amazing stories and 150 colour photos, with 4 maps, 60 endnotes for academic discussions, more than 110 bibliographical references.
For more details and to purchase a copy please visit www.drukpa.com
John Crook, 1930-2011
18/07/11 10:30
We regret to report that John Crook, one of the pioneering figures of contemporary Ladakh studies, passed away on 11 July at his home in Somerset (UK). It seems that he was working at his desk when he died, active until the very last.
John was a distinguished figure in several different fields. As a young man he came into contact with Chan (Zen) Buddhism while on National Service in Hong Kong, and the study and practice of Buddhism became one of his lifelong vocations. However, his academic work was initially in an entirely different field. His doctoral thesis was a study of weaver birds in West Africa, and he rose to become Reader in Ethology (animal behaviour) in the Psychology Department of the University of Bristol. Starting in the late 1970s, he brought his interests in both the natural environment and Buddhist philosophy to the study of Ladakh.
John first travelled to Zangksar in 1977, and then led two full-scale University of Bristol research expeditions to the region in 1980 and 1981. It was through John that IALS founder Henry Osmaston became interested in Ladakh, joining the Bristol expeditions as an agricultural specialist. The outcome of their work was Himalayan Buddhist Villages (1994), an authoritative collective study of Zangskar jointly edited by John and Henry. John’s second full-length book on Ladakh, written with James Low, was The Yogins of Ladakh (1996), an account of personal encounters with Buddhist teachers in the region. His other publications on Ladakh include a series of papers on subjects ranging from polyandry, social change and indigenous psychiatry to Buddhist philosophy.
After his retirement from Bristol University, John became even more heavily involved in Buddhist teaching. In 1993 he was formally initiated as a first Western Dharma Heir of the Chan Master Sheng-yen, and served as the founding Teacher of the Western Chan Fellowship. He regularly led meditation retreats at a centre in Wales. His last major publication was a study on World Crisis and Buddhist Humanism, published in Delhi in 2009.
John took part in the first Recent Research on Ladakh conference in Konstanz (Germany) in 1981, and was a regular participant in IALS conferences, most recently in Leh in 2003. He was a member of the IALS Advisory Committee until 2009, and remained a firm friend and supporter of the association throughout the last years of his life. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
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John Crook's obituary in The Guardian can be viewed here.
John was a distinguished figure in several different fields. As a young man he came into contact with Chan (Zen) Buddhism while on National Service in Hong Kong, and the study and practice of Buddhism became one of his lifelong vocations. However, his academic work was initially in an entirely different field. His doctoral thesis was a study of weaver birds in West Africa, and he rose to become Reader in Ethology (animal behaviour) in the Psychology Department of the University of Bristol. Starting in the late 1970s, he brought his interests in both the natural environment and Buddhist philosophy to the study of Ladakh.
John first travelled to Zangksar in 1977, and then led two full-scale University of Bristol research expeditions to the region in 1980 and 1981. It was through John that IALS founder Henry Osmaston became interested in Ladakh, joining the Bristol expeditions as an agricultural specialist. The outcome of their work was Himalayan Buddhist Villages (1994), an authoritative collective study of Zangskar jointly edited by John and Henry. John’s second full-length book on Ladakh, written with James Low, was The Yogins of Ladakh (1996), an account of personal encounters with Buddhist teachers in the region. His other publications on Ladakh include a series of papers on subjects ranging from polyandry, social change and indigenous psychiatry to Buddhist philosophy.
After his retirement from Bristol University, John became even more heavily involved in Buddhist teaching. In 1993 he was formally initiated as a first Western Dharma Heir of the Chan Master Sheng-yen, and served as the founding Teacher of the Western Chan Fellowship. He regularly led meditation retreats at a centre in Wales. His last major publication was a study on World Crisis and Buddhist Humanism, published in Delhi in 2009.
John took part in the first Recent Research on Ladakh conference in Konstanz (Germany) in 1981, and was a regular participant in IALS conferences, most recently in Leh in 2003. He was a member of the IALS Advisory Committee until 2009, and remained a firm friend and supporter of the association throughout the last years of his life. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
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John Crook's obituary in The Guardian can be viewed here.
First Muslim girl from J&K to clear IAS examination
24/05/11 22:03
Ovessa Iqbal from Chachoot village in Leh has become the first Muslim girl from Jammu and Kashmir to clear the Indian Administrative Services examination. Read more on this story here.
Leh springs sex ratio puzzle
10/04/11 22:01
Results from the 2011 Indian Census have recently been released. The Telegraph (India) reports on a surprise result for Leh District. Thanks to Gareth for this news submission.
15th IALS Conference, Leh 19th - 22 Aug, 2011
09/03/11 11:38
Following the conference relocation the new dates and venue have now been decided. We are delighted to announce that the 15th IALS Conference will now be held in Leh from the 19th to 22nd August, 2011. Once again we apologise for any inconvenience caused and we hope to see you all there. For more details please see our conference pages.
15th IALS Conference to be held in Ladakh
03/03/11 14:24
It is with great regret that we have to inform you that, due to lack of funding, it is not possible to hold the 2011 Conference in Aberdeen. We have decided, accordingly, to shift the venue to Ladakh.
This is a very recent development, & we haven't been able yet to reach a decision whether to have the Conference in Leh or in Kargil; & whether to stick to the original dates (24--28 August) or bring it forward by a few days. Please consult this page and the conference page over the next week or two, where details will be posted as soon as they're finalized.
We greatly regret the inconvenience caused to you, & the necessity for you to revise your plans. We thought, however, that we should let you know even before reaching final decisions on place & dates, in the hope of pre-empting any irrevocable programme you might have made to come to Aberdeen.
This is a very recent development, & we haven't been able yet to reach a decision whether to have the Conference in Leh or in Kargil; & whether to stick to the original dates (24--28 August) or bring it forward by a few days. Please consult this page and the conference page over the next week or two, where details will be posted as soon as they're finalized.
We greatly regret the inconvenience caused to you, & the necessity for you to revise your plans. We thought, however, that we should let you know even before reaching final decisions on place & dates, in the hope of pre-empting any irrevocable programme you might have made to come to Aberdeen.