A
SHELTER SO HIGH!
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
CBSE-V
I
am Gaurav Jani and this is ‘Loner ’ – my partner – my motorcycle.
But,
Loner is never lonely. We are together all the time. I and my motorcycle wait
for a chance to get away from the busy, crowded and noisy city of Mumbai. We
like to travel to different parts of this wonderful country. Let me tell you about
our amazing journey on the highest roads in India.
Getting
ready
This
journey took about two months. I had to carry everything on my motorcycle. I had
to plan and collect all the things I needed. I packed a small tent, sleeping
bag, plastic sheet, warm clothes and food that would remain fresh for some
days. I also took my camera and extra cans for petrol. Loner and I left Mumbai,
passing through small villages and towns of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan
to reach Delhi.
It
took me three days to cover 1400 kilometers from Mumbai to Delhi. I was hoping
to see something new and different in Delhi. But Delhi looked just like Mumbai!
I am tired of looking at the same kinds of houses, made of cement, bricks,
glass and steel. I was looking forward to my journey ahead.
I
was excited that I would be able to see wooden houses, houses
with
sloping roofs and those covered in snow. I had seen pictures of such houses in
many books.
I
packed more things in Delhi and continued. In two days we were in Manali. It
was so refreshing to be in the mountains and breathe the clean air! Now the
real journey was to begin. We had to travel through difficult roads of the state
of Jammu and Kashmir to reach Leh in Ladakh.
New
home
Loner
and I were covering long distances each day. All I needed was food and a tent
to protect myself from the cold night air. My nylon tent was so small that I
could just about fit in it to sleep.
Loner
stood guard outside the tent. The breeze and the sound of the birds woke me up
to see the sunrise.
Cold
desert
At
last Loner and I reached Leh. For the first time I saw such an area – high, dry
and flat called a cold desert. Ladakh gets very little rainfall. Here there are
high snowcapped mountains and a cold, flat ground.
In
Leh, I found myself in a quiet street with beautiful white houses. As I rode
slowly, I found that I was being followed by a group of children. They called
out ‘jule, jule’, meaning ‘welcome, welcome’. They were all amazed to see my
‘Loner’. Everyone wanted me to come to their home.
At
home with Tashi
Tashi
dragged me to his home. It was a building with two floors. The house was made
of stones which were kept one over the other. The walls were coated with a
thick layer of mud and lime.
The
house looked like a shed from inside with a lot of hay stored there. We took
the wooden steps and reached the first floor. “This is where we stay,”
explained Tashi.
“The
ground floor is for our animals and for storing necessary things.
Sometimes
when it gets too cold, we also move downstairs.” I noticed that the ground
floor had no windows. Thick tree trunks were used to make the
roof
strong.
Tashi
then took me to the roof of his house. What a view! I could see the same flat
roofs all around. On some red chillies were, laid out to dry and on some there
were orange pumpkins and golden yellow corn. Some had stacks of paddy and on
some cow dung cakes were laid out to dry.
“This
is the most important part of our house,” said Tashi. “During summer season we
dry many fruits and vegetables. We store them for winters when we do not get
fresh fruits and vegetables.”
As
I stood there with Tashi I could see how every part of the house was built
specially to suit the needs of his people. I could understand how the thick
walls, a wooden floor and a wooden ceiling protected them from the cold.
People
living on top of the world
Now
was the time to climb higher. Loner had a tough time zigzagging along narrow,
rocky mountain roads. At many places there were no roads at all.
I
was moving towards the rocky plains of ‘Changthang’. This place is at a height
of almost 5000 metres. It is so high that it is difficult to breathe normally.
I had a headache and felt weak.
Then
I slowly got used to breathing in such air. For many days we kept wandering in
this area with not a single human being in sight. No petrol pumps, no mechanics!
Only
clear blue sky and many beautiful lakes around. Many days and nights passed.
Loner and I kept moving ahead. Suddenly one morning I saw before me flat grassy
land. Many sheep and goats were grazing there. Far in the distance I saw some
tents. I wondered who lived there and what they were doing in this far out
place.
The
Changpa
There
I met Namgyal and came to know about the Changpa – a tribe
living
on the mountains. The Changpa tribe has only about 5000 people. The Changpas
are always on the move with their goats and sheep.
It is from these that they get all that they
need – milk, meat, skin for tents and wool for coats and sweaters. Their goats
are their only treasure. If a family has more animals it is considered more
rich and important.
From
these special goats they get wool for making the world famous pashmina wool.
The Changpa graze their goats at higher and colder places so that the goats
have more and softer hair (fur).
They
stay high up on these mountains in very difficult conditions because that is
where these goats can live. This is their life and their livelihood.
I
was carrying very little of my belongings on my motorcycle.
But
the Changpas carry everything that they own on their horses and yaks. It takes
them only two and a half hours to pack everything and move ahead. Within no
time they put up their tents at the chosen place, the luggage is unpacked and their
homes are ready.
“You
are most welcome into our home,” said Namgyal as he led me to the big
cone-shaped tent. They call their tent Rebo. Yak hair is woven to make strips
which are stitched together.
These
are strong and warm and protect them from the icy strong winds. I saw that the
strips were tightly tied with nine sticks. The ground is dug about 2 feet deep.
The tent is then put up around this on the higher part of the ground.
The
world famous pashmina
It
is believed that a pashmina shawl is as warm as six sweaters! It is very thin
yet very warm.
The
goats from which the soft pashmina wool is collected, are found on very high
altitudes of
5000
metres. In winter, the temperature here drops below 0°C (–40°C). A coat of warm
hair
grows
on the goat’s body which protects it from extreme cold. The goats shed some of
their hair
(fur)
in summer.
This
hair is so fine that six of these would be as thick as one hair of yours! The
fine hair cannot be woven on machines and so weavers of Kashmir make these
shawls by hand. This is a long and difficult process. After almost 250 hours of
weaving, one plain pashmina shawl is made. Imagine how long it would take to
make a shawl with embroidery.
As
we stepped into the tent I realised that I could stand up straight. It was not
like my tent. I also saw that the Rebo was as big as a room of my flat in
Mumbai! It was held up by two wooden poles in the middle.
There
was an opening to let out the smoke from the chulah. Namgyal told that, the
design of this tent is more than a thousand years old. The tent protected the Changpas
from extreme cold.
How
cold must it be? In winters the temperature drops many degrees below zero! The
wind blows at 70 kilometres per hour. Imagine–if you were on a bus which was
going at this speed, how far from your house would you reach in one hour? Near
the Rebo there was a place to keep sheep and goats.
Changpas
call this lekha. The walls of a lekha are made with stones. Each family puts a
special mark on their own animals. The women and young girls count and take the
animals out of the lekha. They count them again everyday when they bring them
back in the evening.
Towards
Srinagar
I
spent a few days with the Changpas but, sadly, it was time to move on. My
return journey would take me away from this special part of the world, towards
towns which looked like a totally different world.
This
time I took a different route from Leh. I was going towards Srinagar via
Kargil. I saw many more amazing buildings and different houses.
I
stayed in Srinagar for a few days. I was amazed by the houses there. They took
my heart away! Some houses are on the mountains, while some are on water. I
took many pictures of these. See my photo album .
Houses
of Srinagar – My photo album
Tourists
who come to Srinagar love to stay in houseboats. Houseboats can be as long as 80
feet and around 8 to 9 feet wide. Beautiful carving.
Many
families in Srinagar live in a ‘donga’. These boats can be seen in Dal Lake and
Jhelum river. From inside the ‘donga’ is just like a house with different
rooms.
Beautiful
carving on wood can be seen on the ceiling of houseboats and some big houses. This
design is called ‘khatamband’, which has a pattern that look like a jigsaw
puzzle.
In
villages of Kashmir, houses are made from stones cut and kept one on top of the
other and coated with mud. Wood is also used. The houses have sloping roofs.
Some
old houses have a special type of window which comes out of the wall. This is
called ‘dab’. It has beautiful wood pattern. It is wonderful to sit here and
enjoy the view!
When
I started my journey, I had not imagined that in one state I would see so many
different kinds of houses and lifestyles. I had a wonderful experience of
living on the mountains in Leh and another of living on water in Srinagar. I
saw how both the houses in these areas were made to suit the climate.
Return
journey
Again
it was time to move on. In Jammu I saw houses like I have
been
seeing in Mumbai. The same– cement, brick, steel and glass. These houses are
very strong. But they are not as special as the houses I was lucky to see in
Leh and Srinagar. After a long journey Loner and I were about to reach Mumbai.
My heart felt heavy. I also felt that my motorcycle did not want to come back.
I
was happy that I had learnt and experienced so many new things. I had also
brought back some memories in my camera. And of course, this was not the end!
Next
time when Loner and I get bored of the city, we will again set out for a new
journey!
THANKYOU
NANDITHA
AKUNURI