Mr.Tsultim Dorjay
( On His research 'Kinship and Marriage system of Ladakh' )
Yes one reason for the Polyandry system of marriage in Ladakh was due to scarcity of cultivable land in Ladakh , but question that Mr.Tsultim raises to the audience is why we had less cultivable land despite having so much free land ... Lets here it from himself .....
Firstly, younger
Ladakhis must have/note collection of such discussions/talks as it
would benefit them(Speak Ladakh) in future when they can not only study on other
different problems but also make critical analysis of the studies/researches
already done. After all no theory is permanent/accurate and one can no doubt
work on previous researches, literature, history, etc. Such
discussions would be equally beneficial for SPEAK LADAKH also as SL knows
their objectives very well and can compile discussions into some drafts and
proceed with same objectives. I am thankful to
fellow researchers for enlighting us with borders issues in
Ladakh as I didn't know that social issues found on Indo-Pak borders in Punjab
and Kashmir (excluding Ladakh) are existing in Ladakhi villages on Pakistani
borders also; appreciate fellow researcher working on problems like depleting
water table is also appreciable.
Secondly, I am working
on Kinship and Marriage system of Ladakh and shall put light on the polyandry
system on Ladakh as it has been an integral part of our marriage system. While
collecting data for my research, I came across many households who still practice
polyandry. It was something I did not expect as most in Ladakh are of the view
that polyandry is nonexistent in Ladakh now. Polyandry no doubt has
weakened and lost its ground a lot in Ladakh also but only because of both push
and pull factors. Push factors like the local gossips, looking down upon the
people practicing polyandry, health issues, etc. and pull factors like
interaction with the modern world and enbracing modernization,
acculturation with other social behaviours from other regions, education, etc.
played very important role in weakening of polyandry in Ladakh. But polyandry
should not be looked down upon as it has been a traditional marriage system of
Ladakh for centuries. Although it can not be encouraged in today's world as
there are legal, health and other concerns which states polyandry as not a
health marriage system in today's world, one need not to be ashamed of
polyandry being an integral part of traditional Ladakhi marriage system. One of
my respondents who was posted in Srinagar told me that she gets taunted by her
colleagues as saying "Tum Ladakhi to apne devar ke sath bhi rihsta banate
ho" and "tumhare to do do teen teen pati hotein hain". Here she
should have had told him that this system in Ladakh was not because of one's
own choice but because of natural/geographical condition and available
resources of Ladakh which accordingly became a tradition. Ladakhis according to
some earlier researchers had scarcity of cultivable land (economic
factor) and to prevent fragmentation of such land into number of
siblings polyandry was a good measure. It kept the household's economy intact
for centuries. And my observation says that scarcity of cultivable land in
Ladakh was because of local limits and not geographical limit. For example, even
barren lands of Taru Thang, Likir thang, etc. bloomed into spectacular flower
fields when it rained for continuous three days in 2006 or 2008 (not confirmed
of the year) which shows that we don't have shortage of cultivable land. It is
only that we should cultivate. Water management problem and local
administration seem to be hurdles in getting these barren lands in Ladakh
irrigated. Our kings have built thousands of stupas, hundreds of monasteries
and castles but they lacked in building water channels, canals, aqueduct systems,
etc. as otherwise more land could have been irrigated and picture of Ladakh
would have been greener and more prosperous. Indus, streams, etc. flows down
without irrigating much. Kargil is god example of aqueduct system. Suru valley becomes
lush in summers as there are aqueducts built on high cliffs also and barren
lands got irrigated. Can't it be done in Leh? Singay Namgyal's reign in known
as Golden era. I ask how, what did he do for the people of Ladakh? Should we
really call it a golden period or press shift plus delete button from the
chronicle of Ladakh?
Thirdly, I would like to
draw your attention towards the careless/derogatory remarks made my different
authors/researchers on Ladakhis. One such author calls Ladakhis as the 'ugliest'.
I believe that no one (researchers in particular) have right to judge
anyone from his/her physical appearance. He/she can't call someone beautiful
and other ugly as it is only the beauty contests that claims to be picking up
beautiful people through some contests. No constitution/law gives liberty to
refer somebody ugly. It is so depressing for many who reads that his people are
painted in such a way to any reader. Other author regarding Ladakhi food
writes that it is not nutritious/healthy. Whereas if I am to correct her, let
me bring to her notice that according to a research, Japanese have the highest
life expectancy and most credit goes to their healthy food behaviour.
Their food is either boiled or steamed. And very interestingly,
Ladakh's traditional menu are also either boiled or steamed. Frying, etc. were
adapted from other regions of the country. My consciousness here is
not to criticize anyone pertaining to food in particular but to request authors
not to write something they do not know well or have no ground reality. I
am going to publish my thesis and shall strictly criticize where and what I
feel needed to be. Being researchers we can not express our views like the
extremists do or in a well organized way NGO's do but can do in a intellectual's
way in the form of writings like books,papers or thesis, etc. This will also
bring into notice the problems.
Thankyou
Speak Ladakh thank Mr.Tsultim for sharing his views , we expect his comprehensive speech on the same issue in future as well .Mr.Tsultim is doing his research from JNU New Delhi can reach him on tsultimsolpon@yahoo.co.in.
