Ladakh Started Making Its Own Films in 2002: Delwa
The leading man sold jackets from a roadside stall. The villain was a local favourite. The premieres filled a hall off the Leh polo field, then went out to the villages on a projector. Ladakh has been making its own films for twenty-three years now.
He Went to Bombay to Become a Star. Ladakh Had Other Plans.
Before Ladakh had its own film industry, Phonsok Tsering Dimbir left for Bombay with a dream of becoming an actor. He found struggle instead—and eventually built something larger: a life spanning cinema, television, music, filmmaking, yoga, teaching and Ladakhi culture.
The Ice Man of Ladakh: Chewang Norphel
Ladakh was never short of water. It was short of water in April, which is when barley needs it and when the real glaciers are still frozen solid. A retired engineer noticed a dripping tap freezing on the ground and worked out what to do about it.
One Thousand Songs, and Then the Fire: Padma Shree Morup Namgyal
He learned the songs from his grandfather, then spent thirty years walking Ladakh to record everyone else’s. The tapes filled a room at the radio station in Leh. In 2002 the building burned down. What he did next is the reason you can still hear them.
