Podcast - Ladakh's Battle for Tribal Identity | Adivasi Politics
Listen to excerpts from Outlook's latest issue shedding light on Ladakh's struggle for tribal identity amidst recent political developments. Join the discussion on appropriation, resistance, and the future of identity politics. Featuring insights from Nasir Ghanai's article and the voices of Ladakhi leaders.
#LadakhIdentity #AdivasiPolitics #OutlookMagazine #TribalRights #IdentityStruggle
#LadakhIdentity #AdivasiPolitics #OutlookMagazine #TribalRights #IdentityStruggle
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00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from its latest issue titled 'Adivasi' or 'The Earliest Inhabitants'.
00:07 This issue of Outlook looks at the politics of appropriation and resistance in the wake of recent
00:13 developments in the states like Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Ladakh. With the general
00:19 elections due this year, it remains to be seen how the Adivasis, who form more than 8% of the total
00:27 population, participate and how the identity politics shape up in the future.
00:33 Ladakh Battles for Identity by Nasir Ghanai from Outlook. After the abrogation of Article 370,
00:41 Ladakhi leaders hoped the government would act to protect their tribal identity. Thousands of
00:47 Ladakhis thronged the iconic polo ground at Leh earlier this month in the dead of winter.
00:54 Temperatures had dropped to -20 degrees Celsius, but people kept streaming onto the open, snow-covered
01:02 grounds of one of the highest polo facilities in the world on February 3rd. For them, the pressing
01:08 concern of preserving the region's tribal identity far outweighed the challenging sub-zero temperatures.
01:15 Ladakh boasting a 97% tribal population, Sonam Bangchuk, a renowned Ladakhi innovator,
01:22 passionately championed the cause amid the mind-numbing cold, making a case for what he
01:28 believes is a battle for truth. At the polo ground that day, Bangchuk addressed thousands of Ladakhis,
01:35 emphasizing the importance of preserving tribal identity, resources and mountains.
01:41 He highlighted the Aryan Valley, home to the Brokpa tribe, stressing the need to safeguard their
01:47 culture through the Sikh schedule, which protects them from all threats, including internal ones.
01:54 Legends has it that the Brokpa are descendants of Alexander the Great's lost army, who chose
02:00 to stay on after the Macedonian king's conquest of the Indus River Valley. In late January,
02:06 Ladakhi leaders objected to renaming health centers as mandirs. Just a few months after
02:13 the Central Health Ministry decided to rename Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers to
02:19 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. The Ladakh Buddhist Association and prominent Muslim organizations
02:26 in Kargil opposed this decision. Sherring Dorje, the acting president of the LBA,
02:32 criticized the Central Ministry's decision as disrespectful to Ladakhi sentiments.
02:37 "If your language, culture and identity are not safe, what is left?" argued Karbali.
02:44 For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.