4-day Ladakh Festival 2022 commences with great fanfare in Leh

Leh, Oct 13: The much awaited four-day extravaganza of Ladakh Festival organised by the Department of Tourism and Culture, LAHDC Leh commenced at the historic PoloGround, Leh in the presence of chief guest H.E Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and guest of honour Chairman/CEC, LAHDC Leh, Adv Tashi Gyalson and Member of Parliament, Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal.
Dy Chairman, Tsering Angchuk; Executive Councillors Tashi Namgyal Yakzee, Ghulam Mehdi and Stanzin Chosphel; Councillors; Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Jigmet Takpa; Commissioner/Secretary, Information/Social Welfare, Padma Angmo; Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Kacho Mehboob Ali Khan; Secretary, Yetindra Maralker; guests of SMDS XI; HoDs of various departments; stakeholders of tourism industry- ALHGHA, ALTOA, ALTTA and a huge number of domestic and international tourists along with locals were present during the inaugural ceremony.
“There’s a need to make the tourism industry more sustainable and environment friendly”, stated the chief guest H.E Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche in his address. He spoke about Ladakh’s rich culture and heritage and the need for reviving the age-old traditions in the modern-day world. Flagging the major setbacks from the tourism industry, Rinpoche urged locals to take utmost care and learn good things from the visitors. Welcoming the visitors, he also requested them to respect the local traditions, culture, and the natural sanctity of the peaceful region of Ladakh.
Addressing the gathering, CEC Tashi Gyalson mentioned that the Ladakh festival has been one of the major platforms for showcasing the diverse cultural traditions of Ladakh and an attraction for visitors to witness local traditions. He stated that people living in far-off regions, especially near the borders must get equal benefit from the industry for which LAHDC Leh is committed to making tourism accessible to unexplored regions of Ladakh. He also highlighted the major positive steps taken by the current government including the opening of border tourism in Siachen, Thang, Rezang-la at Chushul, and Hanle.
MP JTN highlighted the developments that have been taking place in the tourism industry of Ladakh post-formation of UT. He stressed the need for making the tourism industry sustainable and the benefits to be equally distributed among all the stakeholders and people involved. He extended his gratitude to the Prime Minister for his pivotal role in opening border tourism in Ladakh especially the Siachen base camp, Tyakshi Thang, Mushko valley and allowing night stay as well as sanctioning of establishing a Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle village in Changthang. He informed that the Ladakh Administration is working on the draft tourism policy and hoped that it would boost tourism in a sustainable manner and would be of great benefit to the locals involved in the industry in the future.
Also speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Tourism and Culture, UT Ladakh, Kacho Mehboob Ali Khan expressed elation over the celebration of Ladakh Festival after a gap of two years caused by Covid pandemic. Acknowledging the significant contribution of tourism sector in the economy of Ladakh, Secretary Mehboob Ali stressed the need for promotion of eco-friendly, responsible and clean tourism. He added that the administration is making concerted efforts for the promotion of different aspects of tourism in the region.
Earlier, the symbolic cultural procession from Karzoo zing via Main Market to the PoloGround marked the commencement of the four-day long Ladakh Festival, 2022.
Spectacular and enthralling cultural performances by cultural troupes and artists from different villages and organisations/schools showcased the diverse and rich culture and heritage of Ladakh via songs and dances.
The four-day festival would attempt to encapsulate all things Ladakh through the various scheduled activities and events, such as heritage walks, polo matches, cultural performances, masked dances/chams, traditional archery, food and photo
(archival/flora/fauna) exhibitions, Thangka exhibition, sculpting, film screening among other activities. It is also an endeavour to promote and extend the tourism season in Ladakh making it a year-round famous tourist destination.