International Conference on Sustainable Development, Rome 2015

 Members, please see the post below on behalf of Ladakh Studies member Vladimiro Pelliciardi 

Dear Friends, on the behalf of the International Steering Committee I am very pleased to announce the 3° International Conference on Sustainable Development, June 2015 in Rome. http://www.ecsdev.org/index.php/conference

During the last conference two papers regarding Ladakh have been presented, both published on the European Journal of Sustainable Development: Emergy evaluation of a traditional farming system. Case study: Leh District (Ladakh - Indian Trans-Himalaya), Vladimiro Pelliciardi, Leonardo Varvaro, Federico Maria Pulselli, it can be downloaded at: http://www.ecsdev.org/ojs/index.php/ejsd/article/view/171
and TECHNOLOGY, EXCRETION AND THE GOOD LIFE, Tanushree Biswas it can be downloaded at: http://www.ecsdev.org/ojs/index.php/ejsd/article/view/150
moreover several other scientist from India was present.

I think that the Conference can be a good opportunity for other scientists and for researchers from Ladakh to present their works; thus, I hope you can post this announce whatever you like.

All the best. Vladimiro

Leh Workshop Report

A pre-conference workshop on “Research in Ladakh: Sharing experiences and research method” for youths and those interested in research was organised by the International Association for Ladakh Studies (IALS) in collaboration with Moravian Mission School, Leh on 2^nd November, 2014. Around 40 people, including students from Eliezer Joldan Memorial College, Leh and members of IALS participated in the workshop, which was in preparation for the 17^th IALS conference in Kargil in 2015.

The workshop started with an introductory presentation by Sonam Wangchok, secretary, IALS. He gave an overview of IALS and its objectives, after which he provided details of the 2015 conference. The workshop was then divided into three distinct sessions. In the first session, Dr. Sonam Wangchok spoke about research methodology and methods followed by a talk by Sunetro Ghosal, editor of IALS’ journal Ladakh Studies, on research methodology and ethics.

The second session included talks by senior researchers, who shared their own experience in conducting research and how they overcome various challenges they faced. This included talks by Abdul Ghani Sheikh, Dr. Thupstan Nurboo of Cultural Academy, Prof. Mohammed Saleem of Sher-e-kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Nawang Tsering Shakspo, Tashi Morup of Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation, Tashi Dawa Tsangspa of Eliezer Joldan Memorial College, Leh, Muzaffar Hussain from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Dr. Tsewang Namgail of Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. Each talk was followed by an interactive session, between the participants and the speaker who encouraged youth to explore their interest in research.

The third Session was chaired by Rev. E.S. Gergan, principal, Moravian Mission School, Leh. It started with feedback about the workshop from each participant. The general feedback was positive and encouraging, with the participants appreciating the initiative taken by IALS. Many of them said they used to associate research with special degrees and the workshop helped them realise there are no such requirements or age limits to conduct research. One participant was even more candid, “I used to think that only foreigners can do research and publish books but now realise that even Ladakhis can do research. I will now publish at least one book!” 

In his concluding address, Rev. Gergan said that research starts from our childhood when we inquisitively explore the world around us. He added, “Research is not only about degrees. I know many researchers who do not have doctorate degree and still supervise other scholars for their degrees. I am happy to see that IALS is organizing workshops to nurture students and new researchers.

For more information about IALS and its activities, please log onto www.ladakhstudies.org

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                     

SECMOL Ice Stupa Artificial Glacier Initiative

This may be of interest to our members: here is SECMOL's latest engineering project that aims to harvest winter water in the winter to use for irrigation purposes in the spring. Please follow the link for details of the project itself, and for details of how to provide donatations and support.


Jullay to friends of SECMOL,
As you probably know, Sonam Wangchuk has always been experimenting and designing simple solutions to problems and resources. This past year he devised an artificial glacier design to solve the annual springtime water shortages in Ladakhi villages by trapping wasted water in winter in an ice tower in the shape of a stupa. Now a high lama in Ladakh, Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, has asked him to build it on a large scale to green the desert near Phyang Monastery in Ladakh

For details and contribution, please see the link below:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ice-stupa-artificial-glaciers-of-ladakh/x/8841831
If you want to reply, please send it to icestupa@gmail.com
Thank you!
The whole team at SECMOL