The Changpas Of Changthang.

I've been volunteering with the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust since the past 3 years where I've documented the various programmes that the conservancy runs with the locals and helped spread awareness about conservation. On one such visit is when I came across the Changpa Tribe who are from the Changtang region in Ladakh, in Jammu and Kashmir. They are a Nomadic tribe and each family has about 100 sheeps and goats. They rear the highly pedigreed and prized Changra goats that yield the rare Pashmina (Cashmere) fibre. The thought to document their story was instant and I spent a day with a family. From having hot Tagi (Local bread), to some nice butter milk inside their feeble Nomadic home made of fabric 'Ribo', it was a great experience. I spent time with Diskit, a resolute Changpa woman as she took care of the little cattle as if they were her own while the elder Changpa went out to graze the cattle in the beautiful plains. 'We have always been here, the three of us. This is where we have always belonged. In these beautiful plains our cattle graze. It is here that we spend our time.' - she said She fed then herself, and even spoke and sang to them. The winds were something that I've never experienced before. Outside the wind whipped and howled as the world seemed wild and cold, while inside it was as warm as sunsets. In the night I heard the hungry wolves howl. The wind is always knocking on our doors, day and night, it never stops, like time itself. We have a 100 sheeps and goats. We need to take care of it like we take care of our own child. They need to grow up strong to go up and down these mountains. The sounds of our songs roam free within our home. We have all that we need in here. Our challenges start right when we step outside. Life will keep on moving and we always will be moving alongside. - she added