Centre for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar IoE

Our Commentary on "𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙯 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙨: 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙪𝙡𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙠𝙝'𝙨 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙀𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙮" is now available in 𝗧𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻.

Dr Fida Hussain Tangrhong's piece — on how a distant war in West Asia reaches Ladakh through fuel prices, airfares and supply chains — can now be read in Tibetan. Hindi Translation coming soon.

Worth noting: the author also runs a tour company on the ground in Ladakh (co-founder and director of Ladakh Backpackers), alongside his PhD in Inner Asian Studies from JNU. His reflections come from lived, first-hand experience of the season he writes about , the kind of voice the Centre for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar IoE is committed to bringing to the fore.



Read in Tibetan: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/from-the-strait-of-hormuz-to-the-himalayas-globalisation-and-the-vulnerability-of-ladakhs-tourism-economy/bo/

From the Strait of Hormuz to the Himalayas: Globalisation and the Vulnerability of Ladakh’s Tourism Economy | Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies In his remarkable memoir, Tibetan Caravans, the Ladakhi caravan leader and writer Abdul Wahid Radhu recounts a vivid scene from his journey across the Changthang plateau toward Lhasa. Writing about his encounter with the Changpa nomads, he observes:

📘 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗷 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗷𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴

by Dr Rinan Shah, former Post-Doctoral Fellow, Centre for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR

Water access in the Himalaya comprises both formal and informal systems. Formal water systems involve multiple departments and boundaries, creating confusion for communities. With limited formal water sources, community-managed and private systems step in. This issue brief focuses on community-based rights in Darjeeling, where groups use collective ownership and infrastructure to establish rights outside government control. The overlapping boundaries complicate the exercise of rights, as communities develop systems alongside and beyond official frameworks. Conducting a legal pluralism assessment is essential to understand these dynamics and to promote equitable access to water through localised, inclusive policies that do not bypass communities.

📖 R𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/shared-waters-and-shared-rights-water-protection-committees-and-the-samaj-in-darjeeling/en/

Shared Waters and Shared Rights: Water Protection Committees and the Samaj in Darjeeling | Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies Water access in the Himalaya comprises both formal and informal systems. Formal water systems involve multiple departments and boundaries, creating confusion for communities. With limited formal water sources, community-managed and private systems step in. This issue brief focuses on community-based...

📚 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱-𝗨𝗽 👇

🟪 𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗥 — 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲

🔹 不对称与相互依存：2020年后印度与中国的经济关系
𝘼𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖'𝙨 𝙀𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙩-2020
by Anand P. Krishnan

Chinese: https://lnkd.in/gRjb-krk
English: https://lnkd.in/gYb4qP5T

🟩 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦

🔹 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚
by Anand P. Krishnan · 10 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/new-batteries-needed-for-indian-policy-to-reduce-chinese-dependence/en/

🔹 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙩: 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙇𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖
by Claude Arpi · 7 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/the-indian-ambassador-in-tibet-why-lhasa-matters-for-india/en/

🔹 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮, 𝘼𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙝
by Mohan Sharma & Uttam Lal · 6 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/customary-fires-and-conservation-conflicts-in-the-dibang-valley-arunachal-pradesh/en/

🟧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀)

🔹 𝗧𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻

མི་ཛོ་རམ་ནང་མ་ཡེན་མར་ནས་བྲོས་བྱོལ་བ་ཅིན་མི་རིགས། མི་རིགས་གཅིག་པའི་དུང་ཞེན་དང་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་བདེ་འཇགས་དབར་གདོང་ཐུག
(𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙈𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙢𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙯𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙢)
by Amrita Saikia · 30 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/forcibly-displaced-chin-from-myanmar-in-mizoram-local-solidarity-versus-national-security/bo/

མི་ཛོ་རམ་ནང་མ་ཡེན་མར་ནས་བྲོས་བྱོལ་བ་ཅིན་མི་རིགས། མི་རིགས་གཅིག་པའི་དུང་ཞེན་དང་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་བདེ་འཇགས་དབར་གདོང་ཐུག
(𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖'𝙨 𝘼𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙠𝙨𝙖𝙞 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖)
by Devendra Kumar & Jabin T. Jacob · 6 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/chinas-administrative-changes-in-aksai-chin-pose-long-term-challenges-for-india/bo/

🔹 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲

一手封堵，一手激励：印度监控生态系统的变迁
(𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧: 𝘾𝘾𝙏𝙑 𝙀𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖)
by Anand P. Krishnan · 28 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/blocking-with-one-hand-incentivizing-with-the-other-shifting-sands-in-cctv-ecosystem-in-india/zh/

中国在阿克赛钦的行政区划调整对印度构成长期挑战
(𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖'𝙨 𝘼𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙠𝙨𝙖𝙞 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣)
by Devendra Kumar & Jabin T. Jacob · 1 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/chinas-administrative-changes-in-aksai-chin-pose-long-term-challenges-for-india/zh/

🔹 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶

चीनसँगको सम्झौता: एलएसी (LAC) सम्झौता हुनुभन्दा पहिले किन व्यापार र कैलाश यात्रा भारतको सुरुवाती कदम हुनुपर्छ?
(𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖) — by Claude Arpi · 11 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/dealing-with-china-why-trade-and-kailash-yatra-should-be-indias-opening-move-before-lac-settlement/np/

खटक फोहोर होइन : एकअर्का र पृथ्वीको ख्याल राख्न खटकलाई अत्यधिक उपभोगबाट मुक्त गरौं
(𝙆𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙠 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚) — by Ang Dolma Sherpa, Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia & Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa · 5 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/khatak-are-not-waste-reclaiming-khatak-from-over-consumption-to-care-for-each-other-and-the-earth/np/

🔹 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹

இந்தியாவுக்கும் சீனாவுக்கும் இடையில் பல்வேறு தளங்களில் உறவுகள் இருப்பினும் சவால்களும் நீடிக்கின்றன
(𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖–𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥) — by Jabin T. Jacob & Anand P. Krishnan · 7 July
https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/challenges-remain-in-the-india-china-relationship-despite-bilateral-and-multilateral-bonhomie/ta/

📄 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻 | 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗺: 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆

We are pleased to share a Tibetan translation of this commentary by Dr Amrita Saikia, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Woxsen University, Hyderabad.

མི་ཛོ་རམ་ནང་མ་ཡེན་མར་ནས་བྲོས་བྱོལ་བ་ཅིན་མི་རིགས། མི་རིགས་གཅིག་པའི་དུང་ཞེན་དང་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་བདེ་འཇགས་དབར་གདོང་ཐུག

The piece examines the forced migration of the Chin, an ethnic community inhabiting the India–Myanmar borderlands, from Myanmar to Mizoram, . The piece highlights the tensions between India’s security-driven border policies and the ethnic and historical ties underpinning Mizo hospitality, while also exploring the precarious conditions faced by displaced Chin communities amid limited institutional and humanitarian support.

Making this analysis available in Tibetan aims to bring the discussion to a wider readership across the Himalayan

🔗 Read the Tibetan translation here: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/forcibly-displaced-chin-from-myanmar-in-mizoram-local-solidarity-versus-national-security/bo/

We are pleased to share the 20th edition of 𝗛𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐬, the newsletter of the Centre for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar IoE, covering 𝗠𝗮𝘆-𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 2026.

This edition features new Issue Briefs, Commentaries, book chapters and journal articles, and contributions to the CHS- The Tribune joint venture, the "𝗢𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮" series.

Highlights include:

- 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 covering topics from armed quadrupedal robots in the PLA's Western Theatre Command, to border infrastructure and ecology in Sikkim's Tso Lhamo region, to the new districts created in Ladakh

- A comparative piece by Shih-Ting Lin (林詩庭)-Ting Lin on how the Chinese translation of a CHS article subtly shifted tone and terminology, offering a window into translation as political messaging

- Extensive commentary on Trump's first state visit to China in his second term, with analysis appearing in the 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘥, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘦, 𝘏𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 and 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵

- CHS Distinguished Fellow Claude Arpi's pieces in Firstpost and the Asian Age on the Tibetan question and India's historical role in supporting Tibetan resistance

- Faculty engagements across Kathmandu, Berlin and New Delhi, including talks on China-India-EU relations in the global order and the geopolitics of heritage in South Asia

- CHS Director's chapter in the 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 2026 on the new dynamics of India-China competition, and his article in 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢 on how China deploys discourse power to push a narrative of American decline

The Centre remains committed to advancing rigorous scholarship while contributing meaningfully to contemporary policy and public conversations.

📌 Read the full newsletter on our website: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/newsletter/

School of Humanities and Social Sciences | Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR

Shiv Nadar University

📄 Our on India's economic ties with China, 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲

不对称与相互依存：2020年后印度与中国的经济关系

𝘈𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢'𝘴 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵-2020

Author: Dr Anand P. Krishnan, Fellow, Centre for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar IoE

Economic interests constitute a critical subset within the larger canvas of India-China bilateral relations. This subset has conditioned and shaped the relationship, which has been driven by perpetual mistrust and asymmetry. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the economic component has prevented sustained, full-blown military conflict between the two major geopolitical rivals. In this context, this Occasional Paper explores the discourse on their economic relationship in the years following the Chinese transgressions in Eastern Ladakh in the summer of 2020. It delves into the growing trade imbalance for India and its dependence on Chinese components, as well as skilled personnel, to support 'Make in India' ambitions. It also analyses the factors that compel China not to discount India in its economic and investment calculations. Finally, using labour relations as a framework to understand the evolving nature of economic development, the paper explains how the two countries are joined at the hip.

Click here to read the paper in Chinese: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/asymmetry-and-interdependence-indias-economic-relations-with-china-post-2020/zh/

Read the original English version: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/asymmetry-and-interdependence-indias-economic-relations-with-china-post-2020/en/

Asymmetry and Interdependence: India’s Economic Relations with China Post-2020 | Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies Abstract Economic interests constitute a critical subset within the larger canvas of India–China bilateral relations. This subset has conditioned and shaped the relationship, which has been driven by perpetual mistrust and asymmetry. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the economic component...

𝗔𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺?

Our Director, Jabin T Jacob, shares his analysis on Astro AWANI, Malaysia's leading news network. He argues that ASEAN needs a deeper understanding of both China and India, not to choose sides, but to protect its own interests and agency as global power shifts.

Read the full article: https://international.astroawani.com/global-news/asean-must-better-understand-china-india-their-global-south-influence-grows-analyst-says

Watch the discussion: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaVcNc_Dskl/

As competition between China and India for influence in the Global South intensifies, experts say ASEAN faces an increasingly complex strategic environment, with the issue highlighted during discussions at the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur. #AWANIinternational

📢 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶 | अब नेपालीमा उपलब्ध

𝗞𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗸 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲: 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵

खटक फोहोर होइन: एकअर्का र पृथ्वीको ख्याल राख्न खटकलाई अत्यधिक उपभोगबाट मुक्त गरौं

👤 Authors: Ang Dolma Sherpa, Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia, Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa

📄 Khatak, the traditional offering scarves found throughout the Himalayas, create and affirm relationships (tendrel) and carry blessings (chinlap) between people, places, and events. But the shift to inexpensive synthetic khatak has led to mass over-use - with cleanup campaigns in the Khumbu region collecting over two tonnes of khatak and lungta from a single village. The authors ask: how can we honour the transformative power of khatak while caring for our relationships with each other and with our lands and waters?

Translating this commentary into Nepali is part of CHS's commitment to making Himalayan research accessible to Himalayan communities - so that conversations about such practices, consumptions, and environmental care can happen in the languages in which these practices live.

🔗 Read the Nepali translation here: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/khatak-are-not-waste-reclaiming-khatak-from-over-consumption-to-care-for-each-other-and-the-earth/np/

Also available in English and Tibetan on the same page.

Originally published in English in BDG: Buddhistdoor Global

Khatak Are Not Waste: Reclaiming Khatak from Over-Consumption to Care for Each Other and the Earth | Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies Khatak, traditional offering scarves, are everywhere in the Himalayas—offered to lamas and rinpoches at public wangs; given to newlyweds, babies, and people celebrating birthdays, exam results, and promotions, and used to greet and farewell officials, friends, travelers, and mountaineers, and they...

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘁: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗟𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮", authored by our Distinguished Fellow, Claude Arpi

The author examines the recent visit of India's Ambassador to China to Lhasa, notably his first engagement outside Beijing after assuming office. The 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 situates this visit within the broader trajectory of India-China relations and considers whether it signals a gradual normalisation of bilateral engagement.

The analysis addresses the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and the difficulties faced by pilgrims travelling through Nepal under Chinese permit restrictions. It further reflects on the diplomatic symbolism surrounding the visit, the outcomes of the 35th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs, and the unresolved question of hydropower development on the Yarlung Tsangpo. The commentary concludes with a historical reflection on an era when Indian pilgrims and scholars, such as Swami Pranavananda, could access the Mount Kailash region without permits or documentation.

Read the full commentary here: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/the-indian-ambassador-in-tibet-why-lhasa-matters-for-india/en/

The Indian ambassador in Tibet: Why Lhasa matters for India | Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies During the first weeks of October 1950, as Tibet was invaded by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Communist China repeatedly claimed that it was merely “liberating” Tibet. More than seven decades later, Tibetans, particularly those who were first “liberated” in Eastern Tibet, continue to...

📢 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 | 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀

We are pleased to share our latest commentary, "𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗔𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗵" by Mohan Sharma, Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Sikkim University, Gangtok, and Dr Uttam Lal, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Sikkim University.

The article examines the interface between customary land-use practices and conservation governance in the Dibang Valley. It explores the socio-cultural significance of traditional 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗱𝘂-𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗶 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 and dilates on the emerging tensions around land use, tourism, and forest governance in the region. The commentary underscores the need for policy frameworks that are participatory, culturally sensitive, and responsive to local livelihoods.

📖 Read the full commentary: https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/customary-fires-and-conservation-conflicts-in-the-dibang-valley-arunachal-pradesh/en/

Customary fires and conservation conflicts in the Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh | Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies An ageing farmer in the village of Anguli in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley was following his traditional agricultural rhythm of slash-and-burn agriculture, clearing his agricultural land to sow crops until he was stopped by the Circle Officer. This led to an argument over what is permissible a...