The Impact of Globalisation On LADAKH

(A cultural perspective)

Introduction
In the northernmost tip of India, nestled between the Karakoram and Himalaya mountains, a vibrant Tibetan-Buddhist community has existed for centuries. Ladakh, often referred to as Little Tibet because of its large population of Tibetan refugees and their strong Tibetan influence, sits in the southern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Known for its peaceful, hospitable people, Ladakh started to gain popularity as a tourist location in the 1970s after the first roads accessible to motor vehicles were built. Like many beautiful, selfsufficient regions in the world, Ladakh has been impacted by the forces of globalization, causing tremendous changes to take place in recent years. Most notably, the changing structure of the cultures labor and education patterns, paired with an influx of tourism and a general push towards development, have posed a great threat to the traditional Ladakhi culture. Unfortunately, however, this threat is not unique to Ladakh. What is unique is the regions collective response to the globalization. While globalizing forces present undesirable consequences worldwide, Ladakh stands out as an impressive example of how to make use of globalization from below. In Ladakh, people are working together and using grassroots organizations that make use of the ever-changing and international forces, protecting that which is vitally Ladakhi. Some of the most remarkable of these organizations target the educational system of Ladakh and, indeed, education is a crucial venue through which to create change. The lessons that Ladakh serves to teach are crucial for the rest of the world to understand if we are to have any hope of mitigating the negative forces of globalization and using these trends to our advantage.

Globalization and Ladakh

Globalization has taken all forms in Ladakh. From intervention by the World Bank and IMF to tourist-driven cultural reforms, Ladakh is changing. One paper reports, Started in 1993, the festival used to be held during the peak time of June and July but was shifted [to September] to attract tourists to the relatively lean season. An increasing need is placed on being a member of the global community and along with this comes the growing value placed on development, a concept with varying implications but that is most often defined in neoliberal economic terms. The introduction of development into Ladakh has had many devastating effects. As Ted Trainer argues of global development trends, market forces inevitably yield inappropriate development. In fact, market forces will draw the productive

capacity people once had and used for their own benefit, especially their land and labour, into production for rich people far away. Ladakh has fallen prey to the unquestioned assumption that the goal of development is to become like the rich countries.In terms of education, the trends of development have dramatically changed the Ladakhi education system. More children are being educated, but they are simultaneously losing many aspects of their cultural heritage as they abandon their subsistence-agriculture ways of life. The Indian compulsory school system offers a generalized, nation-wide education, but also imposes a curriculum that enforces progressive ideas about the need for development and requires courses to be taught in modern, non-native languages like Urdu and English. As it stands, the current school system has promoted higher graduation rates and higher English proficiency. However, for various reasons (spelling difficulties, lack of clear guidelines in schools, usefulness in Indian administration and daily practices, etc.) a large proportion of Ladakhis both Buddhist and Muslims can read or write Urdu or English, but are illiterate in their own language. In theory, the nationalized Indian education system boasts a world-class education and exposure to ideas of the outside world. However, in practice the implementation has been clumsy at best. Practical matters, such as maintaining a consistent faculty in schools, have been overlooked; teachers in Ladakh are supposed to rotate throughout mountain villages every two years a nice idea but one that poorly serves the students. Moreover, teachers receive inadequate training. The implementation of a national Indian curriculum has devalued Ladakhi customs as it places an increased value on Western principles and ways of being which are seen as more developed. Aside from decreased time for agriculture and cultural practices, this shift has lead to decreased perceived self-efficacy. The school system is failing Ladakhi students ideologically and culturally. In 1988, 95% of Ladakhi students were failing the tenth-grade matriculation exams, indicative of a systemic inadequacy. As a result, however, Ladakhi students are experiencing decreased selfconfidence. Much of the younger generation are dislocating as they follow their desires to live in larger cities.Communities are not invested in their public school systems.

Globalization from Below

The situation in Ladakh is dire, but it is not necessarily unique nor is it hopeless. Nelly Stromquist offers a framework by which educators might mitigate the effects of globalization from above which is, concisely: by activating globalization from below. She succinctly explains the difference between globalization from above and from below: The first [from above] details how elites function within and across national boundaries, while the latter emphasizes a popular process in the challenges of globalization. In our view, there are indeed many instances of globalization from below yet they tend to arise as reactions to globalization from above rather than autonomous initiatives. Globalization from below, then, would be the organizing of communities and between communities the actuation of civil society to make use of the interconnectedness that has come as a result of globalizing forces. She advocates using these constructs to create change. Trainer argues that it is reorganization that will allow us to survive through these globalized times. His concept of reorganization is consistent with the ideas put forth in Stromquists book, Education in a Globalized World. In her conclusion, she defines a threetiered set of challenges to be overcome in order for educators (a role played by many that extends far beyond traditional classroom teaching jobs) to take responsibility for this globalized world. Says Stromquist, The key connections between globalization and

education may be less visible than economic challenges, but they both must be underscored and faced. Her system requires these three things: 1. That educators recognize how globalization is changing the nature of schooling, understanding the growing interconnection between knowledge and power, and the cases in which education has become either a silent partner or a conscious opponent. 2. The examination of formal education (schooling and university teaching), Non formal education (with adult groups), and informal education (particularly through the venue of alternative media) as key venues in which to provide understanding about the various positive and negative consequences of globalization. She suggests a course such as ecology and consumerism or a discussion group exploring mass medias proliferation. 3. That education becomes a means to create active citizens, moving people from passively observing the actions of others to undertaking action themselves. Educators should play a central role in moving minds from globalization with its emphasis on expansion of markets and competition to internationalism. She goes on to use Phillip Jones definition of internationalism, which is the promotion of global peace and well-being through the development and application of international structures, primarily but not solely of an intergovernmental kind. Stromquist argues that by addressing these challenges, the positive promise of globalization ensuring a better world for all stands a good chance of being realized. In Ladakh, citizens have created their own civil society infrastructure with an emphasis on education. Here, we can look to Ladakh for an indication of how a community might implement Stromquists ideas and save their education system.

Lessons from Ladakh

There are several prime examples of how Ladakhs civil society has responded to the need for a globalization from below. Anthropologist and linguist Helena Norberg-Hodge has been instrumental in shaping the Western understanding of Ladakh. She has argued against the modern development practices taking root in Ladakh and fought for the preservation of traditional Ladakhi methods. While she began as an outsider, she was able to examine the successes and struggles of Ladakhi society and start to inspire reform. Her activism in the region grew into the Ladakh Project by 1980, and in 1991 became the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC). Since then, Norberg-Hodge has worked with organizations such as the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) and the Womens Alliance of Ladakh (WAL). These organizations are worthy of mention because, collectively, they are implementing tools for change worth adding to the international toolkit for mitigating globalization. Of these three, SECMOL has done the most work directly within education. Created by Ladakhis in 1988, SECMOL was founded by a group of young Ladakhis with the aim to reform the educational system of Ladakh. Education reform has been the basis of their work, which, in the past two decades, has grown to encompass all different manifestations of their same goal. Norberg-Hodge explains SECMOL as seeking to involve young people in finding productive alternatives to formal education. In response to Stromquists first challenge, SECMOL embodies the it-takes-a-village philosophy. Ladakhis have committed to educating all of their students. Entitled Operation New Hope (ONH), SECMOL has undertaken an overhaul of the Helena Norberg-Hodge, Ancient education system. Their initiatives have ranged from providing crucial teacher training to writing new textbooks with culturally-appropriate references and themes. SECMOL is known for creating enrichment programs for Ladakhi youth that supplement and enhance their regular public education. Many of SECMOLs projects address environmental concerns, as well; responding

to Stromquists second challenge, Ladakhis have created alternative educational opportunities that explore interconnected forces and suggest ways to use students talents in an increasingly globalized world. They have done extensive work with solar power, making use of the regions 300-day sunshine average. Their community-run school campus at Phey uses sustainable architectural practices. SECMOL is a staunch supporter of eco-tourism, notably through the Around Ladakh with Students (ALS) program. The ALS website explains, ALS' mission is to provide optimum economic, cultural and intellectual benefit to both tourists and local people alike. ALS provides trips to Ladakh's most majestic places at competitive prices. All profits earned by ALS fund educational projects in Ladakh. The ALS program is a perfect example of merging student needs with global interests. SECMOLs village mobilization efforts through the Village Education Project offer an impressive and encouraging example of how a community might seek to create active citizens, Stromquists third challenge, by using educators and civil society to shape the collective mentality about globalization. Village Education Committees (VECs) raise a sense of community ownership of the government schools and insure accountability. Committees are comprised of elected community representatives and must be at least one third women and include at least two students. VECs raise funds for their schools and help create new systems by which a better education might be provided. Through utilizing exploratory democratic processes such as group discussion, role-playing, and brainstorming, Ladakhis report, VECs are the backbone of people's participation in education. They continue, This has been one of the most important and effective components of ONH.

Implications for the Rest of the World

Ladakhis have understood how we best secure our happiness within a large community for centuries. The reasons are, of course, complex and spring from a whole way of life and world view. But the most important factor can be the fact that the organisation of existing resources, especially the labour, skill, and co-operative dispositions of the people into forms which enable easy, pleasant, and secure production of basic goods and service is what contributes to the high quality of life found in Ladakh. Ladakhis have realized a number of important strategies in responding to globalization, not the least of which are their cooperation, optimism, and active civil society. The efficacy of their programs can surely be attributed to the ground-up motivation that drives the reforms; globalization from below holds great potential for positive reform. The partnerships that exist in Ladakh have made use of established structures and networks and broadened them for reform work. The activism in Ladakh clearly suggests a way to engage civil society and mitigate the negative effects of globalization.