2024 – Ongoing — Changthang Plateau, Ladakh India
About this series
The Changpas are transhumance pastoralists originating from the Changthang region of the Tibetan Plateau, which extends into southeastern Ladakh. According to records, a large section of the Changpa population migrated out of Tibet into the Indian part of Changthang in the eighth century AD. The territory is vast and rugged with long and harsh winters, and woefully short summers. Vegetation is scarce due to the terrain’s hard soil, as a result of which the nomadic Changpas move during the summer months, in search of literal greener pastures. They journey across pasturelands in the valley that are allotted to them by the head of their communities, spending their warmer days combing the fine, feathery pashmina or cashmere wool from the Changhthangi goats’ soft undercoat. They are also keepers of Yaks , an animal which plays an integral role in Himalayan ecology.
In Changpa society, women hold a significant position. These skilled shepherdesses carry out their daily tasks with efficiency, even amid Changthang’s thin air and terrifying height. They easily manage their houses in addition to taking on social duties like administrative labor. This is a glimpse into their everyday routines.
Photographer: Ritayan Mukherjee
Nationality: Indian
Based in: Kolkota, India
Website: www.anobservantowl.in
Instagram: @rikhmukherjee
Ritayan “Rikh” Mukherjee is an independent photographer based in Kolkata, India. Ritayan had a variety of publications in the previous few years, including two books. The World Bank Group, The People’s Archive Rural India, UNDP, Down to Earth, Spiegel, and others are among my editorial clientele. ritayan also contributed to three books and was the recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (RNG Awards), India’s most prestigious journalism honour. Since 2016, Ritayan have been working on a long-term project to capture the lifestyles of pastoral and nomadic communities in India, particularly the western and eastern Himalayas. The name of my project is “Sans Terre”.