HIMALAYAN NOMADS

Life in the Himalayas cannot be imagined without large groups of people who move along with their homes. They are nomads living all along the Himalayas be it Tibet, India, Nepal or Bhutan rearing different livestock starting from Yaks to Goats and Sheep and even at times horses. Moving across the grasslands with their animals, their tents, nomads evoke mobility and the liberty to roam in search of grass and water. But they are constantly exposed to the harsh elements—rain, snowstorms, and drought; they take these events for granted and face them with remarkable equanimity. Nomads also have an intimate knowledge of their environment and an amazing ability to handle animals—a skill rare among most people today. But with growing time now they are facing the biggest challenge -climate change affecting their life and the hills.

The nomads are found in the entire Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, and in the Nuristan Province of northeast Afghanistan. Their brethren in Tibet mostly keep yaks and sheep. They lead a much more harsh life than their counterparts in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There life has been vastly affected due to unprecedented development of roads, railways and buildings in Tibet.