rewa soma

. . . new hope for a safe future

SEEDS-LEDeG SHELTER PROJECT IN LEH-LADAKH

SEEDS-LEDeG SHELTER PROJECT IN LEH-LADAKH

LADAKH
A land of paradoxes and extremes
The ancient wisdom in Ladakh was more attuned to the lay of the land and soil, the flow of water and the
feel of winds. In the past thirty years, this has slowly changed . . .
 The unprecedented flash floods triggered by the cloudburst in
Leh Manay Tselding August 2010 created havoc in Leh-livelihood and leaving the
city paralyzed. Thirty-four villages in Leh were affected and
Choglamsar was worst hit by the flash floods.

17 year old Sonam Namgyal walks towards the ‘sur’ (the burning pyre, which
means food for the dead souls), hoping the lives gone rest in peace. He lives in
Leh Manay Tselding and is fortunate that all his family members are safe.
 Flooded hospitals, flattened bus stands, washed away houses floating cars and
heaps of debris was all that was left after the flash floods . . .

Taxi Stand at Mane Tselding, Leh-Ladakh in August 2010. The taxi stand and the new bus stand are now restored.
The monks passing by along the Mane Tseling road
where maximum damage occured due to the flash
floods in Leh-Ladakh.
 Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital, Leh-Ladakh

13 year old Jimat Namgyal, along with his mother, jumped in panic from the
second floor of his house to save his life. His mother is fine but he suffered
from bruises and a cut in his leg. He is now admitted in the govt. hospital.
A makeshift dispensary soon after the August 2010 flash floods. (Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital), Leh.
Choglamsar
Shanty towns like Choglamsar, essentially a suburb of
Leh have sprung in the desert often in areas vulnerable
to floods and landslides. These were the places where
the worst damage occured.
Saspol

The children are still in shock after the flash floods that partially destructed their house on
Aug 5, midnight. Saspol village, Leh-Ladakh
 Primary School, Phyang

“There is a change in the

climate in Leh-Ladakh.
Children should be made
aware about global Primary School in Phulungs
warming.”
Muhallah, Phyang totally
Dawa Dolma,
Primary School Teacher, Phyang got washed away after the
flash floods in Aug, 2010.
Initially for a month, the
two teachers of Primary
School taught eight
children in a tent. A two-
room temporary bamboo
structure is raised by
Bamboo Mission, where
the students are currently
studying.
Role of religious organisations in flood relief
Religious organization has played a very important and essential role in the flood situa-
tion. Both of them, Buddhists and Muslims also played a significant role at that time.
Most of them participated in helping the helpless people at that time because everything
was washed by the cloudburst.

Mostly, youth of different religious organizations played a crucial role. These include
Ladakh Buddhist Youth Association, Muslim Youth Association and All Ladakh Gonpa
Association.
The affected families in Phyang took refuge in Phyang Monastery after Sonam Yangskit
the flash floods that occured on Aug 5, 2010. For several days, the
monastry provided food and shelter to the villagers and took care of
III year, Degree College
them. Leh-Ladakh

Vernacular Architecture
“Now, we need to change the structure and design of the construction of houses
in Ladakh. Houses should be constructed on a higher and safe level. The roofing
requires slope.”
Dawa Dolma, Primary School Teacher, Phyang
A traditional house in the Shankh village, Leh-Ladakh
the settlement
The morphology of the settlement depends
solely on the availability of the land and its
orientation. Since most villages of Ladakh
are within the valleys. The universal
factor always considered is that the land
should be as flat as possible, both for
agriculture and dwelling units and close
to grazing pastures for the animals. Thus
the size of the land solely depends on the
amount of land available. If a flat land is
a rarity, the entire village evolves on the
hill slopes with favourable orientation.
i.e. South-southwest. The slopes are
determined keeping in mind the factors of
sun movement and wind direction. Most
settlements are either riparian or close to
glacial stream which takes care of their most
important and elementary requirement of
water. Most of the villages are smaller in
size. These villages originate and subsist
only because of the high altitude pastures,
which they convert into fields. The people
are mostly self sufficient and rely on barter
system, a system practiced for centuries.
Thus trade is restricted only to the local
villages and does not travel to other places
because of geographical constraints.
In most of the villages, along the slopes of the
mountains facing south for sun, the houses
skirt the fields and are placed above them.
traditional house in Ladakh are dimly lit because of small fenestrations. Every
possible care is taken to trap the heat inside and
The houses are largely goverened by the maintain the temperature inside for a conductive living.
micro-climate and geographical conditions of
the area. The people managed to counter the Thus, the house in ladakh are essentially utilitarian.
natural forces effectively through architecture. The houses are white washed externally and present a
There are some common features in the house very interesting contrast with their stark surroundings.
design, example most of the houses in ladakh Owing to the Buddhist majority, nearly all the houses
are built at two levels, ground and upper. have traditional black bands at roof bordering the
window and door openings and flags fluttering above
In most of the case, the ground level is them. At some places, on the roof level, the black
reserved for animals and storage of their band gives way to more traditional more traditional
fodder and wood for winter. The upper level band of hay and wood adding an elevational feature.
has the habitable spaces. In most old houses,
there will be only a single room with an oven
in the corner, which is a multi purpose in
function. It is used for cooking as well as
heating up the interior space. This room is
the main area to be used throughout winter.

The concept of partitioning this room

into bedroom and kitchen is modern
usually adopted for status elevation
ignoring the benefits of indigenous system.
Mother and daughter in a conversation in the
The importance of the planning concept from the traditional Ladakhi kitchen also known as
city is now gaining popularity amongst the locals ‘chandsa’, Saspoche village, Leh-Ladakh.
and most of the new houses have the standard
divisions as found in any two bed-room flat.
The houses are made of mud sometimes
reinforced with horizontally placed timber However, in the recent years Leh-Ladakh is facing problems of
members. The walls are either made of sun
dried mud bricks or rammed earth system1. - Snow accumulation over the years weakens the roof due to water penetration once the snow melts. - Rainfall over the past few years have played hovoc.
Internally, the walls are mud plastered - The entire region is in a highly sensitive earthquake zone.
while flooring could be either in mud or - Landslides, ground settlements, abrasion of rocks are some of the other natural disasters which
wood. The ceiling height is low and spaces have affected historical buildings in the region.
 phashisang lud kyas thu

The carrying of manure is more important than father’s death.

Jito Tambarig-ga

In Leh-Ladakh, religion is a way of practicing life. A two day pooja (prayer) ceremony at Tsering Mutup’s house in Shey.
The sowing season in Ladakh starts in April and the Ladakhis believe that while working in the fields and watering the
crops, many insects and living things are killed accidently and unknowingly.

Also, during the six month period, till September, when the harvesting starts, there are times when they might have
indulged in an unfair act. To cleanse oneself from the sins and attract a promising future, a three day pooja ceremony
takes place in most of the houses of landowners and zamindars.
The flash floods of August Downturn in the agrarian economy
2010 extensively damaged
the agricultural farms.
Irrigation canals have “My land has been washed away but I am not asking for anything as I am already working here
been severely eroded. The as a teacher. Government should first cater to those who are needy.”
loss to standing crops and
agricultural infrastructure Gulam Raza, Primary School Teacher, Phyang
has been heavy, particularly
affecting those with
agriculture as their only
economic activity.
The biggest challenge is
to restore the agricultural
infrastructure destroyed
in order to ensure timely
revival of agricultural work.

Seventy year old Sonam

Dolma monitoring the
clearing of debris of her farm,
Taru village. As a response
from government, the fields
are cleared in several villages
in Leh-Ladakh but still a lot
needs to be done.
The natural harvest . . .
The harvest season in Leh-Ladakh is usually
in Aug-Sept, followed by preparing the fields
ready for the next season in Apr-May.

Sixteen-year old Deachen Angmo helping her mother

Yangchen Dolma early morning to set up a dryfruit
stall in Leh main market. Yangchen earns two thou-
sand ruppees a day during the season (summers) and
around twelve hundred ruppees a day during winters.

Fruits, apricots, apples, mulberries and walnuts are

grown at lower elevation beyond Khaltse towards
Kargil. Yangchen originally belongs from Khaltse dis-
trict and buy dryfruits from the surrounding villages
and sell it in Leh.

Ploughing a field in autumn, Shey. The dzo, cross of yak and cow, is the
most valued animal in Ladakh.
Before the onset of
winters there is a critical
need to provide shelters
to those rendered
homeless.

A consortium of like
minded NGOs; SEEDS
India (Sustainable
Environment &
Ecological Development
Group) and LEDeG
(Ladakh Ecological
Development Group)
took the initiative to
restore and reconstruct
disaster resistant
shelters promoting solar
passive housing using
local technology and
indigenous architecture.

Rigzin Angmo and her son

in the fields after the flash
floods, Shey, Aug 2010.
 If we talk of culture, then it is compassion, love, brotherhood, fellowship and humanity.
A house structure as a part of culture, I do not believe in that. Change is a must for the
progress and we have to go with the pace of the environment.
Dr. Tundup, Director, LEDeG

nyingpa la bugpa soma

A new tunnel in an old hill

Traditional manual production of mud blocks, Shey, Leh-Ladakh. Two workers can produce appox. thousand blocks a day. when a man breaks an old custom and introduces a new one
Each block costs eight ruppees excluding the transportation.

yai le yangsol yang le . . . The Rural
Building Center
in Choglamsar
echoes with the
lyrical humming
yai le yangsol yang le . . . chong le
chong, hands working in tandem on
the manual block machine, a worker
pouring the mixture, the other
two pulling the lever and another
labourer ready to pick the magical
earth block churned out for stacking.
Somewhere on the other side
few labourers are sieving the soil,
synchronizing their movement with
the free flowing lyrics and carrying
on with their work. The humming
never stops and neither does the
pace of the labor. The words ‘yai le
yangsol yang le’ have no meaning.
It is the secret mantra that builds
energy and inspires the goodwill for
enduring work.
LEDeG’s Rural building center is
surrounded by Sabu mountains
in the north, Zangtok pari in
the east and snowcapped Stok
mountains facing south. A small
gonpa (monastery) in the east with
swinging colorful tarchok (flags
holding mantras) keeps offering
strength whenever the work
decelerates.
An integral component of SEEDS-
LEDeG Shelter Project involved
constructing houses with stabilized
compressed earth blocks (SCEB).
The blocks have seven percent of
cement mixed with local soil for
strength and water resistance. One
of the reasons of heavy damage
and collapse of building structures
during the flash floods was due to
the mud mortar used in local mud
blocks and stone masonry that was
not water resistant and could not
hold the blocks properly.
Labour and procuring the raw
material for blocks has not been an
easy task. Initially, SEEDS-LEDeG
team and volunteers also extended
a helping hand in the production
of the blocks. Using six manual
block-making machines, around
forty-five labourers produced sixty
two thousand earth blocks in one
month.
SEEDS-LEDeG have constructed
fourteen core shelters including
local Ladakhi toilets for families
in Leh-Ladakh using stabilized
compressed earth blocks. As the
initial phase of house reconstruction
comes to an end, the numbers may
not be huge but the houses certainly
hold promise for a safer future,
protecting the families from floods
in the region.
Rural Building Center
Choglamsar

2. 3.

4. 5.

1. Production of Stablised Compressed Earth Blocks (SCEB) from the manual block machine. 2. Ajay Yadav, SEEDS-LEDeG Architect, preparing the
earth blocks. 3. Labourers at the Rural Building Center sieving the soil for stabilized compressed earth block production. 4. A worker passing the fresh
block for stacking. Around five-six workers are required to work on the single block machine. That includes sieving the soil, block production, stacking
and curing.5. Jayanti Gupta, a volunteer, stacking the earth blocks. The blocks are stacked and cured for fourteen days before using it for construction.
1.
“People don’t think that they generally build houses once in their lifetime. In the Solar Colony,
flood affected families from Tashi Gatysal , Choglamsar are reconstructing houses using the
same mud blocks without realizing that it can be washed away easily in case of floods in future.”

Gyaltson, Supervisor/Coordinator, Rural building Center, Choglamsar

Gyaltson and another worker covering the mud blocks with plastic sheet. Usually after curing
the blocks, it is required to dry naturally so that it absorbs the water to retain strength.
 Gyaltson
Gyaltson is a twenty four year
old progressive Ladakhi youth
who foresees Ladakh’s future
in maintaining a right balance
between tradition and the rapid modernization
influencing Leh-Ladakh.
He joined LEDeG in the last week of September
Supervisor/Coordinator, Rural
building Center, Choglamsar
and was given the complete responsibility of
supervising and regulating work in the Rural
Building Center (RBC). Prior to joining LEDeG,
Gyaltson has worked for two years in SECMOL,
Shesyon Solar Earth Work Section and
managed around twenty-five workers. For him,
supervising fifty labourers in RBC was a major
challenge.
His job responsibility at RBC also involved
procuring the labourers and local material
like logs, twigs, cardboard, jute sacks, soil for
roofing and flooring; supervising Stablised
Compressed Earth Blocks(SCEB) production,
procuring raw material for the prototype
construction, in all, arranging all the logistics
for smooth functioning of the work at RBC and
the construction sites. ‘It was a huge task and I
have been able to give my eighty percent’, says
Gyaltson.
Gyaltson strongly feels that with the climate
change, the construction techniques also
necessitate certain changes. He does not
completely support concrete structures but
thinks that the traditional structures can be
modified using improved blocks, cement and
better technology that keeps the structure warm,
safe and rainproof.
Working at the Rural Building Center was a
great learning experience for him. I learnt a
lot from SEEDS team, especially from Kamal
Chawla, Architect, on the shelter architectural
drawings.
Gyaltson firmly believes that the future of
construction in Ladakh lies in SCEB or a similar
technology. Although highly appreciated by all
those who visited RBC, the SCEB blocks are not
so popular because of lack of awareness, high
cost and small size as compare to the larger size
of local mud blocks. Also variation in the block
size can do wonders for the proper marketing
of the SCEB, says Gyaltson.
Although, the project has completed, Gyaltson
is eagerly looking forward for the next phase
of reconstruction in Spring, ready to face new
challenges and this time giving his hundred
percent to the work.
“A prominent problem in Ladakh is
that the roof leaks during the time of
rains.”
“Our traditional looks are vanishing
in the concrete structures.”
“I am surprised that people who build
these concrete structures are rich as
well as educated. Still, they are least
bothered about culture. “
“A major problem our city is facing is
the overlapping of buildings and shops
without proper planning and consid-
ering the solar orientation. Also, it is
seen that all the Government buildings
are concrete structures even in the
villages.”
Initiating a new housing culture . . . “It is right to use cement in the construction of house. With the
climate change, the mud blocks cannot just sustain. Use of mud
blocks is good but we can plaster the walls using cement.”

Twenty-nine year old Nilza Angmo has been

living in the LEDeG’s Rural Building Center,
Choglamsar, for past three years. She works
as a caretaker and labourer at the Center.

Originally from Thikse, Leh-Ladakh, she

studied in Mumbai polytechnic and got
trained in tailoring. After working for a
couple of years in Mumbai, she followed her
roots and her heart, came back to Ladakh
and got married to Tashi Norbo. Thirty-year
old Tashi is a driver and is also working for
LEDeG.

Nilzim worked on the SEEDS-LEDeG

prototype and also during the construction
of LEDeG-Jeres prototype. A quick
learner, she has grasped the technology of
solar passive housing and DRR features
introduced in both the prototypes.

Tashi Norbo hails from Tangtse village. The

couple started the construction of their
house in Tangtse last year. They hired a
mason and worked along with him on the
design of the house. So far they have build
three rooms, introducing the direct gain
features in the central room. The direct gain
room requires insulation in the front wall
and the back wall, says Nilzim, since there
is no external wall in central room, there is
no need for insulation on the sidewalls. The
thickness of the total wall is eighteen inch
with six-inch space filled with sawdust as
insulation.
Not only that, the plinth level including the
foundation is also build around four and a
half feet and have used stone for a strong
base of their home. Nilzim and Tashi have
blazed a trail for others, not only working
on and learning the technology but also
practically executing it on their new house to
make it secure and warm.
 prototype in
rural building center

LEDeG’s Rural Building Center in Choglamsar, supported by HUDCO,

demonstrates ecological friendly technology of building shelters in Leh-Ladakh.
SEEDS-LEDeG team at the Rural Building Center is developed a prototype by using
environment-friendly and energy efficient materials. The design is based on the
traditional Ladakhi house, adding new disaster resistant features for future safety.

The initial design for shelter was conceived to provide direct solar gain and to build as day room. Hence, the design
of the prototype is different from the design at the construction sites where a night room is constructed using trombe
wall technique.

Features of the Prototype

Direct solar gain provided by appox. 8 x 7 ft window.
External double wall insulated with saw dust providing thermal comfort.
A layer of saw dust for insulation roofing and flooring.
Stone Foundation in Cement Mortar
3 ft high Stone Plinth
Seismic bands in RCC at plinth and lintel level
Vertical reinforcement at corners and around doors / window openings.
Walls in CSEBs
A layer of clay and plastic sheet in roofing for waterproofing with appropriate slope.
appropriate shelter design
To build safe, comfortable and environmentally & culturally suitable houses
for affected families to help them survive the approaching winter.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROJECT:
• Use of locally available materials as far as possible to reduce
environmental impact.
• Incorporating new building techniques such Compressed
Stabilized Earth Blocks and seismic bands to ensure safety
from future disasters like floods and earthquakes.
• To achieve appropriate thermal comfort levels, features like
Trombe Wall and thermally insulation in exposed surfaces
have been incorporated.
• Promoting local building skills to reduce dependence on
external aid.
• Participation of families in design to help preserve local
architectural and cultural heritage and also to provide a scope
for expansion.
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION FEATURES:
• Foundation & high plinth: depth of foundation depending
upon the soil strata [2’-3’] and height of plinth depending
upon the proximity to water streams.
• RCC seismic bands at plinth and lintel level including
reinforcements at wall junctions and around door/window
openings.
• Compressed Stablised Earth Blocks are used for masonry upto
sill level.
THERMAL COMFORT / ENERGY
EFFICIENCY FEATURES:

• All the houses are oriented to achieve

maximum solar gain.
• The southern wall is designed to
maximize direct/indirect heat gain by
using features like Trombe Wall or
window openings with double glazing.
Rest of the external walls are cavity walls
filled with sawdust for insulation.
• A layer of sawdust has been introduced
in roofing as well as floor for insulation
purpose.
many drops that made the ocean . . .

SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project

emphasised on the involvement
and participation from the
beneficiaries so that they have a
sense of ownership.

Although they are funded

to build the shelter, they had
to level and clear the land
for excavation, carry out the
excavation process, arrange
the labourers and masons,
provide them with food and tea
onsite, procure stone aggregate
and sand from the market
and participate in the daily
construction activities.

Stanzin Dorjuay is a lama in Hemis Monastery

and went to the Monastery when he was barely 10
years old.

He is helping his mother Punchok Dolma at

the construction site and comes often to Shey
whenever he finds time.
Tsering Angchuk from Shey, cutting the poplar log
for the roofing of his house along with his brother-
in-law Namgyal and elder son.
Rigzen Angmo and Sonam Angchok loading
cement bags to carry to the site where their
new house is being constructed.

Initially, they took the responsibility of

distributing cement bags to all the other
beneficiaries in Shey.
 Fifty one year old Chinba Tobyess from Norgyas Ling, painting the
trombe wall of his newly constructed core shelter.
Tundup Dolma, daughter
of Rigzin Chorol, studies
in tenth standard in Govt.
High School Shey. Today
she decided not to go to
her school and cook for her
parents, labors and masons
working at the construction
site. A quiet girl, Tundup
Dolma has seen a lot and is
quite mature beyond her age.
Chinba Tobyess’s wife Dolma Lamo serving early morning breakfast
to the labourers and masons in Norgyas Ling.
All friends and family members passing the mud
blocks at Sonam Dadul’s site in Choglamsar.
 pidnying rigmola Tangsum Tosum
mithse ringmo la skid sum dugsum

There are three cold and warm periods in a spring day;

and in a man’s long lifetime there are
three joys and three sorrows.

Om mane padme hum

The mantra om mani padme hum reverberate the energy in Leh and its ambience. It is engraved on the stones and
mountains all around Leh-Ladakh. The mantra is chanted for the well being for others. One can find Ladakhi’s chanting
the mantra every where they go, while carrying rosary beads, moving huge prayer wheels, taking a round of ‘chhorten’,
mane walls or holding a hand held mane lakskhor.
 Shey

A drawing of Shey Palace by Tundup Dolma. Shey Palace

Mask dance at Thikse Gompa is centrally located at a steep hill overlooking the entire
ustor means ‘sacrifice of the 29th day’, as the festival is held on 28th and 29th of the 11th Tibetian month. The lamas of
surroundings of Thikse, Stagna, Matho, Stok and even a far stretch
the monastery perform the sacred dance-drama in the monastic costumes. A hallmark of Thikse Gustor is the mask of Leh. It was once a capital of Namgyal Kingdom.
dance performed by the monks who sport various masks representing the guardians, protectors and the gods and god-
desses. An effigy symbolising evil forces is burnt at the end of the festival symbolizing destruction of all forms of evil.
Tashi Ringmo Phunchuk Dolma
wanted to construct a
new house and ordered
the production of
40,000 mud blocks.
The mud blocks for
the new construction
were ready on Aug 2,
2010 and three days
later, the flash floods
washed her hopes and
the dream of the new
house. Her only source
of income was also
gone as the layers of
mud silt destroyed her
fertile land.
Sixty year old Punchok front of others when the close by and still unscathed
Dolma is a widow floods took her home. Her by the flash floods.
and a mother of four. only consideration and Few days later, her son’s
She lives with her son consolation was that all the house also broke down. For
Tsewang Paldan in Shey. members of her family were two months, she stayed in the
alive and safe. She thought tent, actively participating
A women of wisdom
and extreme patience, that for a while she will stay in the construction of her
Phunchuk did not cry in with her elder son Tsering house under SEEDS-LEDeG
Samphel, whose house was
Shelter Project. A very
active woman, Phunchuk’s
is used for cooking as well
as heating up the interior
also constructed two more
rooms along with the
day starts early morning space, especially in winters. SEEDS-LEDeG Core Shelter
doing household chores, Apart from the bedroom, a and she intends to extend her
procuring water from the pooja room is a must too, house in the next summer.
hand pump and cooking usually on the first floor
This year, the winters started
food. Along with SEEDS- of the house, demarcated
a bit late and just before the
LEDeG team, Phunchuk from the other rooms.
onset of winters, Phunchok’s
had several hands to help her
Guests and relatives occupy house was complete.
speed up the construction
the several other rooms
of her new home.
during the time of death, Jigmet Yangchan walking past
Her twenty three year old birth or any other special her damaged house, Shey, Leh-
Ladakh.
married daughter, Jigmet occasion. Phunchok has
Yangchan, stayed with her
for two months and helped
her in cooking and working
at the construction site.
Jigmet’s youngest brother,
Stanzin Dorjuay, a lama
in Hemis Monastery,
also helped his mother
at the construction site
and came often whenever
he could find time.
A traditional Ladakhi house
usually has several rooms. A
big kitchen facing south, that
also serves as a day room and
Rigzin Chorol never dreamt that one night A flicker of hope . . .
could change the course of her life. Along with
her husband and two children, Rigzin escaped “my field . . . vegetables . . . my house . . . all gone, the floods took everything”
barefoot on the night of vile darkness shrieking
with loud thunder noise. The next day when she “When I wake up every morning in the tent, the blanket is sopping wet.”
returned back, she still had hope as her two-
storied house had withstood the flash floods,
although her standing crops and vegetables were “I no longer have time to pray. The whole day I am busy on the site to help in the
construction of my house. Even though I am tired at night, I cannot sleep”
totally washed away. The water channels flooded
for three-four days consecutively and her house
finally gave in to the forces of nature.

Thirty-four year old Rigzin studied till eighth

standard in her village. After her marriage
to Tsering Samphel, eighteen years of her life
revolved around her two children and farming in
her fields.

So far, this is the toughest time in her life after

losing everything she called home.
She still has fond memories of her daughter’s
birth celebrations, Dun, in her old house. All
close friends and relatives visited her house to
bless the baby girl, Tundup Dolma.

In Ladakh, the birth of a child is a special

occasion for a family. The arrival of male and
female child is equally welcome in a Ladakhi
house. Infact, woman holds a respectable
position in the family.

Rigzin also reminisces the occasion of Raktak, a
ceremony after two years of her marriage when
her mother gave her perak and several clothes,
jewellery and utensils. Now living in a tent for
over two months, everything is like a dream of
the past.
SEEDS-LEDeG team has build a core shelter for
the six beneficiaries in Shey, her family being
one of them. At the time of first snowfall in
Leh, Rigzin and her family could not bear the
cold winds and took refuge in the traditional
toilet built by SEEDS-LEDeG team. Despite all
the struggles, a flicker of hope kept her spirits
alive and now she along with her family is in the
warmth and comfort of her new home.
Dun- The period of first seven days of the birth
is called ‘Dun’. During this period, the nearest
relatives and friends visit the house to bless the
baby.
Perak- ‘Perak’ is one of the most costly ornaments
of women’s outfit. A headgear decorated with
precious stones also signifies the influential status
as well as family’s assets. Traditionally, the ‘perak’
goes from mother to her daughter as a wedding
gift.
Thirty-seven year old Tsering
Samphel’s life had been quite simple
before the August 2010, flash floods.
He lived in a two storied house
with his wife Rigzin Chorel and two
children, daughter Tundup Dolma
and fourteen year old son.
It was a traditional family house and
Samphel had renovated it according
to his taste and requirement. A
temporary labour job in army
supplies, a green house and a
vegetable garden provided decent
returns of around forty-thousand
during the season that had kept
them going comfortably if not living
luxuriously.
The flash floods of Aug 5 changed his
life overnight, damaging his house
completely, ruining his land, the
standing crops and the supporting
income that he and his family had
worked hard for five months.
SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project
once again gave him confidence
and revived his prospects for a new
home. Tsering Samphel and his wife
Rigzin Chorol worked shoulder to
shoulder with SEEDS-LEDeG Team.
Apart from the core shelter, they
have also constructed two more
rooms this year and plan to build five
rooms next year. Tsering Samphel’s
efforts have now made him the
proud owner of his house.
Tsering Samphel cutting willow twigs for the
roofing of his house.
“I am constructing house for the first time, definitely it has not
been a smooth and easy process.”
“I and my wife had promised Madam (SEEDS team leader Rekha
Shenoy) during our first meeting that we will fully support in the
construction of our house. So we participated happily and my wife
never complained.”
Tsering Samphel
Shanku My house got washed away, look at my hands . . . after so
much of work. I have turned old just constructing this house.
Sonam Wangchuk took eighteen years to build
his house in Shey and when he thought it was – Rigzin Angmo, wife of Sonam Wangchuk from Shey
time to reap the benefits of several years of hard
work, the flash floods in August 2010 took away
that hope and security.

Due to the vulnerable location of his house near

the water channel, the house was completely
damaged along with his father’s house. The
standing crops, mainly vegetables and several
apricot and apple trees were washed with the
flash floods leaving the land barren and covered
with five feet of mud silt and sand and no roof
over his head.
SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project once again gave
him the strength and courage to start afresh. For
few days after the floods, he stayed in a tent and
later on shifted to panchayat ghar in Shey.
Forty-two year old Sonam Wangchok, son of
Tsering Tashi lives in Shey with his wife Rig-
zen Angmo and works as a lineman with PDD.
Rigzen Angmo is forty-two years old and a
housewife. Their elder son is taking training in
the army, a daughter studies in Jammu and a
fourteen-year old younger son studies in Drup
Padma Karpo School in Shey.
Rigzen Angmo is engaged in farming and grows
vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, potato and
onion and sells it in the market earn- practical utility in winters as well as
ing around twenty thousand during preparing manure for the fields in
the season. The flash floods washed spring. The winters this year are a
her land and her cattle shelter, leav- tough time for each flood-affected
ing her with nothing for the rest of family, despite the relief and help
the year. provided to them.
For years, the people in Leh-Ladakh As a part of beneficiary participation
have developed a way of life to make process, Sonam Wangchuk and his
the best use of scarce natural resourc-
wife Rigzen Angmo involved them-
es and cope with extreme winters. selves completely in the construction
In autumn after the harvest, grains of their house. For three months,
are stored and vegetables are dried they fed and took care of three Nepali
that time to prepare for the oncom- labours working on their site. Slowly
ing winters. Onions are kept open in as the weather changed in November,
jute bags and vegetables like potato, sometimes Sonam Wangchuk’s day
carrot, radish and turnip are buried started at five am. The water chan-
under ground during winters. nel near his house had slowly dried
by that time and he would walk for
Every home has a storeroom to stock
an hour to Thikse, to procure water
food for this purpose. Most of the
early morning.
households have several trees and the
wood is used as fuel for traditional Sonam Wanchuk also constructed
heating system called bhukhari in two more rooms, a kitchen-cum liv-
winters. ing room and a store. He has adapted
the SEEDS-LEDeG solar passive
Similarly, the soil is spread in the housing technology and constructed
cattle shed that mixes with the cow a trombe wall for his room too. To-
dung and urine and used as manure day, Sonam Wangchuk is happy with
Rigzin Angmo finally in her new home, Shey, Leh-Ladakh . The winters have arrived and she is cooking food on the traditional heating system
in the fields. A traditional Ladakhi his new home and spending the cold popularly known as ‘bhukari’.
dry toilet too serves the purpose of winters in his warm house.
 Choglamsar

Workers happily engaged in block making activities in LEDeG’s (also know as Ecology
Center) Rural Building Center. Just across the Rural Building Centre, relief camps are
set up in the Solar Colony. On the left is the prototype center designed by Geres and
LEDeG for solar passive housing. About Rigzin Nurboo – Rigzin is ten years old and
Partially frozen Indus at Zampa, Choglamsar lives in Choglamsar. He studies in Ringjung Public School and is good in studies and
The Indus, historically and geographically one of the great rivers of the world, from which the extra curricular activities.
very name India is derived.
Gyamso Namkham
Farok Shagar Namkis

Till the time Indus won’t

dry and the feathers of crow
won’t turn white, this land
remains your property. A
written paper contract from
Hemis Gonpa (Monastery)
gave Tsering Mutup and his
father Tsering Dorjey the
right to stay in five and a
half canal land as care tak-
ers forever. The proud own- On the early morning of Aug 5 , Tsering Mutup left Apart from taking care of his land, twenty-eight a tent, finally ended up living on the hill for one
ers had to succumb to the for Nubra valley but soon after hearing the news year old Tsering Mutup plays Dhaman with his month.
fate of nature when not only of the flash floods, he came back the very next day father on festivals and other occasions. During
searching for his family. For four days, his family winters, which is a lull time in Leh-Ladakh, he
their house but their stand- stayed on Renak hill in Choglamsar without any takes up labour job if can get one. His twenty-year
ing crops, six hundred trees tent. old wife, Kunzes Angmo is a housewife. The flash
floods left an impact on his three-year old boy
and two cows were callously Tsering Mutup had carried a blanket to Nubra Skarma Tashi, who slipped in the muddy water. Left - Tsering Mutup lending a helping hand on his site,
washed in the flash floods and that was the sole possession left with him to Soon after the floods, Skarma suffered from fever Chowglamsar, Leh-Ladakh.
on Aug 2010. keep his family warm at night. Slowly help started for several days. Today, he still fears to go and play
pouring in from the army and they got food and in the water stream. Right - Tsering Dorjee, still living in his old house in Choglamsar.

The SEEDS assessment and the decision
to build a core shelter for him, once again
revived his hopes of living in a home. He was
allocated land from the village in Choglamsar.
Tsering Mutup worked diligently to help in
the construction of his house and also built
two new rooms along with the core shelter.
With his limited funds, he has plastered the
outer wall of his two rooms with cement to
prevent water from seeping in. He has also
been provided two additional interim shelters
by Prefab India Limited.
Tsering Mutup’s loss cannot be measured in
terms of money. Although he has constructed
a new house, he misses the greenery and
his farm. The lack of space and the barren
desert hill where he is living now is not fit
for farming.
Recalling his childhood, Tsering Mutup
feels that the the nallah from Sabu used to
be quite wide and it slowly got shrunk with
the encroachment of new houses on either
sides, leaving a little passage from water
to flow. Tashi Ghatsyal in Choglamsar,
that suffered the maximum damage, was
habited around the same nallah.
Leh-Ladakh has indeed paid a heavy price
this year and its time for the people to get
vigilant about their fragile eco-system and
respect it.
Left -Skarma Tashi with his mother Kunzes Angmo
Right - Skarma Tashi playing pranks with his friend
on the site in Choglamsar, Leh-Ladakh.
 Norgyis Ling

Popular Winter Sport in Leh-Ladakh

Children skiing in Norgyis Ling, Leh-Ladakh.

In winters, the temperature in Leh-Ladakh goes below minus twenty degrees and thus most
A drawing of old house in Norgyis Ling by Stanzin Wangtak.
of the rivers and water channels are frozen. The kids enjoy skiing during the winters with
Stanzin’s house was completely damaged during the flash floods
indigenously made skiing boards.
and his family stayed at Degree College Relief Camp.
desqung namgyal
“It was pitch dark outside and water started pouring
in. At first, I thought it was coming from the slope. “Earlier I used to feel as if the whole world is coming to an end”
I started taking out the water. When it did not stop,
I rushed, wore my boots and took refuge outside the “I live in a rented house and I don’t like it”
house that was across my home. It was raining quite
heavily. As I turned back to look at my house, at “It’s a miracle that I am still alive. I am grateful for the second life.”
that moment . . . the flood gushed from both sides of
the house where I was standing and swept away my
home readily like a feathered toy.”, recalls Desqung
Namgyal.

His wife, twenty seven year old Diskit Angmo and

three and a half year baby girl Deachen Youtso were
away during the time of flash floods.

Desqung is originally from Hemis Shukpshan village

and like many others; he came to Leh five years ago
to look for work. He studied till tenth standard and
got married to Disket Angmo in 2006. His parents
had built a two-room house in Norgyas Ling and he
had been living there ever since. Desqung works as a
salesman in an electronic shop and earns around Rs.
7000-8000 per month.

He feels that perhaps the reason for flash floods

could be because of global warming, emerging fac-
tories and additional number of vehicles and traffic
on the road. Soon after the floods, Desqung and his
family stayed in the tent for several
days. Later on they shifted to a one
room rented place.

Fortunately, for Desqung, the provi-

dential gods favoured him. The
electronic shop where he worked was
left unscathed by the flash floods and
was able to retain his job. Few weeks
after the flash floods, SEEDS-LEDeG
Team found him and after the initial
assessment, they decided to build a
core shelter for him.

Today, Desqung is no longer living in

a rented room. He has built a home
together with his wife Deachen and
started his life afresh.

Disket Angmo working at her site in

Norgyis Ling.
 Skara yokma

People washing clothes in a stream, Skara.

“Earlier people used to consider water sacred. One major issue is the changing
habits, and now they wash their clothes in the river or a stream. There is a
lot of water stress and people need to learn and manage both fresh and waste
water.”
Norzim Palmo visualised her new house, multicolored tiles at the
base of the house with flickering lights on the staircase at night,
Skara, Leh-Ladakh.

Shalabh Mittal, Volunteer and Consultant on resource methodology on water

 painted table) that becomes a makeshift
Living in faith … dining area in the day and night time.
Another long wooden table alongside
the mattress and several memories and
souvenirs of lifetime piled on top of each
other. Adjacent to a pole in the center,
a wooden desk with drawers serves as a
kitchen area. This is not a Ladakhi house
but Tsering Dolma’s tent where she is
living for past two months.
Her house totally collapsed in August
flash floods. Tsering and her daughter
Norzim Palmo escaped barefoot with
only one blanket and spent five days
in Spituk Monastery, Leh. Later on her
neighbour Phuntsog Youdol gave her
space in her compound and someone
arranged a tent for her to live there.
Tsering is forty years old and lives with
her thirteen-year-old daughter Norzim
Palmo in Skara Yokma, Leh. She got
separated from her husband fourteen
years ago while she was pregnant with a
child. Since then, she has been working
as a casual labour and making the
Several green and pale white cans of water stacked neatly in a row on one side at the ends meet. She earns around Rs. 3000
entrance. Next to it, framed pictures of Dalai Lama and Buddhist deities placed on a a month and gets Rs. 250 per month
chair along with a small alarm clock. Piles of blankets and clothes make a semi circle from her tenant, that barely helps her to
cushion wall to lean back, a rug used as a sitting space for guests. Further ahead, a sustain a decent living.
single mattress for sleeping and in front is a withered wooden chog-tse (low carved
Tsering originally hails from Beyama
village, Kargil. When she was seven, she
told her father that she wants to study
but her father did not approve of it.
Attending school for a girl was unheard
of in the village at that time. Having
been a single mother and gone through
many struggles, her major concern is
to provide education to her daughter so
that she does meet the same fate.
A month before the flash floods, she
also had an operation and has still not
recovered. Tsering hopes renewed when
SEEDS-LEDeG team decided to build a
shelter for her. Tsering will be getting a
compensation of two-lakh rupees from
the government for her damaged house.
She can secure that money for her
daughter’s future now.
A god-fearing lady, Tsering feels that she
has done some good deeds in the past to
receive such help. For past one month,
Tsering is fully involved in helping
workers at her construction site.
A new beginning, a new home and
joyful dreams for her daughter’s future,
now Tsering Dolma has a lot to look
forward to . . .
chir-chir kos
In Ladakhi, chir chir kos means ‘make a circle.’ Tsering
Dolma is teaching her daughter to make chappatis. A day
for Norzim Palmo to learn cooking and she is making
chappatis for the workers at her site.
Mutup Gurmet,
Forty five year old Mutup Gurmet is the appointed Goba (village head) of
Skara, Leh-Ladakh, for past seven years. Originally from Shushod village,
Goba, Skara Mutup joined Ladakh Scout in 1985. Being the eldest son in the family,
Mutup took-over responsibilities of his family since his childhood and
never got a chance to study after second standard.
A war veteran, Mutup got shot in his left leg during the Kargil war in 1999
and after eighteen years of his service, took voluntary retirement in 2003.
Since then, he has been looking after the welfare of the village in Skara and
did not join any job or service. “At that time, there were no proper roads,
not even a ration store in Skara,” says Mutup Gurmet. He has formed a
chokspa (group) of twenty-five families and they participate and support in
taking crucial decisions in the village.
Skara was not much affected during the flash floods. Only, the water chan-
nels were damaged and around five houses were partially damaged. With-
out taking the help of local administration, Mutup along with members of
his chokspa, took the initiative to make temporary water canals and save
the standing crops. He also helped in providing tents and ration to the af-
fected families.
Tsering Dolma’s one room house was also affected in the flash floods. Being
a single woman, Mutup supported her in clearing the house and salvaging
whatever was left. One of the prerequisite conditions of SEEDS-LEDeG
project was the equal involvement of the beneficiary in the construction
of house. Mutup Gurmet got a mason and two labourers to demolish the
damaged house, helped in clearing and excavation of the land.
Skara, is inhabited on a slope and he is aware of the vulnerability of his vil-
lage. Gurmet is quite far-sighted and after the floods, he has emphasized on
four to five feet foundation for new constructions in Skara.
His army background certainly has helped him in taking prompt decisions
during the time of accidents and emergencies like floods. After the floods,
he held several meetings and shared about emergency response, safety and
life saving skills. Mutup Gurmet’s selfless dedication for the people of Skara
is a living example and an inspiration too.
 mimanggi lagpala ser

There is gold in the hands of group of men

“This year the water (flood) came for only fifteen minutes, but with such a force that the mud blocks were washed
away. If it had continued for another fifteen minutes, not a single house could have survived it. The whole village
(Skara) would have been washed away.”

“The climate has changed drastically over the years. During my childhood days, it used to snow a lot and very scanty
rainfall. Now over the years, there is lot of vegetation, maybe because of that the climate has changed.”

“I cannot take the guarantee that the houses constructed in solar colony (construction by Prefab India Ltd.) are safe.”

“Now, with climate change, it’s essential to make slight modifications in the traditional Ladakhi house. The houses
should be constructed according to the solar orientation. Earlier, the foundation of the house used to be one and a
half feet and now I feel it should be around four to five feet. The rooms too should be constructed using cement so that
it can withstand the pressure during the time of floods or an earthquake.”

Mutup Gurmet, Goba, Skara

Rekha Shenoy, “ Its my privilege to work with the organization
like SEEDS that has a larger vision and is very
SEEDS-LEDeG Team Leader professional with good work ethics.”
“ I believe in partnerships as long as both the partners
are accountable to each other. Partnership should
be your strength. It shows your ability to work and
collaborate with others. There will be slight loss of
identity in partnership but it maximizes the impact at
the community level. It supplements and compliments
each others efforts.”
“Water is a scarce commodity in Ladakh. Locals
are used to the scarce resources and they recycle
everything and there is absolutely no wastage. The
tourists should be given some guidelines to preserve
Ladakh’s ecological fragile system.”
With her slight demure, soft features and Kannadiga
English accent, Rekha Shenoy may initially comes
across as a fragile and reserved South Indian woman
who is approachable yet difficult to please. Her
profession somehow keeps her on guard but as you
peel the soft layers and get to know her, she can be
your mentor and a fun companion at the same time.
Rekha hails from Mysore, Karnataka and completed
her post graduation in Environmental Sciences from
Manas Gangotri, University of Mysore. She wanted
to get into Administrative Services and moved to
Bangalore for further studies. For her, it was ‘power in
the right sense’, to reach out to the masses. Although
she could not clear her IAS exams, he goal remained
the same. The next best alternative for her was to
work with an NGO and that’s how she could see
herself ‘working with the people, if not masses, at the
grass root level’.
In 1995, she joined ‘Development Alternatives’, a Delhi
based NGO, with a field office in Tumkur, 160 kms away
from Bangalore. There she was involved in two projects
namely, National Wasteland Development Project and
Wormiculture.
After one year, in 1996, she moved to Bangalore and
joined Environment Support Group, an environmental
activist organization working in environmental activism
and environmental initiatives. Her job involved research,
documentation, training and advocacy. It was also a time
of globalization in India, when the rejected industries
in the west had started approaching the Indian coast.
There was a complete take over of the coast by polluting
industries. ‘We filed quite a number of Public Interest
Litigations (PIL), we lost more and won few’, says Rekha.
She feels that environmental laws and labour laws are not
taken too seriously in India. Although advocacy takes a
long time, it does follow a huge impact.
After working for five year in Karnataka, Rekha wanted
to venture out of her home state and got an opportunity
to contribute to rehabilitation work in Gujarat post
earthquake. Working in Gujarat changed her life. Initially,
she started as a coordinator with Care International taking
care of partnerships and livelihood for two years. Then she
joined Oxfam Great Britain and worked on sustainable
agriculture and animal husbandry with special focus on
organic farming.
In 2006, Care International came up with an integrated
programme on sustainable nutrition, health and
livelihood in four districts of Gujarat. Rekha joined
Care International again and this time she worked in
the capacity of Regional Manager. She worked with Care
International for three years and then took a break of five
months and went to Bangalore.
In 2010, Rekha got an opportunity to do a twelve- Shelter Project has been like her baby as she was others . . . she saw Ladakh in its peak glory in
week course on ‘Government Relations with NGO’s Handling dual responsibilities, as a team leader for involved in it from the very beginning; identifying summers and also its decline after the flash floods.
and Civil society’ in Wolverhemptom, UK, supported SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project and a facilitator for beneficiaries, monitoring the construction on the One of her major concern is the huge inflow of
by British High Commission. She came back to SPHERE was a major challenge for her. Her role as site, working on the logistics, coordinating with the tourist population visiting Ladakh during the season.
Bangalore and found herself alien in the city. After a facilitator was to bring all the agencies (around district administration and today she feels extremely She feels that it puts burden on the already scarce
staying in Gujarat for seven years, Bangalore had thirty-five agencies) on one platform and facilitate satisfied as houses are completed and the beneficiaries resources so tourism should be regulated in a positive
changed drastically with the inception of IT boom. coordination and collaboration between them as well have settled in just at the right time. sense so that people would want to visit Ladakh for
She felt the city had become more insular with the as with the government so that there was convergence many years to come.
rest of India as it related more to the likes of UK andof resources, no duplication, no overlapping. Rekha Shenoy has been living in Ladakh since past
US. Another challenge for her was to manage the smooth seven months. Even in cold winters, she is up early Rekha has left for Bangalore, as the shelter project
functioning of SEEDS and LEDeG partnership. As a in the morning to start her day. The strength to work has successfully completed . . . offering new hope to
Restless as ever, Rekha approached a friend in Chennai team leader, Rekha has the ability to get the best out persistently requires discipline, determination and several others for whom SEEDS will be constructing
who had started a novel concept ‘Travel Another India’ of her team members without imposing her views. endurance, that soft-spoken Rekha has no dearth of it. shelters in the Spring and she is looking forward to be
promoting village tourism that is socially, culturally Managing senior people was also a difficult task for a part of it again.
and environment friendly and generates income Rekha has lived and experienced Ladakh unlike
her.
for the village communities. She got an opportunity
to work on a programme ‘Himalaya on Wheels’, Rekha has previous experience
making tourist destinations in Ladakh barrier free of working in relief and
and disabled friendly. It was during the midst of the rehabilitation but never
programme, the flash floods happened in Leh. in reconstruction, that is,
construction of houses. She
At that time, Anshu Sharma, Director, SEEDS INDIA, received constant support
had come to Leh-Ladakh for an initial assessment and guidance from Shivangi
and offered her the opportunity to work as Project Chadva, National Programme
Manager, Operations, for SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter coordinator, SEEDS, New
Project and facilitator for SPHERE. Delhi.
Rekha has already worked on environmental friendly She feels that it was a good
agricultural practices and this time she gained experience to work with a
knowledge on environmental friendly housing. It’s diverse team, be it Abhishek, a
been a great learning experience for her. Relating to volunteer from the corporate
both the experiences, she feels that there is a scope background, Kamal, Ajay,
to provide alternative livelihood to people. ‘For Varun and Katherine from the
production of Stablised Compressed Earth Blocks architecture background and
(SCEB) we provided employment to labourers for Ramesh Bhai, working at the
nearly two months. The masons can also be the brand grass root level.
ambassadors, disseminating knowledge and training Rekha Shenoy and Sonam
other masons’, says Rekha. For Rekha, SEEDS-LEDeG Dorjee, Tehsildar, village Tia.
Kamal Chawla
‘Life is only about exploration’ ‘I like working in a situation when everyone is
working towards a common cause, whatever
the cause may be…when there is no comparison
or competition between people, when everyone
is learning and sharing everything with each
other.’
‘I have always been fascinated with architecture that is
evolved out of local materials and techniques, which is now
becoming rare in our globalised cities.’
Twenty nine year old Kamal Chawla is an architect by profession
and a maverick nevertheless, who believes that the cosmic forces
work at an individual level and in unison creating harmony, given
a chance. His life too follows the same conduit. Calm and serene
as ever, his impish smile and twinkling eyes sometimes gives away
the curious child in him who wants to explore and question the
boundaries of the pragmatic world.
Architecture happened by chance in Kamal’s life. He did his
diploma in architecture from Rao Tula Ram College of Technical
Education, New Delhi, followed by Bachelors in Architecture
from TVB School of Habitat Studies, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
Kamal is happy about the fact that he always had inspiring people
around him, especially during his Bachelor Studies at TVB
School of Habitat Studies.
Kamal recalls his internship with SEEDS as one of the
memorable experiences of his life. In 2005, after the Kashmir
Quake, he worked in Poonch, J&K, with SEEDS’ team for Interim
Shelter Programme.
Kamal has also worked in Bihar with SEEDS in post flood
response in 2009. Working with local materials like Bamboo and
Mud was again an interesting experience for Kamal, in terms of
architectural and structural design.
Kamal has an inclination towards social change that is often
reflected in his activities. He likes to use different art forms to
convey his thoughts like writing, graphics, theatre, photography
& film making. He doesn’t aim to excel in any of these fields but
only likes to explore.
In Aug 2010, after the flash floods in Leh-Ladakh, once again
Kamal got involved with SEEDS. For him personally, working
on design of the shelter was a huge challenge. It had to be
designed & built as per climate, while keeping in
mind vernacular/traditional architectural style &
techniques that already existed and introducing
DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) and solar passive
building features.
Other major challenges for him while working
on the SEEDS-LEDeG shelter project was the
procurement of the local materials, like different
types of soil for block production, roofing, plastering
and flooring, finding right kind of talu (twigs) and
timber logs for roofing and to achieve quality in
carpentry work. Other local raw and waste materials
like jute bags and cardboard had also to be procured
from different sources which are not easily available
as there is no market for it. There was also not
sufficient number of masons and workers on all the
sites at the same time.
Kamal is fascinated by the traditional architecture,
construction techniques and local materials in Leh-
Ladakh. As an artist and an architect, Kamal finds
the traditional roofing with timber logs and taalu
quite interesting. He likes the fact that there are no
rigid connections between the multiple layers of
roofing. He feels that structurally and aesthetically
there is a lot of scope to play with its form. He also
likes the intricate work on timber, not only because
of its beauty but also for its craftsmanship. He feels
that it’s an art that becomes a part of architecture
(building process).
Kamal is quite satisfied with the design and
the construction process at sites, in given set of
conditions. Kamal believes in a collaborative work
and respects the decisions taken by different people
at different points of time in a project like this. He feels
that such decisions may be considered wrong later
but one has to realize that they were taken in a certain
situation which demanded that.
Kamal stayed in Leh-Ladakh for two and a half months
and during this period he visited sites everyday without
taking a day off. His patience and perseverance to
carry out work in the difficult terrain and a smooth
coordination with the team of masons, workers and
fellow architects shows the spirit of true camaraderie.
Kamal’s work got completed in mid November and
after two and a half months in Leh-Ladakh, he left for
Delhi feeling the need for a break from work. It was
only on his way back that he realized the eternal ties he
‘The masons from Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh
were really helpful in the reconstruction process. But
if we do not use RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete)
and SCEBs (Stabilized Compressed Earth Blocks), the
local masons can easily complete the work.’
‘I find it interesting that if a mud structure collapses,
one can simply rebuild it using the same material.
The process is so simple and close to nature, as the
Ladakhi lifestyle is.’
Kamal Chawla, Architect,
 “SEEDS have constructed my village Patanka after the earthquake. I am indebted to them
forever. That is why wherever there is SEEDS work, I take full interest and work with
sincerity.”

Ramesh Bhai Thakur,
Site Supervisor,
SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project
“SEEDS management is very good. They do not compromise on the quality. That is why they
have progressed so much and have gone international.”
“I have worked with the architect Kamal Chawla before. It is a good experience working
with him again. He takes interest in his work but its difficult to work with two NGO’s and
complete the design quickly.”

“Rekha manages everything and takes good care of everyone.”

“Although Abhishek jokes around, he takes interest in his work. From the beginning he took a
lot of responsibilities.”

Born in early seventies in a small alongside but was unable to devote

village called Patanka in Gujarat,
Ramesh Bhai hails from a family
background that can be considered
traditional and conformist by all
mainstream terms. From the very
beginning, Ramesh Bhai has defied
those norms and practices.
After completing his Higher
Secondary from the capital city
Ahmedabad, Ramesh Bhai was
offered a job in a transport company.
He tried completing his graduation
time to his studies.
With a job, life changed for Ramesh
Bhai. The only thing constant was
a childhood school friend and a
companion, Rohini. At a very young
age of twenty-one, Ramesh Bhai
decided to marry her.
A Kshatriya and a Brahmin match at
that time were unheard of. Knowing
that no one would approve of it,
Ramesh Bhai and Rohini started their
life together with a court marriage
and small traditional marriage
ceremony without informing their
respective families.
Just before marriage, Ramesh Bhai
had left his job and started doing
odd jobs. He was very honest about
it with Rohini since she belonged to
an affluent family. Even after their
marriage, Ramesh Bhai gave marriage
certificate to her. Incase she changed
her mind, she could get rid of them
and be free.
Rohini Ramesh Bhai Thakur never
looked back and today after more
than twenty years of their marriage,
their bond is still stronger, giving
space and mutual respect to each
other.
After six months, Ramesh Bhai learnt
construction work and progressed as
a mason. It took some time for both
the families to accept their marriage
and eventually life became smooth
for them. For two years Ramesh Bhai
worked as a mason and then started
his own work as a contractor. His
hard work and patience paid him
eventually.
Ramesh Bhai joined SEEDS in 2001.
SEEDS took the lead at that time to
construct shelters in Patanka village,
Gujarat. Ramesh Bhai played crucial
in mobilizing other masons to join
them.
He joined SEEDS earning two
thousand five hundred rupees per
month for that project. Till today,
Ramesh Bhai feels that money is
not so important when working on
projects that have a humanitarian
purpose.
After constructing two hundred and
fifty shelters in Patanka, Ramesh
Bhai worked on several projects
with SEEDS in Himachal Pradesh,
Barmer (Rajasthan), Balasur
and Puri(Orissa), Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Poonch (J&K)
and now finally in Leh-Ladakh.
He is also a member of SEEDS
Mason Association and has trained
local masons in various parts of
the country wherever SEEDS have
stepped in during the time of a
disaster.
For SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project
in Leh, Ramesh Bhai mobilized five
masons from Gujarat and supervised
the fifteen sites in Leh-Ladakh and
areas around.
The major challenge for Ramesh Bhai
in Leh was to get the work completed
before the onset of winters and faced
problems due to the unavailability
of labour and procurement of local
material.
Ramesh Bhai had initially come
to Leh in August during the time
of assessment for just ten days
and ended up staying for nearly
three months, till the time of the
completion of the Shelter Project. A
commitment to ones work in such a
situation is rare and commendable.
Ramesh Bhai with the workers in the Rural Building Center helping in the roofing
of the prototype. The traditional roofing included stacking a layer of sawdust bags
for thermal comfort.
Volunteering in Leh
“Getting together in a face of calamity and helping
people is fine, but being decent towards another
human being is something I will take back from the
people here.”

Sonal Makarand Kokate, Volunteer

Seventeen year old Tashi Dolker studies in Central Institute of

Buddhist Studies. During the time of floods, she and the other
students helped at the Police Line in Choglamsar to clear the
debris.
“ I felt bad when ninety-five percent of the Indian
tourists fled and none of them volunteered during the
flash floods in Leh-Ladakh. Volunteers for SEEDS-
LEDeG project, even though they are handful, again
revived my hope. I felt that the youth today is no
longer insular and would like to contribute to the
society and the nation.” A volunteer from Shynam finding her way in Sonam Norboo
Rekha Shenoy, Memorial Hospital (Govt. Hospital,Leh) to clean the mud sludge
Team Leader SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project that blocked the ground floor of the new hospital building.
Sonal Makarand Kokate
“Being nice to strangers, humming while working,
and the openness that people share with others is
something that I am taking back from Leh”
change like that. It can take
time and time is the luxury that
“Personally I never thought that
I would enjoy volunteering
so much because having
been through so much
in my life, I am a
self made person.
I feel that if you
are a human being
and can think for
yourself, then you
can definitely make
your life better. Coming
here, I realized that there
are certain things that you
don’t have control over and
also, which you can’t really
they don’t have. This is where I
can help. At some level we are
giving them something new,
making a slight difference
in their lives.”
Sonal Makarand Kokate from
Pune describe herself as a
fly on the wall that simply
observes. Not too vocal in
large social gatherings, she
is good with one to one
conversation. A linguist with a
Bachelor in German, Masters
in French, Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism
and a Diploma in Screenplay Writing from FTII,
Pune, Sonal is quite humble in revealing her
credentials to others.
At twenty-six, she may appear fragile at a first
glance but having gone through many struggles
after her parents death at an early age, Sonal is
tenacious and has the strength to pave a path for
herself.
She has worked as a door-to-door newspaper
campaigner, customer sales associate in men’s
dept., instructional designer for an e-learning
company, editor and researcher in Ameya
Publications and Maharashtra Herald and senior
copy editor for the Times of India, Pune.
She was planning to pursue Masters in
Developmental Planning and Administration
when her education loan fell through. Her
friend Saurabh Arora, also a Program Officer,
Communications and Fund raising in SEEDS,
suggested her to try her hand at volunteering in
Leh. Sonal welcomed the idea.
Sonal wants to be a farmer one day, build a house
on a farm, raise livestock and grow crops. She
felt that it was also an opportunity
for her to learn about the building
technology that could help her later
in building her house on the farm.
This is her first venture in the
mountains. “ To be in such a
beautiful place and yet there are
so many hardships… living here
everyday and surviving is such a
struggle for people, I have realized
that now.”, says Sonal. She feels that
if people have to struggle every day
to live then they tend to become
bitter towards life but surprisingly it
is not the case here.
Her volunteering for Aranyavaak
as a trekking and a rock-climbing
instructor in Pune and for an NGO
Aakansha, as a summer program
coordinator for the underprivileged
kids has been a personal based
work, coordinating tasks mainly
with the manager. Here she feels
that there are different levels of work
and coordinating with so many
different things is quite difficult. It’s
a race against time…a race against
weather.
Sonal’s volunteering work in Leh
involved making and loading
blocks, maintaining site reports,
preparing daily progress reports,
maintaining stock registers and
payment of labour. The most
satisfying experience so far for Sonal
has been churning blocks in the
Rural Building Center, surrounded
by mountains and listening to
the melodious humming of the
labourers while at work.
In 2009, Sonal took a sabbatical from
work and even though she has been
working for past eight years, sitting
at home made her feel worthless.
In our society, ‘doing something’ is
relative in terms of ‘earning money’.
After coming to Leh and meeting
the SEEDS team, specially a fellow
volunteer Abhishek Kumar Tiwari,
SEEDS architect Kamal Chawla and
the project manager Rekha Shenoy,
she now feels that there are
many options which she can
pursue and it does not have
to be necessarily about
money or her career
leading somewhere.
According to Sonal,
‘Doing something
you like and deriving
satisfaction from it
is something I have
learnt from past ten
days in Leh’.
One of the people whom
she most admires is SEEDS
Master Mason Ramesh Bhai,
from Gujarat. She feels that ‘to
make a difference’ for her generation
comes from so many influences
but him being a conventional
person, married with four kids,
it is remarkable that he is doing
something which is very different.
Sonal also thinks highly of Rekha
Shenoy, Project Manager, SEEDS-
LEDeG Shelter Project, whom she
finds very patient with people and
likes the way she includes her team
in every possible way.
“I am not a very conventional person,
I don’t follow the rules and have
never felt money criterion
for anything. But in
everyday life you are
surrounded by people
who talk about
money all the time.
Meeting SEEDS
team and volunteers
like Kamal, Rekha
and Abhishek who
are working for
something more is
reaffirming and gives me
hope that its okay not to be
in the rat race.”
Sonal likes reading books, writing
poetry and loves editing. Her
favourite authors are Noam
Chomsky, Krishnamurthy, Joseph
Campbell, Murakami, Dostoevsky
and Milan Kundera. She enjoys
books that has strong father figure
theme. Harry Potter series is
something that she loves reading
again and again, Dumbledore being
her favourite character.
After the death of her father, her
husband Mack has been a constant
support in her life. According to her,
he is the rational logical one who
has given direction to her otherwise
vagabond life. Sonal is also proud of
the way she has raised her younger
brother Amod.
To work as a teacher in a govt. school
and learn sign language (for teaching
deaf and dumb people) are some of
the pursuits she wants to engage in
future. Sonal has now left for Pune
with a reaffirmation of faith that its
all right to chase ones dreams that
gives one happiness and satisfaction.
“I want to do all that I am scared of doing. That is how the feeling of fear will
no longer be there. Life is not about being afraid in making mistakes, it’s about
experiencing them.”
Abhishek Kumar Tiwari
“I started my work with SEEDS-LEDeG team with zero expectations. I tried my
hand in every work, even picked up stones and realized that even for a labourer,
it is not an easy job.”

“Volunteers should be flexible in their approach and work. As a volunteer, they

should take the initiative and be able to generate work for themselves.”
“This sector is unorganized but at the end of the day you feel you have done
something.”

Twenty-four year old Abhishek

Kumar Tiwari has a different take
on life and sees it with bare eyes
without wearing colored glasses.
His father worked for Coal India
in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh
and Abishek had a relatively
comfortable childhood. He
finished his Higher Secondary
studies from Delhi Public School,
Singrauli and pursued B Tech
in Biotechnology from Tanjore
Sastra University, Tamil Nadu.
Soon after his graduation, he got
a job with WIPRO on-campus
placement and started working
as a Project Engineer. He worked
for WIPRO in Bangalore for
eight months and Greater Noida,
UP as a Associate Supply Chain
Management Consultant for
eight months but did not enjoy
the work as much as he had
anticipated. After a while, it
became a monotonous routine for
him.
While still at WIPRO, Abhishek
took a no-pay leave in April
2010 and volunteered for Drishti
in Swaran Jayanti Swa Rozgar
Yojna. His work involved teaching
computers, public speaking
and personality development in
various villages around Mathura.
Although, he immensely liked
what he was doing, he felt
that the NGO sector was very
unorganized and unplanned.
In June 2010, he also got
associated with ‘Dream a
Dream’ NGO in Bangalore that
worked with underprivileged
kids, teaching life skills through
adventure sports and creative arts.
Working there, he was inspired
by Shalini Menon, an Adventure
Trekking Leader with ‘Dream
a Dream’. Finally, Abhishek left
WIPRO in July 2010, to pursue
his heart’s desire that at least gave
him satisfaction at the end of the
day.
A small yet significant incident
of his childhood changed his
perspective and way of looking
at the life. Abhishek’s father was
a farmer when he was still single.
After his marriage and joining
Coal India, he took Abishek to the
village once when he was barely
two months old. Due to some
personal reasons, Abhishek’s
father lost all ties with his side of
family and relatives. This left an
unfathomable impact on him. He
somehow misses ‘the connect’
with a part of his family and
perhaps that has led to his choice
for working at the grass root level
in the social sector.
Besides interacting with people
and traveling, Abhishek is fond
of reading. Some of his favourite
authors are George Orwell, Ayn
Rand and Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Abhishek came to Leh in
September with the hope to do
voluntary work with any NGO.
He started his journey from
the capital city, New Delhi and
somehow reached Leh-Ladakh via
Manali highway. After a strenuous
journey, for two days he survived
in Leh without much food. The
third day he reached LEDeG
office in Leh, met Rekha Shenoy,
SEEDS-LEDeG team leader and
got enrolled as volunteer for
SEEDS-LEDeG Shelter Project.
With SEEDS-LEDeG team,

Abhishek has worked on almost
everything he got his hands
on; maintaining the stock and
attendance register, making
Stabilized Compressed Earth
Blocks (SCEB), procuring and
supplying material for housing,
marking the sites for excavation
and labour coordination and
payment. The most challenging
task for Abishek was to
mobilize labourers and masons
early morning, to work at the
Rural building Center and on
construction sites in Leh and
around.
Abishek has a gifted ability to
communicate with people of
any level or cadre and that is
why he is a favourite amongst
SEEDS-LEDeG team and quite
popular with the field workers.
The early mornings at Yangpheel
guesthouse usually started with
chants of Abhishek, as our Team
Leader Rekha Shenoy would try
to wake him up.
Abishek learnt a lot during
his stay in Leh but felt that the
project was unorganized in
planning and setting up targets.
There was no work pressure
and the structural engineer
was also missing. The design
of the prototype is different
from the actual execution of
the design onsite. He felt that
prompt decision-making skills
are required while working on
projects like these that already
have time limit and many other
constraints.
For Abhishek, the whole
experience while working on
the project was to test his limits
and he realized that he was able
to achieve a lot more than he
thought was capable of. He also
enjoyed the fact that people
valued his decisions while at
work and he developed a fine
rapport with the beneficiaries too.
As a volunteer, Abhishek got
the opportunity to reassess his
strengths and weaknesses, make
new friends and carve a niche for
himself.
As aptly complemented by one
of the shelter project donors,
Mr. Munish Kaushik from Cord
shalabh
Aid, Abhishek served as the
backbone for SEEDS-LEDeG
Shelter Project. Abhishek has left
for home now, with new hopes,
aspirations and adventures that
await for him . . . on his journey
to experience life.
mittal
“ In any situation, any society has to move from water
scarcity to water security. The idea is not to be vulnerable
around water. One cannot stop melting glaciers and avert
disasters. The biggest challenge is to prepare communities to
deal with them.”
Thirty-four year old Shalabh Mittal came to Leh as a
volunteer in September and worked with Ladakh Arts and
Media Organisation (LAMO) as a consultant on resource
methodology on water, helping them in building their
perspective on water. In the span of twenty-three days, he
visited Leh town and villages around like Taru, Ego, Phyang
and Mattho. Shalabh Mittal is a freelance consultant, based
in Delhi and holds a Human Rights Law Diploma, NGO
Management Diploma and MBA in finance.
Email- shalabhmittals@gmail.com
 Jayanti Gupta,
Volunteer “I had a different perspective of how NGOs work. Working here for five days, I have realized
how organized and professional they can be.”

Twenty three year old Jayanti Gupta from Delhi is unlike other youngsters
who only believe in enjoying fast pace metro life, working in the corporate
sector and buying tech-savvy gadgets. Belonging to a traditional Marwari
family, she is quite different from her two siblings. For her parents, giving
donations define ‘social work’ but for her it a level of personal involvement.
A graduate in Bachelors of Commerce (Hons.) from Delhi University,
Jayanti is outgoing, loves to travel and constantly seeks adventure in her life
to break the usual monotony. She works in Standard Chartered Bank and
also pursuing CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) alongside.
When Jayanti watched the news of flash floods in Leh , she immediately
made up her mind to volunteer. As a teenager, she read a novel where
two young girls from California go to Puerto Rico and construct houses
on bamboo poles along with other
children in the rain forest. The story
remained with her and led her to a
fifteen day volunteering for SEEDS-
LEDeG project in Leh.
She googled ‘flash floods in Leh’,
found ‘SEEDS’ and contacted them
on her own initiative. Getting a
positive response from them, Jayanti
is now working in Leh in the Rural
Building Center, building blocks,
collecting daily updates from
SEEDS-LEDeG team members and
generating reports.
Clearing stones and digging the
foundation of Sonam Angchok’s site,
Shey
So far, Jayanti’s experience of
working with the NGOs has been
limited to fund raising. As a student
of management, she is impressed
with the SEEDS-LEDeG team leader
Rekha Shenoy, her way of working
and handling people and situation.
Volunteering started during early
college days for Jayanti, when she
used to read out to blind people. As
a part of Standard Chartered’s CSR
(corporate social responsibility)
initiative, she is also an HIV
champion.
Jayanti alongwith Sonam Angchuk’s
Spituk Angling Pang
dog on the site in Shey, Leh.
For her, its too early to talk about
her volunteering experience as she is
still in the process of acclimatizing
herself with the environment and
the designated work, she definitely
want to take time off from her work
every year and set aside few days for
volunteering. Jayanti came to Leh
with the dream of constructing at
least five shelters, I pray for her and
say ‘Amen’.
Tsering Dolker’s old house in Spituk Angling Pang. Due to the
vulnerable location, the affected families of Spituk Angling Pang
are now relocated in Palam Area. Twenty-four interim shelters
have been setup by the Ministry of Science and Technology. These
interim shelters are water retardant and fire retardant.
Twelve metal poles form a
base for a bamboo structure
of 16 X 16 ft area. A room of
12 x 16 ft and a 4 ft verandah,
insulated with puffed material
at the panels is the new home
for twenty-four socially
excluded flood affected
families of Spituk Angling
Pang that have been living in
relief camps at various places
since Aug 5.
They have now finally been
rehabilitated at the Egoo-
Phey Command (also known
as Palam) area. The twenty-
four interim shelters have
been setup by the Ministry
of Science and Technology.
These interim shelters are
water retardant and fire
retardant.
The families of Spituk
Angling Pang do not own
any agriculture land. They (wood) and quilted
are mainly daily wage mattresses.
labourers and belong to the
lower strata of society.
SEEDS-LEDeG team did
an assessment and found
out that their traditional
heating system has been
lost during the flash floods.
They provided these
families with bhukari’s, fuel
SEEDS-LEDeG Team constructed
fourteen core shelters and all the
affected families were able move
in their new homes just before the
onset of winters.

SEEDS plan to resume its

reconstruction soon after the winter
months and more importantly
will provide training to local
construction workers on new
improved compressed earth blocks.
 Special thanks to

Rekha Shenoy
Kamal Chawla &
Suman Nag

for their inputs and help

to complete this photo-documentation