In the aftermath of the 1962 India-China War, 30 families from Tibet migrated to Ladakh and settled in the village of Dungti to form among the very first Tibetan Refugee (TR) villages in India. Located in the picturesque Changthang region of Ladakh on the Nyoma-Demchok circuit, Dungti lies perilously close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Residents here are predominantly herders of the Pashmina goat and their primary source of livelihood comes from selling the fine Pashmina wool that comes from it. Despite playing a pivotal role in bordering India’s borders for decades, this settlement has lived in complete darkness since 1962 with no access to basic electricity.
All of this changed on the night of 4 February 2021, when a team of four Ladakhi engineers working with the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) brought light to this village by harnessing the power of solar energy. For the first time in nearly 60 years, this village experienced what many of us city folk take for…