Backstory 2024: Fighting for my breath in Ladakh

I thought I was well prepared.

A journey to the cold desert of Ladakh, especially the higher reaches of the Tibetan plateau, is a challenging one. But I was not going to Changthang for the first time. I had travelled there two years ago to meet Ladakh’s traditional Changpa nomads and map their decline.

So, in May, after spending a couple of days in Kargil and Leh, covering the Lok Sabha election, I set off from Leh, all pumped up to drive 170 km in a difficult mountainous region.

My destination was Pang valley – the proposed site of a sprawling 13-gigawatt renewable energy project. With me was a friend, who had travelled to Ladakh many times and had agreed to come along. What could go wrong?

To reach Pang, one has to cross the 17,000 feet high Tanglang La pass and enter the plains of Debring.

Two hours into our journey, my confidence began to waver.

As our car snaked through the curves of Rumtse village on the Leh-Manali highway, I thought we had taken the wrong road. During my 2022 trip, the treacherous pass had seemed just like any of the scores of mountains one navigates on the way to Ladakh or beyond. This time, I could hardly recognise the...

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