The Bereft Lands of Ladakh

Ladakh, despite being located on lands visibly impacted by Indo-Pakistan wars in the politically tenuous union territory in the Himalayas, boasts a tourism industry that stands at odds with its ecosystem. Over 200,000 people visited in June and July 2026 alone. The region’s ecological balance has been further disrupted by power projects funded by public-private partnerships, mining and highway expansions promising access to remote areas in the mountains, strategically embedded with the rhetoric of sustainability and environmental conservation. Now the Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO), a public charitable trust housed in two historic buildings, is also home to Delhi-based Raqs Media Collective’s first solo exhibition in India in over ten years.