India's Himalayan villages slowly reviving decades after conflict

"Nestled in the Johar Valley and surrounded by Himalayan peaks, the most notable being Nanda Devi, once considered the tallest mountain in the world, this village had traded sugar, lentils, spices, and cloth for salt and wool with Tibetans across the border. The nomadic inhabitants of several villages spent the winter months in the plains gathering goods to be traded with Tibetans in the summer."

"Kishan Singh, 77, was 14 when he left with his family to settle in the lower village of Thal. He still returns to Martoli every summer to till the land and cultivate buckwheat, strawberries, and black cumin. His ancestral home has no roof, so he sleeps in a neighbour's abandoned house during the six months he spends in this village. I enjoy being in the mountains and the land here is very fertile, he says."

"The largest of the Johar Valley villages had about 1,500 people at its peak in the early 1960s. Martoli had about 500 residents then, while some of the dozen or so other villages had 10 to 15 homes each. Now, only three or four people return to Martoli each summer. A few villagers are returning in summer to the nearby villages of Laspa, Ghanghar, and Rilkot,"

Martoli in Uttarakhand now contains dozens of dilapidated stone buildings after decline following the 1962 border closure. Nestled in the Johar Valley near Nanda Devi, the village historically traded sugar, lentils, spices and cloth with Tibetans for salt and wool. Nomadic inhabitants spent winters in the plains gathering goods for summer trade. The sealed border after the 1962 India-China conflict disrupted high-village life and removed incentives to return. A handful of former residents now return each summer to till fertile land, cultivate buckwheat, strawberries and black cumin, and transport modest harvests by mule. Improved vehicle access has encouraged limited summer returns to nearby villages and a new guesthouse serves passing trekkers.

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