In the high-altitude landscapes of Ladakh, connection and isolation exist in a delicate balance. The word Julley - a simple yet profound greeting, encapsulates the warmth of a place where survival is shaped by its community, yet where vast distances, political tensions, and infrastructural fragility create a pervasive sense of separation.
The images in this series document Ladakh’s expansive terrain and the subtle imprints of human presence - lone figures dwarfed by mountains, scattered homes resisting the elements, and military outposts as silent sentinels. These landscapes are not just aesthetic subjects; they are witnesses to historical and contemporary shifts that redefine Ladakh’s autonomy, cultural identity, and relationship with the Indian state.
Since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, Ladakh has stood at a crossroads. While presented as an opportunity for growth, this abrupt shift stripped the region of its autonomous protections, opening the door to unchecked external development. Promises of progress have materialized in scattered infrastructures - solar-powered homes, new roads, and electrical grids, but many of these remain unfinished or fail to serve the people they were meant to empower. Instead, they act as symbols of displacement, built for an imagined future rather than for those who have preserved this land for centuries.
ཇུ་ལེ་ (Julley)
Military presence, a longstanding reality due to Ladakh’s strategic location near the China and Pakistan borders, has further altered the landscape. The roads, rivers, and plateaus serve both the local population and the soldiers stationed in an environment that demands resilience. While military infrastructure often ensures accessibility and economic activity, it also reinforces a sense of occupation, where Ladakhi concerns are overshadowed by national security narratives.
In contrast to the imposing presence of the military and state-led projects, the resilience of Ladakhi people is evident in smaller, quieter moments—a solitary shepherd leading his animals across an endless valley, a tent pitched by the Indus River, a home sustained by traditional knowledge in the face of shifting modernity. These fragments reflect both an enduring culture and the fragility of a region at risk of being reshaped by forces beyond its control.
The Julley Project is an attempt to document what remains, what is changing, and what might be lost. Through these images, Ladakh is not just a remote landscape, but a living, breathing space—one that speaks in whispers through the wind, the water, and the people who continue to greet each other with Julley.
