How it started

DANGKHAR, IN THE REMOTE SPITI VALLEY IN THE WESTERN INDIAN HIMALAYAS, IS DRA- MATIC, EVEN FROM A DIS- TANCE. SITUATED ON A SPUR OVERLOOKING THE CON- FLUENCE OF THE SPITI AND ITS LARGEST TRIBUTARY, THE PIN, THE ENERGY OF THE MONASTERY IS PALPABLE. IN THE DOZEN YEARS AND NUMEROUS VISITS SINCE MY FIRST OUTING, I HAVE BEEN WITNESS TO ITS SLOW BUT SURE DETERIORATION. AN AFFINITY TO THE PLACE AND AN EXCELLENT RAPPORT WITH THE VILLAGE AND MONASTIC FRATERNITY WAS A NATURAL OUTCOME OF THESE TRIPS. IN 2006-07 DANGKHAR WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE WORLD MONUMENTS FUND, NEW YORK, AS ONE OF THE HUN- DRED MOST ENDANGERED HISTORICAL SITES IN THE WORLD. ROYALTIES FROM MY BOOK, “SPITI THROUGH LEGEND AND LORE” WERE PLEDGED TO THE PROJECT. PROCEEDS FROM MY PICTURE SALES WERE CON- TRIBUTED TO IT. A FEW DONATIONS CAME IN TOO. POSTERS WERE MADE AND PUT UP ALL OVER THE VALLEY, ALONG WITH DO- NATION BOXES. IN OCTOBER 2007 I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM ONE MARKUS WEISSKOPF, A SWISS BUSINESS ENTREPRE- NEUR AND PHILANTHROPIST. ON HIS FIRST TRIP TO SPITI EARLIER THAT MONTH, HE HAD SEEN THE POSTERS AND PICKED UP A COPY OF MY BOOK. MY REPLY TO HIM WAS SIMPLE. HELP COULD BE OF TWO KINDS – EITHER BY WAY OF EXPERTISE OR BY WAY OF MONEY. BOTH WERE EQUAL- LY WELCOME. MARKUS WROTE BACK TO SAY THAT HE WAS WILLING TO FINANCIALLY SUP- PORT THE ENTIRE PROJECT. WORK FINALLY BEGAN IN EARNEST IN JUNE 2010 WHEN A TEAM OF EXPERTS FROM TU–GRAZ, AUSTRIA, ALSO COMMISSIONED AND FIN- ANCED BY MARKUS, CAME TO DANGKHAR AND CAR- RIED OUT A FIRST STUDY. IN THE MEANTIME THEIR SECOND STUDY HAS BEEN COMPLETED. NEXT YEAR WE HOPE TO BEGIN WITH THE ACTUAL “BRICK-AND- MORTAR” WORK. CON- FERRING GEOSTABILITY TO THE STRUCTURE IS GOING TO BE AS IMPORTANT IS STRENGTHENING THE STRUCTURE ITSELF. ONCE THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED, IT’S THANGKAS, WALL PAINT- INGS, AND RITUAL OBJECTS WILL BE ATTENDED TO. THE ENTIRE WORK MIGHT TAKE 6 OR 7 YEARS, MAYBE EVEN MORE, GIVEN THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK MORE THAN 5 MONTHS A YEAR IN SPITI BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF ITS WINTER. BUT MARKUS IS WILLING TO WAIT. AS ARE WE. Kishore Thukral
Addendum, as of April 2012
WHAT NEXT IN DANKHAR? I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO’S WAITING; ACTUALLY I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS. REPEATEDLY I’VE MET WITH INCREDIBLE IGNORANCE ON THE PART OF THE MONASTIC COMMUNITY; THEN AGAIN I’M CONFRONTED WITH THE INTRICACIES OF THE INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM, BUT THE LARGEST STUMBLING BLOCK IS CORRUPTION … NOTABLY WHEN I’M TRYING TO OBTAIN REASONABLE LOCAL OFFERS. BUT, IF I HAVE TO LINE THE POCKETS OF SOME DUMB LOCAL BONEHEAD EACH TIME I WANT SOMETHING, WE’LL BE WAITING FOR YEARS.
Markus Weisskopf