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| Tashi Angdu |
Tashi Angdu, 63, hails from a small hamlet called Markim in the village of Sani, located in Zanskar, Ladakh, India. Tashi is perhaps among the last remaining practitioners of the traditional art of making handmade paper in Zanskar, an ancient craft that has become a forgotten legacy. The artisans who practiced this craft were generically referred to as Spon.
It had been many years since Tashi stopped making handmade paper. In the past, he sourced a shrub known as Skichu which he also called Shoogoo rtsa (paper grass) from valleys across Zanskar. This plant, which had a small stem visible on the surface but a remarkably long root underground, was carefully harvested and transported back to the village on donkeys. Once in the village, Tashi separated the roots and peeled away the black outer layer to reveal a white interior with a yellow core. The yellow part was discarded as it had no use. The remaining white portion was cut into thin slices, tied into small bundles, and placed into a zem—traditional decanters used for brewing the local wine, Chang. Inside the zem, the roots were combined with fermented barley, known as bangma, in quantities that usually filled half of the zem. This mixture was left to ferment for four to five days until the roots had sufficiently decomposed. Once ready, the roots were removed and thrashed on a stone using a wooden tool. Tashi would then transfer the resulting pulp to a churner called dongbey or gurgur—traditionally used to churn butter tea in Ladakh. Here, the pulp was mixed with water and churned to achieve a uniform consistency. A wooden frame covered with cloth was then prepared, sized according to the desired dimensions of the paper.
The next step took place outdoors, near a watercourse in open meadows or grasslands. Tashi set up a small artificial pool by arranging stones to form a makeshift enclosure. The wooden frame with the cloth was submerged in this pool, and the root pulp was poured onto the frame from the gurgur, spreading it evenly with the help of the water below. Once the pulp was evenly distributed, the frame was carefully lifted, and the layer of pulp was left to dry. After a few hours, when the pulp had dried, it was peeled off the cloth, and the handmade paper was ready.
The ideal time for paper-making is during the spring season when the shrubs are fresh and full of moisture and natural lubricants, making them easier to work with. In winter, when every thing freezes, it is challenging to ferment the roots, prepare the pulp, and spread it for drying, while in the hot summer months, the leaves become too dry and do not dissolve properly, affecting the quality of the pulp.
Tashi was around 25 years old when his Gergan (teacher) from Bardan Gompa, Lama Nawang Tashi from the Shagar family, first taught him the art of paper-making. Lama Nawang Tashi was an accomplished scholar who had assisted the previous venerable Stakna Rinpoche with academic projects and had spent many years at Gompa Soma in Leh. Meme Nawang Tashi had himself learned the craft of paper-making from the monks in Zanskar. In those days, people purchased paper primarily for religious scriptures. Monks in Zanskar, particularly those from Stongdey and Dzongkhul monasteries, were renowned for producing the finest paper in all of Ladakh. Tashi initially traveled with his Gergan for three years, learning and practicing the craft. However, he left the work after his marriage. Twenty years later, when his children had grown up, Meme Nawang Tashi urged him to resume the art, fearing it would vanish if not preserved. This prompted Tashi to travel again and continue practicing the craft.
When Tashi was practicing paper-making, the popular exchnage rate was about four Nyaks (one Nyak being slightly more than half a kilogram) of butter for each sheet of paper. Each sheet was later divided by the buyer into four to five smaller sheets, which were used for writing religious scriptures. Tashi noted that, in the past, paper-making was a common practice in Zanskar, and both laymen and monks, especially when assigned to family rituals, would often prepare it themselves.
Back in Tashi’s youth, life in Zanskar was extremely challenging. The extreme cold limited the availability of grazing grounds, which in turn restricted the number of livestock that could be raised. Farmers had to prepare their fields despite the cold and the underlying snow. To do so, they spread fresh soil over the snow to help it melt or, occasionally, sprinkled kokthal (ash), which produced quicker results but was less effective in the long term. These hardships compelled many to seek alternate livelihoods, making trade routes with Changthang and Paddar essential to supplement what was lacking in Zanskar.
Tashi’s family, sourced salt from the Changpa traders who visited Markim from Changthang, traveling via the Lingti side in Himachal rather than the more popular Zunglam route through Charcharla. The traders camped in the open and, as tradition dictated, maintained dzago (friend) families in Zanskar, giving them preference when trading salt. On their first night, they would slaughter a sheep and share it with their dzago families. Tashi's family had two Changpa nomads as dzagos: Tonyot and Mutup, who visited them around the ninth month of the Ladakhi calendar. This timing coincided with the end of the Zanskaris’ harvest, when they had surplus barley to trade for salt. Tashi’s family bought salt from them every year. The Changpa nomads were tough businessmen. While their lugals (bags) of salt were only half full, they ensured that the barley they received in exchange in the empty lugals were packed tightly to the brim, maximizing the amount of grain they obtained.
Like many of his generation in Zanskar, Tashi traveled to Paddar in Himachal Pradesh for trade. He took the popular Omasila route, carrying salt, barley, and peas to Paddar and bringing back bal (wool), tse tse (a traditional grain), rangsee (honey), lashee, and raluk (sheep and goats). At times, the journey to Paddar took just one day, while the return journey took three days. The difference in travel time was because Tashi traveled to Paddar with only cash and no other baggage. Additionally, the path to Paddar from Omasila was sloped and easy to traverse compared to the steep ascent on the return. On his way back, Tashi carried items like khem (wooden shovels) and raluk. He bought a khem for Rs. 50 and sold it for Rs. 200 in Zanskar.
While most interviews in Zanskar focused on Zanskari traders traveling to Paddar, Tashi recalled traders from Paddar visiting Zanskar. These traders comprised two groups. The first group included the minority Buddhists from Paddar, some of whom had relatives in Zanskar. Tashi noted that during his youth, there were only about 80 Buddhist families in Paddar. While these traders brought items such as bal (wool), shing (wood), and khem (wooden shovels), the most popular item they carried was La-shee—a stick widely used as a source of light in Zanskar before the advent of electricity and kerosene. La-shee, which secretes a natural oil, was burned as a thick incense to provide illumination in darkness. The Paddar traders transported La-shee on sheep or goats, similar to how Changpa nomads carried salt to Zanskar. Even after kerosene became available, La-shee remained popular due to its affordability and accessibility. Paddar families often used these visits to seek matrimonial alliances for their children.
The second group of traders comprised the majority population of Paddar, referred to as Mons by the Zanskaris. They carried similar items, such as La-shee, bal, shing, and khem. Relations between Zanskaris and both the Mons and Buddhist traders were friendly. According to Tashi, these traders continued visiting Zanskar until Ladakhi Losar. The trade between Zanskar and Paddar was once a lifeline for the people of Zanskar. However, with the construction of roads and easier access to essential goods, this tradition ceased 30 years ago. Today, no regular trade takes place between Zanskar and Paddar.
Other traders included those from Sham, who brought chuli, phating and stharga. Balti traders, brought the much sought-after das-chak (broken rice). Rice was a prized commodity, often exchanged at high rates, requiring four to five times the quantity of barley for an equal amount of rice. This rice was used to prepare Das Thuk, a rare delicacy during those days.
The process of making handmade paper in Zanskar remains extremely labor-intensive. Over the years, all the elders who practiced this craft have passed away. Those like Tashi, who still possess the knowledge and skills, see little incentive to continue the tradition. The younger generation has shown no interest in preserving this art, as it is no longer considered lucrative.
The author would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to Lobzang Wangtak from Stongdey village, Zanskar and Saravana Kumar @ India in Motion for facilitating the visit to Markim.
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