Pronounced Joo-Ley, this word Julley has been a very big and important part of my
life. A hi, hello, good evening or thank you, this word in the ancient language
of Bothi, still spoken in Ladakh, means much more than those few words that I
used to describe it.
You
know that after-glow when you return home from doing something for some people
other than yourself? That was just the beginning, because the glow has lasted
ever since.
In
September 2010, Leh saw a terrible cloudburst, bringing down mountain-fulls of
soil at the speed wind. Cars were crushed to soda cans, and houses looked like
piles of bricks, and the plight of the people...
As
this tragedy struck, monetary aid started flying in from all parts of the world
to help the people, monasteries, and monks. And that is when the concept of
Mission Julley was born. An initiative to help children in Leh, by providing
them with all the material as well as monetary aid we can give. We started to
spread word and ask for people willing to donate material aid like books, and
stationary.
Soon after, a few of us actually went to Leh, and were left speechless when we saw the smiles on the faces of the Ladakhis even after they had seen their houses, families and towns wiped down by the cloudburst. BEing amidst them made me feel gratitude towards every little thing I have, and all that I have been blessed to receive, like a family, home, education and much more.
But this isn’t where the story ends; it’s
where my relationship with Leh, and the word Julley begins…
This
experience left me with so many thoughts and new ideas that I knew, once this
wheel had started spinning, it wasn’t going to stop.
Recently,
when Mission Julley became the 17,000 Ft Foundation, I went to a remote village
in Ladakh called PunPun, where electricity was available for two hours at
night, and a telephone connection did not exist. This where the PunPun Village
School exists, and that’s where I set up a library and took on numerous
story-telling and creativity projects with the 30 children that make up the
school. With a Julley for almost every book we put in the library together, and
a Julley for every activity we did, it’s the Julley of humility, gratitude and
thanks that I miss.
Julley
to all the people in Ladakh with whom I have interacted, because it is these
interactions which has shaped me to become more humble and caring, more
responsive than I was and most of all, down to earth.
There’s
that glow which I spoke about previously, you know, which just illuminates my
face when I hear the word Julley, and makes me feel so glad to be who I am. Its
this word that constantly reminds me of myself, and what I should work towards,
to ‘be’, and to live.
Julley!
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| The PunPun Village, Ladakh, India |
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| Two village women come to the school to see what's happening |
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| The Head Teacher of the school |
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| Beautiful, surreal, beyond compare - Ladakh |
