For a long time, I have been a solitary campaigner, tirelessly advocating for the recognition of Ladakhi as a state or regional language—a status it held since the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir State Constitution in 1957, alongside Balti, another prominent language of the region. This continued until the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir in 2019. Regrettably, both Ladakhi and Balti have now been relegated to the status of native languages following the enactment of the Ladakh Official Language Regulation, 2025, which granted official language status instead to English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti, and Purgi.

It is important to highlight that Ladakhi and Balti have historically played a vital role in fostering a rich literary and cultural environment in the region. In particular, the Ladakhi language has seen the publication of a wide range of works—anthologies, poems, plays, essays, fiction, novels, and historical writings. Ladakhi has long been the primary language used in both spoken and written forms across households. Even today, FM radio broadcasts Ladakhi songs, commonly referred to as Ladakh-se lu-yangs, and hourly Ladakhi news bulletins continue to air on Akashvani Leh and Doordarshan Leh. A vast corpus of folk literature also exists in the Ladakhi language, including folk songs and tales. Notably, epics like Gyalam Gesar and many narratives drawn from the Jatakas—the stories of Lord Buddha’s previous lives—form an integral part of Ladakhi literary heritage.

Recognizing Ladakhi as a vibrant and rich language, the then Government of Jammu and Kashmir established a branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages in Ladakh in 1970. This move mirrored the setup of sub-offices in the twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar. Since its inception, the Academy has actively supported the publication and circulation of literary journals, anthologies, and books. By the time the Union Territory of Ladakh was formed, hundreds of titles had been published—both by the Academy and by individual Ladakhi writers. Within a relatively short period, several contributors to modern Ladakhi literature were honored with state literary awards by the J&K Academy. A milestone in this journey was the first-ever All-Ladakhi Language Writers’ Conference, held in 1982 at Tagore Hall in Srinagar, which saw the participation of over a hundred Ladakhi writers and cultural workers.

Recognizing the rich potential of Ladakhi language and literature, the Sahitya Akademi—India’s National Academy of Letters—also stepped forward to support it. Several Ladakhi writers were honoured with the prestigious Bhasha Samman, acknowledging their contributions to the growth of the language. Additionally, the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, undertook extensive socio-linguistic studies on Ladakhi for decades, engaging local writers and scholars in the process. This brief overview reflects the strong literary tradition and academic interest in the Ladakhi language that continued until the enactment of the new Official Language Regulation for the Union Territory of Ladakh in 2025.

In this context, I would like to highlight my own contributions toward the development of the Ladakhi language into a recognized and respected state and national-level language. I began my journey as a Research Assistant (Ladakhi) at the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages and went on to serve as Assistant Editor, Editor (Ladakhi), and ultimately as Chief Editor (Ladakhi), dedicating thirty-three years to literary service beginning in 1975. During this time, through consistent effort and advocacy, I was able to persuade then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi—during a public address in 1989 alongside J&K Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah—to announce that Ladakhi would be introduced as a compulsory subject up to the 5th standard. A year earlier, in 1988, the Sahitya Akademi had already agreed in principle to grant Indian language status to Ladakhi and subsequently nominated Ladakhi writers to its General Council. For a more detailed account of these efforts, I encourage readers to refer to my autobiography, Autobiography of a Ladakhi, published by the Centre for Research on Ladakh.

Under such circumstances, the Ladakhi language and identity—which I, along with a few dedicated writers and scholars, nurtured over the decades—was well on its way to meeting all the fundamental criteria for inclusion in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Drawing inspiration from the recognition granted to Dogri and Kashmiri—two regional languages of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, to which Ladakh belonged for over seventy years—we worked tirelessly to elevate Ladakhi to a similar status. However, the effort was ultimately undermined by internal divisions and shortsighted politics among certain Ladakhi writers. Instead of uniting behind the legitimate and historically rooted name Ladakhi, some began promoting the term Bhoti, a vague and linguistically ambiguous label with no formal recognition. This diversion diluted the movement and weakened our case. Had we rallied behind the authentic name without prejudice or confusion, Ladakhi could very well have achieved recognition as a state language and possibly been included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

In this context, it is worth mentioning that a significant day-long seminar was held on July 22, 2023, at the historic Mausoleum of rGyalbibi in Karchey Khar, organized by the Purigi Cultural and Literary Society, Kargil. The event saw active participation from a wide cross-section of society, including BDC Barsoo, Councillor Barsoo, Councillor Thusgam, along with numerous writers, poets, sarpanches, and panches from across Kargil. Prominent literary figures such as Kacho Isfynder Khan and senior bureaucrat Imtiaz Kacho were also in attendance. The seminar was held under the chairmanship of Feroz Khan, the then Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. In his presidential address, Feroz Khan strongly advocated for "developing a consensus on adopting Ladakhi as the state language," echoing the suggestions made by scholars from Leh like Nawang Tsering Shakspo and Khenpo Konchok Phandey.

Unfortunately, over time, our collective efforts to establish Ladakhi as the state language lost momentum, as proponents of the term "Bhoti" succeeded in influencing key political and religious institutions. Leaders of the BJP Ladakh unit, along with organizations such as the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), Ladakh Gonpa Association (LGA), and numerous literary bodies and individuals, were swayed by the Bhoti campaign. Further support came from the then Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brig. B.D. Mishra, who had previously served as the Lt. Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and was seemingly influenced by the longstanding demand for Bhoti language recognition by Himalayan Buddhist communities outside Ladakh. Aligning with that perspective, he backed the initiative of BJP’s former Lok Sabha MP, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who introduced a private member’s bill in Parliament seeking the inclusion of Bhoti in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Despite these developments, I did not abandon my struggle. Taking the legal route, I filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. In the petition, I challenged the unilateral decision of the LAHDC and relevant government departments to rename school textbooks—originally titled Tibetan Reader, Pot-Yig, or Ladakhi Reader—as Bhoti Textbooks. In a significant development, the Chief Justice acknowledged the merit of my plea and issued a show-cause notice to LAHDC Leh, directing them to justify the name change within one month.

Maybe the LAHDC, Leh, responded to the court notice but I was not granted a chance to show my position in reference to the LAHDC, Leh. The Chief Justice later issued a letter to me on 07.03-2025 stating that the petition (application) does not warrant to be registered as Public Interest Litigation.

Following that dramatic turn of events, the President of India, through an official notification, granted state language status to Bhoti and Purgi, effectively replacing Ladakhi and Balti. Ironically, the original demand by the campaigners was for Bhoti to be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, but it was ultimately accorded only a district-level language status. In many ways, the outcome was akin to the proverbial saying: "Khoda pahad, nikla chuha"—a mountain was dug, only to yield a mouse.

What was even more telling was the complete absence of celebration across Ladakh. There were no signs of jubilation, no spontaneous public joy. That silence, more than anything else, speaks volumes and leaves one with much to reflect upon—and much to question.
                                                                                                                
The author Nawang Tsering Shakspo is the Director of the Centre for Research on Ladakh, Leh. He can be reached at: sntsering52@gmail.com