Can winds whisper songs of the farthest of lands, the Himalayas? At the Travancore Palace in Delhi, they took a different turn—they blew towards the Eastern and Western Himalayas. We were standing in the middle of a giant hallway where AI-enabled projections on the walls painted Himalayan heritage — animated snow-clad mountains, elusive snow leopards, monkeys, red pandas, and yak along with collages of flora and artefacts. The evocative presentation was ‘Where the Wind Tastes of Forgotten Songs,’ a project by art-tech pioneer Raghava KK that portrayed the delicate balance of life and beauty that Himalayan ecosystems sustain and that could be lost.
The presentation was part of the ‘Journeying Across The Himalayas’ festival organised by the Royal Enfield Social Mission. It brought together 50 communities from the Himalayan region and over 200 creative practitioners to celebrate the spirit of the Himalayas and its people. On view was quite a creative range from a 360 VR film on the rare species of snow leopard, a presentation on the evolution of ice hockey in Ladakh, textiles of Himalayan states, hand-painted helmets professing the message of safe riding on roads, works on accessible technology, to live music by artistes like Alif, Bipul Chhetri, Lou Majaw, Ao Naga Choir, Parvaaz, amongst others.
Eye on sustainability
Sustainability was the cornerstone of many presentations. For instance, the project ‘The Long Road’ curated by Vishal K Dar journeyed visitors across the green pitstops (tourist facilities) of camp Kharu in Ladakh and Babeli in Himachal Pradesh. Another captivating helmet-shaped installation made of Mycelium — a type of fungi showcased how fungi can be used in packaging, building construction, and textile creation as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic.
Intangible heritage
The festival also espoused conserving local lifestyles. The presentation, ‘The Shape of the Wind is a Tree’ by FICA (Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art), for example, produced photographic documentation of places and indigenous communities by 10 emerging artists from Himalayan region. Ladakh-born Tsering Motup Siddho’s documentation of the Ladakhi kitchen showed its transformation from a space of gathering to one succumbing to consumerist trends.
Artist Milo Ankha from the Apatani community of Arunachal Pradesh captured images of totems which were part of the cultural practices of her clan and symbolised ancestral connections. Further, a micro screening room presented a short film on Bhand Pather, a Kashmiri folk theatre tradition by Shikargah Collective. It presented this satirical local theatre — that talks about the coexistence of man, nature, and animals — as a living tradition.
Textiles, artefacts
The festival also celebrated textile traditions of Himalayan states. Curator Ikshit Pande talked about the fabrics on display: “Himachal Pradesh’s Tsug-gdan rugs narrate tales of Tibetan artistry with dragons and snow lions symbolising protection and power. Kashmir’s Namda felted carpets recall the pastoral stories of Himalayan shepherds. Uttarakhand’s Loi shawls reflect the enduring tradition of hospitality.
Assam’s Dokhona symbolizes Bodo women’s connections to the natural world and their community. Manipur’s Zingtai Kashan and Raivat Kachon from the Tangkhul tribe recount stories of blessings, love and honour.” On display was also a recreation of Nagaland’s Nehmok Phaloi waistcoat, Sikkim’s nettle-crafted Dum-Praa (men’s outerwear) and documentation of Tripura’s Risha, a narrow textile worn around the chest by women. The artefacts included Jaapi (conical bamboo hats) and Majuli face masks from Assam and hand-woven baskets from Ladakh’s Nubra Valley.
Ode to rare species
The Himalayas are home to the snow leopard. Bobbee Singh of Old Delhi Motorcycles along with Delhi-based painter Rakesh Kumar conceptualised a bike imitating snow leopard. “The rear of the bike is designed like its tail. The artworks on the bike resemble the valleys, cave art and mountains—its natural habitat. The hand rest has prayer wheels. The snow leopard is elusive and so instead of painting it on the front, it’s painted in the interiors of the bike,” he shared on the note that one should leave low carbon footprint for such species to survive in the wild.