Opinion | Indian Army’s Initiatives for Women’s Empowerment in Eastern Ladakh

By empowering the women of Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is not only defending the land but also the country’s soul. Within that defence lies a new vision of patriotism, one that raises, includes, and heals.

The women of Eastern Ladakh are living examples of toughness, grace, and relentless spirit, a peculiar blend of fragility and strength shaped not just by gender but also by geography, geopolitics, and history. Situated on the peaks ranging from 14,000 to 18,000 feet, their lives unfold against a scenery that few on earth have ever seen. Their daily reality is defined by freezing temperatures of -30°C, oxygen-starved air, and huge, treeless landscapes. Unlike their counterparts in Kargil, who live in reasonably arable valleys, the women of Eastern Ladakh reside in one of the world’s most challenging populated areas.

They are not only caregivers and homemakers, but also Changpa tribal shepherds, managing livestock, including Pashmina goats, across freezing plains and spinning the world’s finest wool, all while raising children, caring for the elderly, and preserving their cultural identities. Their resilience is being tested by a triple burden that has rarely been faced collectively, ie, climate change, border tension, and gender inequity. Glacial retreat and irregular snowfall have threatened their water supply and pastoral cycles. The very territory they walk on is a geopolitically sensitive area; these women live within the firing range of two nuclear neighbours, China and Pakistan. The 2020 Galwan Valley clash brought this bleak reality into their courtyards, upsetting livelihoods and displacing families.

In the midst of this militaristic fragility, gender inequity persists. While Buddhism initially granted Ladakhi women some degree of autonomy, industrialisation has introduced new inequities, from decreased educational access to expanding consumerist patriarchy. Many forward villages, like Demchok, Chumur, and Nyoma, are cut off from the rest of the country for months at a time. They lack mobile networks, internet access, and motorable roads. Expectant mothers in labor frequently ride ponies or army trucks for more than 100s of kilometres to reach the nearest health facility. In regions like Durbuk and Korzok, girls’ school attendance is shockingly low. The Union Territory’s efforts to construct “Nomadic Hostels” are a start. Still, they fall far short of addressing the systemic exclusions experienced by young girls whose days are divided between classes and the duties of herding animals across windswept plateaus.

Despite this stark backdrop of extremes, a subtle but revolutionary force has taken root. The Indian Army, traditionally viewed as border protectors, has quietly reinterpreted its role as a provider of hope and dignity to indigenous women in Eastern Ladakh. Through Operation Sadbhavana efforts, the Army has established women’s empowerment centres, provided essential elementary education in some of the world’s most remote areas, and provided critical healthcare support in regions where civilian organisations are hesitant to operate. Their outreach extends beyond humanitarian help to include enabling agency.

One of the most transformative relationships has been with Looms of Ladakh, a local women-led firm that receives logistical and strategic support from the Indian army. They have worked together to empower war widows and female craftsmen, revitalising indigenous crafts, establishing market links, and ensuring long-term livelihoods. These women, who were once at the mercy of climate change and conflict, now find meaning and pleasure in their craft, weaving not just wool but also the threads of self-reliance. The Army’s ‘SHE’ initiative (Strengthen Her Empowerment) takes a step further by providing vocational training, health awareness courses, and business assistance to women in the border regions. In locations where aspirations once struggled to survive the cold, a new generation of women is learning to dream and, more crucially, to achieve those desires.

Even culture plays a role in this revival. The Ladakh International Music Festival, co-organised with the Indian Army, has provided indigenous female artists with a platform to perform, be celebrated, and contribute to the broader narrative of Indian identity and cultural richness. By combining cultural pride with economic opportunity, the Army has created spaces of belonging where there was previously only solitude. However, the most compelling evidence of the Army’s impact can be found in individuals rather than policy documents or programs. Women like Nawang, a war widow turned entrepreneur, who rebuilt her life through an Army-sponsored weaving cooperative or Lieutenant Rekha, a Veer Nari who, after losing her husband in the Galwan standoff, joined the Army herself, carrying on not only a service legacy, but also altering the narrative of what it means to survive grief. In a region where women dwell on the outskirts of maps and memory, the Indian Army has stepped in not only to safeguard territory but also to facilitate reform. Their initiatives are not token gestures, but significant investments in the core of the country, that is, its women.

The Army’s presence in Eastern Ladakh reveals a deeper tale about India, one in which defence and development go hand in hand, national security incorporates social security, and the empowerment of a lady herding goats at 17,000 feet is viewed as vital to the concept of India. These women are no longer merely survivors of their surroundings; they are becoming architects of their future, and the Indian Army, which is often overlooked in this role, remains their staunchest supporter on the world’s rooftop.

In Eastern Ladakh, where life sways between cold and silence, the Indian Army has emerged not only as a barrier to external dangers but also as a bridge to dignity, agency, and empowerment for women living on the outskirts of society. Recognising the unique convergence of obstacles these women face, ranging from temperature extremes and proximity to war to cultural isolation and economic invisibility, the Army has created a genuinely human and profoundly transformative engagement paradigm. What distinguishes these efforts is not merely their influence on infrastructure or livelihood, but also the intangible transformation they have induced in the hearts and minds of women.

A young girl in Korzok can now envision a future beyond the herd; a widow in Demchok can stand proudly with her loom, earning a living with pride; and an artist in Durbuk can sing to the world, accompanied by the tricolour. These aren’t isolated victories; they’re the foundation of a stronger, more inclusive India.

By empowering the women of Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is not only defending the land but also the country’s soul. Within that defence lies a new vision of patriotism, one that raises, includes, and heals.

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