About 400 students from Ladakh studying in various colleges and universities attended the seminar.

A mosaic of gathering comprising of students from Ladakh and various other students associations were enthralled by distinguished speakers, including Professor P. Stobdan, scholar and former ambassador, Tsewang Tharchin, IAS Officer , Stanzin Dawa, Director Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Chandigarh and Prof. Kushal Pal Shante, Dean, Govt Post Graduate College for Girls, sector 42, Chandigarh.

While devolving on the issue of what lies forward for Ladakh in the 21st Century, Professor P.Stobdan stated that Ladakh can’t exit as a community which believes in begging for more funds and grants: the time has come for Ladakhis to produce something and sell the same to the entire world. For this, rather than becoming a part of the service sector like doctors and engineers, he advised the students to venture into manufacturing and stated that Ladakh is geographically unique and can produce a variety of products which can find a ready market at the national and international level. He further stated that for this, Ladakh needs a visionary leader who, rather than begging for more grants and subsidies from the state and centre, can transform Ladakh into a producing community, rather than a consuming one.

Shante while agreeing with P Stobdan stated that Ladakhi students are among the most adaptive and quick learners and can do anything under the sun, given some guidance. He stated that Ladakh’s uniqueness in terms of geography and culture needs to be strengthened and made use of so that they become selling points for its economic prosperity. Given its uniqueness, he said it is time that people from other places come to Ladakh to learn rather than Ladakhis having to come out in hordes to places like Chandigarh.

Speaking on the occasion, Stanzin Dawa said that there is no doubt in his mind that students have the ability to achieve whatever they aspire to achieve, but has a doubt about whether they are ready to work hard for this. He stated that students from Ladakh are intrinsically quick in learning and more sociable but are often bogged down due to lack of confidence.

Tsewang Tharchin spoke about the ingredients of success and stated that often Ladakhis think that they are not successful because they are not rich or have not studied in a good school or do not live in a city. He said that these are just supporting conditions for success but are neither necessary nor sufficient for success. Hard work, he said, is both a necessary and sufficient condition. Stressing this point further he said that the ability to work hard can neither be inherited nor bought with huge money nor taught in a good school, but is a unique quality which everyone has, but only a few fortunate people use it. In fact, he said that good schools, huge money may even prove counterproductive for success as often money leads people into drugs and other crimes.

 Phuntsog Stobgyal, President, LSA briefed the gathering about various activities undertaken under the aegis of the LSA for the welfare of the students from Ladakh in Chandigarh. Apart from these annual meets, activities like get-together and spiritual preaching were undertaken by the LSA in the year 2014-15.

The vote of thanks was presented by student scholar Morup Dorjay. While thanking the speakers and executives, he hoped that the LSA has done a commendable job by organising a seminar this year and hoped that this will become an annual affair.

PHOTO CAPTION: L-R: Eminent speakers IAS Officer, Tharchin, Professor P. Stobdan, scholar and former ambassador, Stanzin Dawa, Director and  Prof. Kushal Pal Shante, Dean