ABOUT US

Swayam Ram Thakur (ex-officio Chairperson) , 57, is presently holding the post of Additional Divisional Commisioner, Spiti. He is an officer of the Himachal Administrative Service, and apart from having served in various parts of Himachal Pradesh, he has also previously served in Kaza as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Spiti.

Gangling Khentrul Rinpoche (Vice Chairperson) , 85, was appointed Khanpo or Abbott of Dhangkar gompa by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1987. Originally belonging to the monastery at Gangling in Kham province of Tibet, Khentrul Rinpoche was a member of the Dalai Lama's bodyguard when he came to India from Tibet in 1959. Before being nominated Khanpo of Dhangkar, he taught for 25 years in schools run for the children of Tibetan refugees in Dalhousie (in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh) and Phunsoling (in the east Indian state of Orissa). The present Khentrul Rinpoche is the second reincarnation of the Abbott of Gangling monastery.

Kishore Thukral (Secretary) , 45, is a writer and photographer, and a keen mountain enthusiast. He has trekked extensively in the western Himalayas and has been a member of several mountaineering expeditions. It was while researching Spiti's legends and folktales for his book, “Spiti through Legend and Lore” that the idea of a comprehensive conservation programme for Dhangkar first occurred to him. His application to the World Monuments Fund was accepted, and Dhangkar was recognized as one of the hundred most endangered sites in the world for 2006-07. A graduate in History and Law, Thukral is a bilingual writer. He is also the author of a novel, a political satire titled “The Chronicler's Daughter”, published in 2002. In Hindi, he has written short stories and plays, several of them performed by mentally challenged children and young adults. Thukral resides in Delhi and is, by profession, an investment consultant.

Rev. T.K. Lochen Tulku Rinpoche , 45, is the Spiritual Director of Key gompa in Spiti. A renowned scholar and master of Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist Tantrayana, he is also a former member of the National Minorities Commission. Born in Shalkhar village of Kinnaur district in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, he runs monasteries in the western Indian Himalayas, and is revered by tens of thousands of disciples both in India and abroad. The present Lochen Tulku is the 19 th reincarnation of the Lotsawa Chhenpo or Great Translator, Rinchin Zangpo, who translated Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Tibetan in the 10 th -11 th centuries CE . Traditionally he also belongs to the Tashi Lhunpo monastery at Shigatse in Tibet, where he ranks second only to the Panchen Lama.

Sonam Angdui , 45, is the scion of the royal family of Spiti. Popularly known as Nono, he is a postgraduate in Sociology from the University of Delhi. He resides in Kaza and Kyuling. A senior officer in the Government, Nono is presently discharging the responsibilities of Child Development Project Officer, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Welfare Officer and In charge, Horticulture. He has also served at various times in the recent past as the Assistant Controller, Watershed Development Programme and Deputy Director, Education. Nono is the founder of STAG (Spiti Trans-Himalayan Action Group), an NGO presently engaged in setting up Improved Green Houses in various villages in Spiti in order to provide fresh and nutritious vegetables to the local community throughout the year. He is currently the President of the Spiti Seabuckthorn Society, and is also a member on the board of Muse, an NGO working with the local community on creating livelihoods linked to the conservation and development of the region (visit www.spitiecoshere.com )

Deepti Naval is an acclaimed actor, poet, painter and photographer. She was educated at the City University of New York and received her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at Hunter College in Manhattan. She made her acting debut in Hindi cinema in 1979, and has since acted in more than 70 films. Among these are Chashmebaddoor, Kamla, Mirch Masala, Ankahi, Main Zinda Hoon, Panchvati, and more recently, Leela and Freaky Chakra. She has also written and directed Thodasa Aasmaan, a TV serial about women, and produced a travel show called The Path Less Travelled. Her selection of poems in Hindi, Lamha-Lamha was published in 1983. She has also published a volume of English poems titled “The Black Wind”. As a painter and photographer she has several exhibitions to her credit and enjoys trekking in the remote mountains of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Deepti Naval also runs the Vinod Pandit Charitable Trust for the education of the girl child.

Ishita Khanna , 29, is a development professional and a founder member of Muse, an NGO founded in 2002 with the objective of developing alternate and sustainable livelihoods from available local resources (natural & cultural) and thereby linking local communities to their conservation. A postgraduate in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Ishita represents Muse on the Central Committee of the Dhangkar Initiative (visit www.spitiecosphere.com )

Tara Sharma , 37, is a cultural resource manager with over 10 years experience. After completing her Masters degree in History, she worked with the Architectural Heritage Division of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. In 2000 she joined the Namgyal Institute for Research on Ladakh Art and Culture as Director (Cultural Resources) where she developed a programme for the preservation and promotion of Ladakh's cultural heritage. She has also worked as a consultant with UNESCO on projects in the Himalayan region and has recently completed an internship with ICCROM on their Living Heritage Sites program. Tara is the founder of SACRE (Safeguarding Cultural Resources), an organization that will work with communities, NGOs and institutions to develop  heritage conservation programmes  as a part of larger development programmes that these organizations seek to implement.