About the Book: Prachinta Ka Bhavishya: Bhoomandlikaran ki auragrasar Vishva ko
Laddakh ki Seekh
A moving portrait of tradition and change in Ladakh, or"LittleTibet," Ancient
Futures is also a scathing critique of theglobaleconomy and a rallying call for
economic localization.
When Helena Norberg-Hodge first visited Ladakh in 1975, shefounda gentle people,
a pristine environment, and a self-relianteconomy.But then came a tidal wave of
development. Over the lastthreedecades, this remote Himalayan land has been
increasinglyexposed tooutside markets and Western notions of "progress." As
adirectresult, a whole range of problems-from polluted air andwater toreligious
conflict to eating disorders-began to occur forthe firsttime.
Yet this is far from a story of despair. Social