The Changpa Life: Living at 15,000 ft.
The Chatang Plateau- nestled at the altitude of about 15,000 ft. above sea level, is home to a very special tribe called “The Changpas”.
The Changpas are among the largest group of people in India who tend to a very unique and rare breed of goats called the Capra Hircus, commonly known as The Pashmina Goat.
This nomadic tribe, in the freezing temperatures of Ladakh and an overall inhospitable climate, travel regularly in search of greener pastures for their herd: Putting their heart and soul in raising the finest source of pure Cashmere for the entire world to enjoy and adore.
Frozen rivers, no fresh water supply, living in tents, waking up before sunrise and constantly looking for fertile and green grazing lands...sounds tough, doesn’t it?
It is because of this utter dedication and determination of the Changpa tribe, that we are able to wrap ourselves in one of the finest, warmest and most comfortable fabrics in the world: Pashmina!
But even after all these hardships faced by the Changpa tribe, they rarely get the value they deserve.
Why is it that some of the major commercial fabric mills and traders dealing in Pashmina are reluctant to provide the honest worth of Changpa labour?
How can our conscience allow us to enjoy such a luxury when the people hustling to preserve and propagate that very luxury have lost their will to continue?
These were the questions we asked and the drawbacks that we wanted gone forever! And thus began the heartwarming journey of Pashma. A saga of recognising the toil of The Changpas, giving back to the source and sustaining the niche together.
At Pashma, we believe that the Changpa tribe, along with the Capra Hircus, are a resource that needs saving and genuine acknowledgement. The Changpas are the true deservers of our gratitude. And Pashma is just here to tell the world, not just about the rose, but also about the thorns that people miss.
