LEH: A class 12 student Dolkar Lamo stood proudly as an ambassador of Ladakh dressed in the traditional attire that define the traditions of the Brokpas – who are believed to the last of the pure Aryan race. She was one of many who showcased Ladakh’s distinct culture at the Aadi Mahotsav - National Tribal Festival- that brought together artisans from 20 states to Polo Grounds in the heart of Leh .The Centre and the administration made this festival a window to showcase to the world the promise of development in Ladakh which was recently carved out as a Union territory separate from Jammu and Kashmir.Lamo hails from one of the Aryan village called Dha and her parents survive on growing indigenous fruits like apricots and apples. This bright Brokpa girl aspires to be an IAS officer and at the festival wished the UT status brings good schools for the Ladakhi children.Dolma’s pride in her rather complex traditional hairdo, traditional pieces of jewelry and traditions that is specific to the Aryans of Ladakh, as they are commonly called, reflected the sentiment of the Ladkahi’s on the streets of Leh and the village around it.They thronged to the festival braving cold weather and rain just to see what the Centre plans for the people of this beautiful regions which has a distinct culture and rather sensitive ecosystem with a harsh cold weather.The celebratory mood that marks Leh city over Ladakh getting a UT status also comes with the demand that the Centre must secure their culture, identity and land rights while delivering on development. This concern was raised from the power packed podium of Aadi Mahotsav by the BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal.Namgyal said, “The Ladakhi people’s long pending demand for UT status has been met and now there are lots of expectations. We want that Ladakh be declared a tribal area and its economy, ecology, culture and land be protected under schedule sixth of the Constitution. A memorandum to this effect has been submitted by me and the autonomous Hill Council members to the tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda,” he shared.The BJP MP said that they want the ministry of tribal affairs to take up their concerns with home minister Amit Shah.Speaking at the event, Union minister Arjun Munda assured that the concerns of the people of Ladakh will be conveyed to the home ministry and the government would do all to protect the culture and identity of Ladakhis within the given constitutional framework.On Aadi Mahotsav being a platform to integrate the artisans from far flung areas to the mainstream, Munda said that one of things the ministry will focus on immediately is to see how to expand the market for Pashmina across India and abroad.An initiative of the ministry of tribal affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) the national festival has made the artisans of Ladakh hopeful of finding business opportunities and selling products carried from far flung places.So at one end, one saw Tsewang Dolma explaining how people of Changthang spend a month intricately weaving with their hands the fine Pashmina wool to create the shawls that were on display, at the other end there was Tsering Angchot from the same region showcasing the distinct music that Ladkahis dance to, when the men and women play the instrument Damnan, made of wood of the Willow.Other cultures on display included paintings like Gond art from Madhya Pradesh, Warli art from Maharashtra; Metal craft from Chhattisgarh; Black pottery from Manipur , and Natural and organic products from Uttarakhand.