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Experiences Undergone While Researching Survival Strategies of the Changpas of Eastern Ladakh

The article chronicles the experiences of a research team that undertook five field exercises over the course of a year, including three in winter, in the high-altitude Changthang region of Ladakh in 1997–98. It outlines the challenges that field research must address to work with a sparse, scattered and peripatetic community in a geographically remote and climatically harsh cold-desert region. It describes the practicalities of working under difficult conditions, the compromises made between pragmatism and rigour, the continuous innovation required in research tools and techniques, and the many wonderful surprises that situations kept throwing up. It also looks at the mistakes made, and stresses the importance of preparation, teamwork, humility and openness to other cultures for successful fieldwork. The author hopes that this article provides useful information to others planning research exercises in remote and harsh regions.