After years of studies and residing outside Ladakh, this summer break, I returned to homeland, Ladakh. What should have been a joyous homecoming turned out to be a disheartening experience as one felt like a stranger in one’s own homeland.

My journey began when, as a small child, I was sent from Ladakh to a boarding school in Srinagar. These were formative years spent away from my house, which really shaped so much of who I am today, but coming back to Ladakh allowed me to realize how much alienation I had felt. My roots notwithstanding, I find myself incapable of easily rediscovering the Ladakhi culture and traditions instinctive in the first place.

The challenges are many. My very limited proficiency in the Ladakhi language turned interactions with locals into a chore and, therefore, a barrier to interaction and integration. This linguistic divide thus serves to symbolize a deeper cultural disconnection that I am having to grapple with-practices and norms now alien to me.

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More than that, my separation from Ladakh has not only alienated me from Ladakhi culture but also estranged me from Kashmiri heritage. Years in Srinagar have split my life into two, with no substantial sense of belonging to either place. The duality has created a complex situation whereby I feel estranged from both places which ought to feel like home.

This division carries on into my relationship with my parents. All of those shared experiences, all of those cultural practices that once held us together, seem so far away, serving only to hint at a generational and experiential difference. An alienation which, in broad terms, reflects a condition of cultural dislocation wherein family and heritage wear down over time.

What is most disturbing, though, is the loss of my sense of patriotism. That pride and connectedness I felt with my homeland have somewhat dissipated, shadowed by challenges of cultural adjustment and a loss of identity cohesion. The cost of this disconnection is deeply felt, for the loss of cultural and family ties was not as rightly anticipated when I set forth on my educational journey from Ladakh.

With the passage of time, more and more youth will go outside Ladakh to study. Consequently, there will be growing issues with regard to cultural and familial disconnections as a result of such experiences. We have to strategize with rehabilitative ways for reconnecting individuals to their particular culture, instilling a sense of patriotism, and drawing family and self-identity closer.

The impact on religious affiliations is another dimension to this problem. In isolated regions like as Ladakh, Kargil, and other places, religion is essential to the communal well-being and harmony. My religious connection has been diminished by my absence, which is detrimental to the cohesion and strength of the group.

Therefore, educational institutions and policymakers need to take cognizance of the effects of long separation from one’s culture and work toward the creation of programs and support systems that help individuals maintain strong links with their roots. This could be fostered by promoting cultural engagement and a sense of belonging, which in turn may provide an overall sense of reduction in feelings of alienation upon going back home.

After all, as valuable as the experiences gained from studying away can be, they are not worth more than the loss of a person’s culture and the connection to his or her family. It is a very fragile balance that requires very conscious consideration and active steps so that the pursuit of education does not come at the price of identity and belonging.

The experiences described in the article, as recounted by the writer, may vary significantly from person to person.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Voice of Ladakh, its editorial team, or its affiliated organizations.