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Photos: Kung Fu nuns leave Ladakhi girls with slick moves and positivity

Buddhist nuns and their voluntary austerity traditionally meant little participation in the larger public order. While their male counterparts engaged in avenues beyond the monastery, most nuns didn’t until the spiritual leader of the Drukpa school opened up Kung Fu training to them as a means of empowerment. Since then they’ve been holding marches on foot to highlight social issues, cycling through the Himalayas to protest human trafficking and bringing attention to global warming. And in Ladakh, they’ve been holding annual workshops for young girls, lending them some of their moves and values.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM IST

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1/10

Right at the crack of dawn on a July morning, before the harsh Himalayan sun turned harsh on the Ladakhi village of Shey, a group of young girls had gathered in a courtyard near Shey Palace, for the first of the day’s lessons in Kung Fu under the guidance of Buddhist nuns. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

Right at the crack of dawn on a July morning, before the harsh Himalayan sun turned harsh on the Ladakhi village of Shey, a group of young girls had gathered in a courtyard near Shey Palace, for the first of the day’s lessons in Kung Fu under the guidance of Buddhist nuns. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

2/10

A Buddhist nun in the premises of a school with a broom to clean up along her way. The workshop was an extension aimed at the local community, of a reform that the austere lifestyles of the nuns have undergone. About a decade ago, Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual leader of the Drukpa school opened up this avenue of physical exercise, safety and empowerment for them. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

A Buddhist nun in the premises of a school with a broom to clean up along her way. The workshop was an extension aimed at the local community, of a reform that the austere lifestyles of the nuns have undergone. About a decade ago, Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual leader of the Drukpa school opened up this avenue of physical exercise, safety and empowerment for them. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

3/10

A Buddhist nun welcomes a young girl as her parent drops her off at the workshop at Shey village. At least 40 girls took part this year, in the annual affair, held in July. This week long crash course in the martial art hopes to embolden local Ladakhi girls, setting them up to defend themselves and also works on personality development. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

A Buddhist nun welcomes a young girl as her parent drops her off at the workshop at Shey village. At least 40 girls took part this year, in the annual affair, held in July. This week long crash course in the martial art hopes to embolden local Ladakhi girls, setting them up to defend themselves and also works on personality development. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

4/10

They day’s training is spread into three lessons supervised by the nuns who are on a stopover here as part of a larger march on foot they undertake annually to spread awareness about the environment and sustainable living. Among the marchers, a few decide to stick around and share their knowledge of Kung Fu, before moving on. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

They day’s training is spread into three lessons supervised by the nuns who are on a stopover here as part of a larger march on foot they undertake annually to spread awareness about the environment and sustainable living. Among the marchers, a few decide to stick around and share their knowledge of Kung Fu, before moving on. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

5/10

A nun helps students get a move down pat. Kung Fu is a lucrative means of drawing in participants, but the nuns also lead by example during the workshop with their social service –they rid pathways of litter as they pass and rescue animals they come across, for instance. The hope is such small actions will trickle into the larger social consciousness. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

A nun helps students get a move down pat. Kung Fu is a lucrative means of drawing in participants, but the nuns also lead by example during the workshop with their social service –they rid pathways of litter as they pass and rescue animals they come across, for instance. The hope is such small actions will trickle into the larger social consciousness. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

6/10

The taxing workouts aren’t the only thing these young girls experience in this week. Interspersed are activities based on recognising creative talents, talks by speakers aimed at expanding their worldview and sessions on hygiene and menstrual health awareness. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

The taxing workouts aren’t the only thing these young girls experience in this week. Interspersed are activities based on recognising creative talents, talks by speakers aimed at expanding their worldview and sessions on hygiene and menstrual health awareness. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

7/10

A nun gazes out from a temple window in Shey village. Many of the older nuns focus their time inwards, spending lives within the monastic order and refraining from public appearances or interactions. The Kung Fu nuns invert that norm while sticking to and spreading their core values. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

A nun gazes out from a temple window in Shey village. Many of the older nuns focus their time inwards, spending lives within the monastic order and refraining from public appearances or interactions. The Kung Fu nuns invert that norm while sticking to and spreading their core values. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

8/10

The girls at this year’s Kung Fu bootcamp click a selfie with the nuns on the last day the of workshop before they leave for their respective homes. While a week isn’t much, it’s certainly enough for budding friendships. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

The girls at this year’s Kung Fu bootcamp click a selfie with the nuns on the last day the of workshop before they leave for their respective homes. While a week isn’t much, it’s certainly enough for budding friendships. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

9/10

A couple of girls, their bags packed and soon headed to the flow of their daily lives, albeit with a few slick moves up their sleeves and if the nuns succeeded, stronger resolves and more positive values than they arrived with. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

A couple of girls, their bags packed and soon headed to the flow of their daily lives, albeit with a few slick moves up their sleeves and if the nuns succeeded, stronger resolves and more positive values than they arrived with. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

10/10

An emotional goodbye as a nun writes a parting message on to participant’s t-shirt. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

Updated on Sep 21, 2019 6:37 PM

An emotional goodbye as a nun writes a parting message on to participant’s t-shirt. (Hemanshi Kamani / HT Photo)

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