Snow in Chichim, India signals more than just the coming of a new season; its presence is essential for the survival of the village.’
Credit: Catherine Davison/DW

Tashi Yudon peeks out from behind a net curtain at the rooftops below and lets out a sigh, her breath frosting on the windowpane in front of her.

Some 700 kilometers away in the capital city Delhi, temperatures have yet to dip below 25 degrees Celsius, but in Spiti there is already an atmosphere of impatient expectation as winter settles over the valley.

“The snow will come this month,” the 27-year-old teacher predicts, wrapping her scarf a little tighter around herself. “I hope,” she adds.

Nestled into the Himalayan mountainside at just over 4,000 meters above sea level, her hometown of Chichim is one of the highest villages in Spiti valley. Snow here signals more than just the coming of a new season; its presence is essential for the survival of the village.

“Our water source comes from the mountains,” Yudon explains, pointing to a […]

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