Thinlas Chorol
Encyclopedia
Thinlas Chorol is a social entrepreneur and writer from Ladakh
, India
.
She founded the Ladakhi women’s travel company and has written articles on tourism in Ladakh and other issues.
She first gained notability when she in her early twenties started working as a trekking guide in the otherwise heavily male dominated trekking industry in Ladakh in northern India.
Alternative Institute near Ladakh's main city, Leh.
While at SECMOL, she went on trekking expeditions with some of the foreign volunteers. On an early trek, the local villagers spoke to her in English since they assumed no Ladakhi women would ever work as a trekking guide. She also tried to find work as a guide with some of the local trekking agencies, but was often rejected for being a woman. In 2004 she joined SECMOL's own travel agency, “Around Ladakh with Students,” ALS. There were other women working in ALS, but at the time, they only guided monastery and cultural tours.
" and wilderness training at "National Outdoor Leadership School
".
After completing various courses in mountaineering and other outdoor activities, she started to get more and more work as a freelance trekking guide, and tourist started to ask for female guides.
In 2009 she founded the “Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company” in order to bring more women into the field, and to promote ecotourism
in Ladakh. And thru Homestays
, expose women in the village to people and cultures they would normally not have as much contact with. On the companies website, it promote it self as being "The first female owned and operated travel company in Ladakh".
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
She founded the Ladakhi women’s travel company and has written articles on tourism in Ladakh and other issues.
She first gained notability when she in her early twenties started working as a trekking guide in the otherwise heavily male dominated trekking industry in Ladakh in northern India.
Childhood
Chorol was born in the small village of Takmachik in the mountain region Ladakh. Both her parents were farmers and along with school she spent much of her childhood helping with animals and farming. Her mother died at an early age, her father remarried, and Chorol grew up with her father, stepmother and seven siblings. She got accustomed to spending time in the mountains from going with her father to tend the family’s animals in the high pastures. She went in the fear that something might happen to him if he went alone.SECMOL
After completing her 10th class education, Chorol was accepted as a student at the SECMOLStudents' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh
The Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh is an Indian non-governmental organization based i Ladakh.-History:The Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh is an organisation founded in 1988 aimed at reforming the educational system of Ladakh, by a group of young...
Alternative Institute near Ladakh's main city, Leh.
While at SECMOL, she went on trekking expeditions with some of the foreign volunteers. On an early trek, the local villagers spoke to her in English since they assumed no Ladakhi women would ever work as a trekking guide. She also tried to find work as a guide with some of the local trekking agencies, but was often rejected for being a woman. In 2004 she joined SECMOL's own travel agency, “Around Ladakh with Students,” ALS. There were other women working in ALS, but at the time, they only guided monastery and cultural tours.
Education
While at SECMOL, Chorol completed her 11th and 12th standard education. After this, she started a correspondence college course for a B.A. in Arts. Along with this, she also took courses in mountaineering at "Nehru Institute of MountaineeringNehru Institute of Mountaineering
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is rated as one of the best mountaineering institutes in India and also considered a prestigious mountaineering institute in Asia.-History:...
" and wilderness training at "National Outdoor Leadership School
National Outdoor Leadership School
The National Outdoor Leadership School , is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills, safety and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions...
".
Tourism
When ALS stopped doing treks for individuals and small groups, Chorol continued to work freelance.After completing various courses in mountaineering and other outdoor activities, she started to get more and more work as a freelance trekking guide, and tourist started to ask for female guides.
In 2009 she founded the “Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company” in order to bring more women into the field, and to promote ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
in Ladakh. And thru Homestays
Homestay
Homestay is a form of tourism and/or study abroad program that allows the visitor to rent a room from a local family to better learn the local lifestyle as well as improve their language ability. While homestays can occur in any destination worldwide, some countries do more to encourage homestay...
, expose women in the village to people and cultures they would normally not have as much contact with. On the companies website, it promote it self as being "The first female owned and operated travel company in Ladakh".