An innocent face bereft of expression. Inscrutable eyes. Stocky build. His appearance can be deceptive. So is the simplicity of his thought. Almost unreal. Meet Chewang Norphel, 62, retired civil engineer. He makes zings (tanks). And artificial glaciers.

There is hardly anything about him that seems unusual. It takes some time to adjust to Norphel's common-sense approach to life. Yet it is this uncommon gift which gives him away. It explains how this man could generate water and greenery in the barren landscape that is Ladakh.

Falling in the rain-shadow area of the Himalaya, Ladakh is a cold, mountainous desert. During winter, temperature drops below the -30