Nilza Wangmo (born c. 1979) is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

restaurant owner and an enthusiast for the local food of the

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

region of northern India. Her work in 2019 was recognised with the highest award for women in India –

Nari Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian hono ...

Life

Wangmo was born in

Alchi Alchi is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Likir tehsil, on the banks of the Indus River 70 km downstream from the capital Leh. Unlike the other gompas in Ladakh, Alchi is situated on lowland, not on a hi ...

in about 1979 after her father died. Her mothers parents took her in and was brought up in a village named "

Stok Stok is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Leh tehsil, in the Indus Valley 17 km southeast of the Leh town. The village is home to the 14th century Stok Monastery, with its high seated Gautama Buddha sta ...

". The village is in the mountains. She went to a missionary school whilst her mother worked for an NGO on low wages. Money was tight and although she entered college there was insufficient funds to keep her there. Her father's family were inhospitable and would not allow then to user her father's house. They would have been homeless if her mother's father had not paid for the construction of a home for her and her mother in Alchi. Her mother's father died in 2014. left, President Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the

to Nilza Wangmo Wangmo started a business called "Alchi Kitchen" in 2016 using a business loan. The restaurant is above their home and attracts Tourism in Ladakh, tourists to trek and find her restaurant. They spent little money on advertising but after three years work of mouth had spread and the business was sound. Despite the popular view she believed that the food from her home region would appeal to visitors. Other restaurants served more tradition cuisine fearing that the local food tradition would be seen as too bland. She and her mother developed the menu that consists of a local pasta like product called Chutagi and the steamed dumplings called

Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...

. Teas based on apricot kernels and their own special blend are served and the diners sit around a wood fired oven and watch the cooks create their meal. However her food was appreciated and in 2019 she extending her business by teaching others about how to cook "her" cuisine. She says she employs only girls or women because there is no tradition of male chefs in the area. Her work in 2019 was recognised with the highest award for women in India. In celebration of

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

in 2020 she was amongst fifteen women who were given the

award by President Shri

Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...

. It recognises women who forwarded women's empowerment. She was chosen because her work was "contributed towards safeguarding women’s rights along with pushing the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

". The women chosen for 2020 illustrated that they had not use allowed their location, their age, their gender or lack of resource as a reason for not having and achieving their ambition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wangmo, Nilza Living people 1979 births Indian businesspeople Ladakhi people Nari Shakti Puraskar winners People from Ladakh