Purbani is a small village some 2500m above the river Sutlej, in Himachal Pradesh Province, India. Being close to Tibet, the people are mostly Buddhist.

These young boys will become Buddhist monks

A monk intones from Buddhist scriptures

Sacred texts.

The women in this area of Himachal Pradesh are androgamous. That is, they can have more than one husband. For women in the mountain areas of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, silver jewellery is very popular.

The terraced land is very productive. Almonds and apples grow well. Here, the women are grinding almonds into a paste

From the leaves decorating the hats of the girls, it is evident they are going to participate in some event.

The Tibetan ethnicity of this boy is clear. Dr Dogra, from the flat plains of the Punjab, was posted to this remote mountain village for a time by some health authority.

Dr. Dogra's dispensary was sadly minimal and filthy. He had nothing more than potions in bottles. Any patient with an illness needing treatment with medication would have to take the bus to Simla. Returning to Simla on the bus from the military check point 20 kms from Purbani took 3 days due to snow blocking the road. Once the snows are gone, the problem is rockfalls.

I did not stay at this hotel.

The clothes that are made from the wool he's weaving can be seen on most of the people in these photographs.

The structure of the houses in these mountains is heavy timber beams alternating with large stone blocks. This offers a measure of protection from earthquakes.

Caps like the one this boy is wearing are almost universal on men and women in this region.

Asia and the subcontinent have millions of businesses working on the streets.

This food stall was in the bus station at Rampur, an important hub on the Hindustan-Tibet Highway. This road was built, mainly by Nepalese who were accustomed to mountain work, to enable India to move troops and material to the border with Tibet, after the Chinese incursion in the 1960's.

Has he been replaced by SD cards and an inkjet printer in the 45 years since this photograph was taken? Probably - but hand colouring a black and white print will still be in demand.