April 2018

Fr

ee

འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact

A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues and Community Information RGD No. HPENG/2013/51798 Volume: XX Issue:3 APRIL 30, 2018

US Supports Tibetan Buddhists HH the Dalai Lama Visits Delhi

by Mary Trewartha The United States Senate has unanimously supported a Special Resolution which calls for the right of the Tibetan Buddhist faith community to determine its own reincarnations – specifically including that of His Holiness the Dalai Lama – saying, “Any attempt by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to identify or install Continued on page 4

by Deepak Rana His Holiness the Dalai Lama spent four days in Delhi from April 21 – 24 for a series of public engagements.

His Holiness gave a talk The Role of Culture and Ethics in Promoting Peace and Harmony on April 22 at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, organised by the Museum and Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad (ARSP), Continued on page 3

Tibet’s Missing Panchen Lama Shoton Festival

by Tenzin Samten Gendun Choekyi Nyima – the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet who is being held in captivity in China – turned 29 on April 25 and Tibetans across the world celebrated his birthday and campaigned for his release.

The Panchen Lama is the second highest spiritual leader of Tibet. Gendun Choeky Nyima was abducted by the Continued on page 5

W www.contactmagazine.net

by Lodoe Gyatso The 23rd Tibetan Opera Festival, also known as the Shoton – or Yogurt – Festival, took place from April 20 - 24 at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala.

The festival celebrates the unique Tibetan artistic heritage of opera or Ache Lhamo. This year’s festival had been postponed by two days as a mark of respect for the people Continued on page 3

Contact News

Contact News

ABOUT LHA & CONTACT Contact, a free monthly magazine published by Lha Charitable Trust, is a recognised and registered publication under the Registrar Office of the Newspaper, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. The registration number is HPENG/2013/51798. Acknowledged

by Lonely Planet and other international travel resources, Contact has been a popular source of news and information on Tibetan issues, and the Dharamshala community, for over 20 years.

700 - 1,000 copies are printed per issue and distributed in the Dharamshala area, Delhi, and various diplomatic missions of India. Copies are also sent to various Tibetan schools, settlements, offices and NGOs in India and abroad.

Please Note: The articles, stories and other material in Contact represent the views of the authors and are not necessarily the views of the Contact editing staff or Lha Social Work. All comments on this issue should be submitted by email to: editor@contactmagazine.net

Lha Charitable Trust

Institute for Social Work & Education Mission Statement:

Lha is a resource of education and knowledge that provides meaningful, multi-levelled social and educational services for the benefit of others.

Background:

Lha is an award-winning, grassroot and non-profit institute for social work and education based in Dharamshala, India. It is one of the largest social work organisations providing vital resources for Tibetan refugees, the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan regions.

Lha offers free English, French, German, Tibetan, Chinese classes, cultural exchange programmes, IT classes, vocational training, health and environmental awareness education, distribution of clothes and medicine, a community kitchen, and many other programmes and activities. Through rehabilitation resources and social and educational services, Lha facilitates an easy transition for the Tibetan refugee community to India. On a daily basis, Lha serves over 250 people, hosts between 15 and 25 volunteers and provides up to 20 different services, including on average 50 nutritious meals per day for financially disadvantaged people.

For more information about Lha, please visit: www.lhasocialwork.org Facebook: Lhasocialwork Twitter: Lhasocialwork

Lha Traveller Services and Volunteer Opportunities

Long or short-term, skilled or unskilled volunteers needed at Lha

• English conversation (Mon-Fri, 4-5pm) • English, French and Chinese teachers • Computer teachers • Web designers and IT professionals • Contributing writers • Environmental professionals • Medical and healthcare professionals • Fundraisers and grant writers • Project professionals • Chefs and cooks • And much more!

Share your knowledge and skills with the local Tibetan, Indian, and Himalayan communities whilst gaining hands-on experience working with a social work organisation.

TIBETAN HOME-STAY Lha arranges home-stays with refugee families giving visitors the chance to experience the Tibetan life style and a chance to connect and learn about each others’ cultures. Homestays include accommodation, breakfast, and dinner.

*All donations and fees from Lha classes and services directly benefit Lha community social work projects.

Contact

RECEPTION & ORIENTATION Our services help smooth your arrival in Delhi and your onward travel to Dharamshala. We also orientate you to the Tibetan community here. Avoid the scams at Delhi Airport! Highly recommended for people who want a stress-free arrival, especially if you are arriving late at night or early in the morning, and can be purchased online in advance of your travel to India.

TIBETAN COOKING CLASS Individuals and small groups can learn to prepare a variety of traditional and modern vegetarian Tibetan foods including momos, thukpa and Tibetan bread, with a qualified teacher.

For information on cost, times and/or registration, please visit: Lha office, Temple Road, McLeod Ganj-176219 Dharamshala, Distt. Kangra H.P. (Mon-Sat: 9am-1pm & 2-5pm) office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 1892-220992 Websites associated with Lha: www.lhasocialwork.org www.samdhongrinpoche.com www.tibetfairtrade.com www.tibetnature.net 2

Acknowledgement

This issue of Contact is sponsored by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). TFD’s kind contribution has made this publication possible.

We thank TFD for supporting the publication of Contact.

Can you Donate to Lha? Lha collects all kinds of donations in the form of clothing, shoes, books, and language resources, computer and medical supplies, as well as any other useful items.

Monetary donations are extremely helpful and are greatly appreciated, large or small.

Please contact the office: office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 98823-23455 / 1892-220992 APRIL 2018

Shoton Festival

Continued from page 1

who have suffered in the recent school bus accident in Himachal Pradesh which killed 27 people, including 23 children.

In his opening remarks on the first day of the festival, Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, gave a

brief background of the festival and explained how the festival came to be called Shoton. “In Tibet, the monks of Drepung monastery end their annual summer meditation by eating yogurt.

The people from nearby towns come

to the monastery at this time to offer yogurt and seek the blessings of the monks. Opera troupes also come to perform at the festival and that’s how it came to be called Shoton – the Yogurt Festival,” he said.

Sikyong also spoke about Tibetan opera and its historical links, its importance to the preservation of Tibetan culture and promotion of social work saying, “Tibetan opera has become an intrinsic part of Tibetan culture.”

In an interview with Contact magazine, Wangdue Tsering, Director of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, said that next year the festival will be held in South India.

Nyima Woenang, 31, of McLeod Ganj, attended the festival. He said, “It is a very special day. When I was seven years old I went with my mother to the festival in Tibet. Now I recall my childhood.”

NEWS & ISSUES Another attendee, Kunsang, 53, also of McLeod Ganj, added his enthusiasm. “Today is very important.

We must pass on Tibetan culture and

Crowd gathered for the festival Photo: tibet.net

religion from the older generation to the younger generation.”

Eleven troupes from different parts of India and one from Nepal participated in this year’s festival.

Performances were staged at TIPA with concurrent performances taking place at Norbulingka Institute and Tibetan Children’s Village School, Chauntra.

HH the Dalai Lama Visits Delhi Continued from page 1

a society dedicated to spreading the Indian concept of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (the world is one family). His Holiness expressed admiration for India’s tradition of religious harmony that has seen all

Photo: OHHDL

the world’s major religions living together in concord. He further praised India’s age-old tradition of taking non-violent action, Ahimsa, which has had a deep influence on Tibetan culture. “In the minds of the six million Tibetans, India is the spiritual home,” he said.

On April 23, His Holiness addressed the 2018 Convocation of Contact

the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, one of the top business schools in India. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of India and member of the the Indian independence movement from the 1920s. In voicing his admiration for Lal Bahadur Shastri (whom he knew personally) and his regret at his untimely demise, His Holiness remarked, “Although he is no longer physically among us, we’re keeping his spirit alive.” He encouraged students to work hard in their respective fields, but at the same time cautioned them against the downsides of modern education, adding that in our education system we need to promote a sense of the oneness of humanity.

On the last day of his visit, His Holiness delivered a public talk at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Happiness and a Stress-free Life. He spoke about theistic and non-theistic religious traditions, explaining how the theistic traditions believe that they need to relate to the 3

other beings God has created with love and compassion, while the nontheistic traditions believe that life

His Holiness awards certificate during the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management Convocation Photo: OHHDL

has no beginning, therefore there is rebirth and karma.

Responding to a question on China, His Holiness said, “We will remain with the People’s Republic of China but meantime we have the right to our own culture, our own language, and our tradition.”

Throughout the visit, His Holiness maintained the importance of India’s role in bringing peace and harmony in today’s world.

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES US Supports Tibetan Buddhists Continued from page 1

its own candidate as a Tibetan Buddhist religious leader, including a future 15th Dalai Lama, is invalid interference in the right to religious freedom of Tibetan Buddhists around the world, including in Tibet as well as the United States and elsewhere”.

Special Resolution 429 is the first time that any national legislative body has called for the right of the

Uprising in Lhasa – and mentions China’s “severe repression of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage” as well as “gross violations of human rights in Tibet”. It refers to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as “recognised around the world as a leading figure of moral and religious authority, and is the unrivaled spiritual and cultural leader of the Tibetan people” and states that followers of Tibetan Buddhism around the world “look to the Dalai Lama for religious leadership and spiritual guidance”.

China is condemned for its interference “in the identification and installation of reincarnated leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, as part of its efforts to maintain control over Tibet” as well as their abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama.

Tibetan Buddhist faith community to determine its own reincarnations.

It was introduced by Senator Leahy, along with Senators Feinstein, Cruz, and Rubio and was passed on April

The Resolution calls for • Recognition of March 10, 2018, as “Tibetan Rights Day” • Recognition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding • The Resolution affirms support for

25, the birthday of the missing Panchen Lama who was abducted by the Chinese at the age of six (please see our lead article Tibet’s Missing Panchen Lama).

In the preamble the Resolution refers to “Tibetan Rights Day” – the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan

the Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights and freedoms • Affirms the sole right of the Tibetan Buddhist faith in the identification and installation of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, including a future 15th Dalai Lama • States that any attempt by China to

Contact

4

identify or install its own candidate as a Tibetan Buddhist religious leader is invalid interference in the right to religious freedom of Tibetan Buddhists around the world • The Resolution calls on US Government representatives, when interacting with China, to promote the cessation of all interference […]in the religious affairs of the Tibetan people, and to negotiate the establishment of an official US office in Lhasa.

• It also calls for a meeting between the US Ambassador to China and the 11th Panchen Lama The Resolution has delighted Tibetans, Tibet advocacy and support groups and Buddhists around the world. The International Campaign

for Tibet (ICT, a United States based non-government organisation which works to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet) has responded by saying “this resolution is a manifestation of the enduring support Congress has offered for the aspirations of the Tibetan people over the course of several decades” and that the “United States government should now prioritise the appointment of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act”. ICT mentions a similar unanimous resolution on the human rights situation in Tibet passed by the House of Representatives in 2015 which called on the United States government to “underscore that government interference in the Tibetan reincarnation process is a violation of the internationally recognised right to religious freedom,”. ICT calls on the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committee to “proceed to markup on both resolutions as soon as possible”.

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES Tibet’s Missing Panchen Lama Continued from page 1

Chinese government at the age of six on May 17, 1995 shortly after being recognised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. Since then, Tibetans in exile, international communities and human right groups have been voicing their concern and calling for his release and for information about his life in China, all to no avail: until now the Chinese government has provided no information. He has been described as the youngest political prisoner in the world.

On Gendun Choeky Nyima’s birthday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama made a statement saying that he had information from a “reliable source” that the 11th Panchen Lama is still alive: “The Panchen Lama, whom I recognised, sometime back [there were] no news, but then according to reliable information, he is still alive and carrying on a normal education. So we will see”.

On April 25, the Central Tibetan Administration’s United Nations and Human Rights Desk released a short video with birthday wishes and a message in 29 different languages from supporters and friends across the world.

An open letter was published on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

Chinese government has refused to let international observers visit you and censored even basic information about you and your whereabouts. As much as the Chinese government wants us to forget you, please know

Tibetans in Dharamshala cut cake for Panchen Lama Photo: TWA Facebook

that we remember you every day.

As each year passes by, our resolve to find you and restore you to your rightful role becomes stronger.”

Events were held around the world to mark the birthday. In Dharamshala, in the main square of Mcleod Ganj, the Tibetan Women’s Association celebrated the day with a public cake

in Bylakuppe is a branch in exile of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet and the seat of the Panchen Lama lineage.

Tenzin Tselha, National Director of SFT, India in an interview with Radio Free Asia’s Tibetan service said that the aim of their event was to promote international awareness of the case of the abduction of the Panchen Lama.

She said that currently the Panchen Lama’s case is internationally viewed as a “prisoner of conscience” which is inappropriate for his stature as one of the most important religious heads of Tibetan Buddhism.

Events were held around the world to mark the birthday.

Tibetan Youth Congress chapters across the world held vigils and demonstrations to observe the birthday and to call upon the Chinese government to release the Panchen Lama.

Other events in the worldwide exile community included a vigil

Gendhun Choekyi Nyime (left) - the 11th Panchen Lama and the 10th Panchen Lama (right)

(USCIRF) website by Tenzin Dorjee, a USCIRF Commissioner and himself a Tibetan-American saying, “[..]all Commissioners of the USCIRF, Tibetans, and friends around the world are thinking of you on this special day”. He continued, “Ever since you were abducted as a young child at the age of six, the Contact

cutting event and released balloons with messages for the Panchen Lama.

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), India, in collaboration with Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in south India lit 130,232 candles on a birthday cake for Gendun Choeky Nyima – a candle for every Tibetan living in exile and breaking the Guinness World Record for the “most lit candles on a cake”, previously set at 72,585. Tashi Lhunpo Monastery 5

held outside the Chinese Embassy in London, United Kingdom, organised

by SFT, the Tibet Society, Free Tibet and the Tibetan Community in the UK. Following the abduction of the six year old Gendun Choeky Nyima, the Chinese government appointed a boy named Gyaltsen Norbu as the “official” 11th Panchen Lama. He is currently the Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China.

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES

His Holiness Speaks on Tradition, Culture and Education

by Tenzin Samten His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetans and Buddhists around the world, met and spoke to over 1,500 tourists on April 16 in the courtyard of Tsuglakhang, the main temple of the Tibetan community living in Dharamshala. The tourists came from 68 different countries around the world.

His Holiness started by saying that all seven billion human beings in the world are the same. He said that science has proven that basic human nature is compassionate, so there is hope.

“Constant anger and hatred is eating our immune system,” added His Holiness, saying that cultivating a compassionate heart is good for health. His Holiness pointed out that young children do not care about differences of nationality, religion and so on but that as they grow up, the education and social systems seem to change perceptions as they focus on differences such as religion and nationality which come to play an important role in people’s lives.

His Holiness spoke of India, saying “There is the so-called caste system – and the time has come to acknowledge

that the Indian constitution gives all citizens equal rights. So there is no room for discrimination on the basis of caste –we are all brothers and sisters.”

Speaking about tackling emotional crises, His Holiness said that while all human beings experience anger and hatred, we all have the potential to cultivate compassion, forgiveness and tolerance. “Destructive emotions are

based on ignorance […] Constructive emotions like love and compassion are supported by reason, so we can use our brains to develop and strengthen them,” said His Holiness.

His Holiness advised people in the audience who are studying Buddhism to read the sixth and eighth chapters of the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by the great Indian master Shantideva,

as this will help counter anger and selfcentredness. His Holiness said he has read this book repeatedly since he first heard its explanation in 1967, and it has helped him transform his mind.

He then spoke about how modern education systems focus on materialism while neglecting basic human values.

Again, he used India as an example, saying that the ancient Indian tradition, even before the Buddha’s time, had a rich understanding of the workings of mind and emotions. His Holiness said that cultivating inner peace is the basis of self-confidence and that children should be taught about inner values and moral principles rather than a selfcentered attitude.

Responding to a question from the audience about the current campaign to call for his return to Tibet, His Holiness said that it is more important to work on the preservation of the Tibetan language and culture. He said that the Tibetan language is the only language in which the ancient knowledge and traditions, which originally stemmed from India, are being preserved. He said that it is crucial to preserve this heritage.

China’s HR Abuses Under the Spotlight

by Deepak Rana The United States State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour (DRL) in Washington DC released its annual report, The Status of Global Human Rights, on April 20. The report identifies China as being one of four countries (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea) notable for major human right abuses, labelling its government as “force of instability”.

The 42nd annual report looks at almost 200 countries and territories and is considered the most comprehensive present day account of the global human rights situation. On its release, Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan said, “We’re particularly concerned about the efforts of Chinese authorities to eliminate the religious, linguistic, and cultural identities of Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists, as well as restrictions on the worship of Christians.”

Contact

The report describes China as an authoritarian state where the government is responsible for arbitrary detention, torture and executions without due process, among other human rights abuses. It asks specific questions which include the whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (the second-most prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism, after His Holiness the Dalai Lama, please see our lead article Tibet’s Missing Panchen Lama); prison conditions and torture methods employed by the authorities; arbitrary arrests; unfair public trials; the state of political prisoners and freedom of expression including that of the press.

Freedom House, the independent watchdog organisation dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world, published their report Attacks on the Record: The 6

State of Global Press Freedom, 20172018 on April 25. The report reflected similar findings to the DRL report saying, “China’s authoritarian regime has become increasingly repressive in recent years. The ruling Chinese Communist Party is tightening its control over the media, online speech, religious groups, and civil society associations while undermining already modest rule-of-law reforms.” The report continued, “Internet censorship and surveillance reached new heights in China as a Cyber security Law came into effect in June 2017, alongside other new regulations restricting online communications and the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) […]

Numerous bloggers and social media users were arrested or sentenced to prison for critical online comments or efforts to share information about human rights.”

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES

Arrests and Releases this Month in Tibet

Apr 19: Two Monks Detained Two monks from Tsang Dhondup Rabten Ling monastery in Ba Dzong County in Amdo (the Qinghai Province) just have been detained.

Monks from the monastery had been summoned to a political education workshop on new cyber security laws and regulations and several monks were forced to write selfcriticism letters for having posted pictures and articles on social media and for which they were deemed to have broken the law. Two were later detained on suspicion of sharing politically sensitive information on social media including WeChat, the popular Chinese messaging app.

One, unnamed, is believed to have been released following severe interrogation, the other, Woechung

Gyatso, is still in custody, his whereabouts unknown.China’s new cyber security law came into effect in June last year. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy says this law “violates individuals’ right to freedom of expression, opinion and information”.

Apr 16: Pilgrim Disappears Lhamo Dolkar, 60, a Tibetan woman on a pilgrimage from her hometown Bora, in Sangchu County, to Lhasa, has gone missing. She was travelling with relatives when she was taken away by police on March 28. She has not

been heard of since and her relatives have been warned that they could face “dire consequences” if they make her case public. There is speculation that her detention is related to a visit she made to a Tibetan political prisoner in jail six years ago – since then she

has been watched and questioned.

People who know her are reported as saying that she is “an ordinary Tibetan woman, with little political awareness and no formal education.”

Apr 7: Monk Released Jinpa Gyatso, a monk from Labrang monastery in Gansu’s Sangchu county, has been released after being held for 10 days in secret for questioning. He attended morning prayers at his monastery on March 27 and then disappeared after receiving a

phone call from state security. There is no report of his having been beaten or tortured and he has returned to his monastery. He was released without explanation. He was previously held for questioning for a few days last year around March 10 – the anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day in Lhasa in 1959.

Tibetan Refugee in Sweden Denies Espionage Charges

by Corinne Dobinson ATibetan refugee has been charged with espionage by the Swedish authorities.

Prosecutors have reported to the media that Dorjee Gyantsan, aged 49, was allegedly gathering information about Tibetan refugees and passing this on to the Chinese government in exchange for money. According to his lawyer, Mikael Soderberg, Gyanstan has denied all charges. He could face a four year prison sentence if found guilty.

Prosecutors allege that Gyantsan infiltrated the Tibetan community, posing as a pro-Tibetan supporter, while gathering information on Tibetan refugees’ personal and political activities. They claim the infiltration included attending anti-China protests in Norway and reporting on a visit Contact

there by His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the Tibetan exile news website Voice of Tibet. However, Phayul, an English-medium Tibetan news outlet, reports that Voice of Tibet has said that Gyantsan has never been on their payroll. The State Prosecutor, Mats Ljungqvist, alleges that Gyantsan was in touch with Chinese officials in Poland and Finland and that the espionage took place between July 2015 and February 2017. This ended with Gyantsan’s arrest by the Swedish Intelligence Service. At that time he had returned from Warsaw carrying US$6,000 (£4,500) in cash, which, prosecutors believe, was payment for the delivery of the information.

The prosecution’s evidence includes reports from the Tibetan community and records of Gyantsan’s 7

travel and phone activity. Tibetan community leader Jamyang Choedon said Gyantsan was known by the small Tibetan community in Sweden, around 140 people, which is “shocked and a little scared” by the case. She said they were thankful the Swedish authorities were taking up the case and hoped other countries would follow Sweden’s example.

Tsering Tsomo, Executive Director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights in Dharamshala, told The Guardian that Chinese consular officials will persuade Tibetan exiles to provide information on others by withholding visas from those who still have family in Tibet. Ms Tsomo went on to say that it is common knowledge in the Tibetan community that spies are planted among them.

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES

Visitors from the United States Congress

by Lodoe Gyatso A two-member United States Congressional delegation comprising Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Representative Claudia Tenney paid a three-day visit to Dharamshala from April 4 – 6.

On the first day they visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel expressed his gratitude to the people and government of the United States for all the support rendered towards the cause of Tibet. He briefed them on the current situation inside Tibet as well as on the recent budget session of the Tibetan Parliament.

The following day the Kashag (Cabinet) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), led by Sikyong (President) Lobsang Sangay, held a welcome reception for the delegates. In his remarks, Dr Sangay expressed his gratitude to the United States Government and Congress for

their continued bipartisan support for the Tibet issue. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehntinen, in her address, said that the US congress understands the issue of Tibet and that it is working side by side with the CTA and other organisations to formulate a

Photo: tibet.net

US policy in support of the people of Tibet. Speaking about her own family’s experience of living under a communist regime in Cuba, she said, “This experience has made fighting back against oppressive regimes one of my highest priorities.”

She promised to propose a bill in Congress to pressurise China to resume dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama for a resolution of the Tibet issue and the release of all political and religious prisoners. She further promised to exert effort for the appointment of a special coordinator for Tibetan issues in the State Department and for the passage of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet bill.

Representative Claudia Tenney spoke about the legacy of the Tibetan struggle and urged the younger generation of Tibetans to move forward with pride and dignity to fulfil their destiny of freedom and respect for human rights. She also promised to continue supporting the Tibet issue in the US Congress.

On the third and final day the congressional delegation had an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, followed by visits to local Tibetan organisations.

Tibet Water: Keeping up the Pressure

by Mary Trewartha The British campaign to lobby Liverpool Football Club to pull out of its controversial deal with the Chinese company Tibet Water Resources Ltd has gained momentum as 25 Members of Parliament send the club an open letter.

The Members of Parliament,who represent constituencies from across the United Kingdom and political spectrum, have called on the club to end its partnership and reaffirm its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. The partnership between Tibet Water and the football club is lucrative for both parties, offering a range of promotional and marketing rights.

The 25 parliamentarians say the deal “is not consistent” with the values promoted in Liverpool FC’s human rights framework and that Tibet Water is only able to operate in Tibet as a result of the Chinese occupation and the human rights violations that uphold it. They call on Liverpool FC “to terminate the agreement.”

Contact

Tibet is well documented as living under one of the world’s most repressive regimes. The Chinese government severely restricts all fundamental rights and freedoms of Tibetans living there and people continue to face arbitrary arrest, torture and indefinite detention.

MPs from the Liverpool area have also joined the campaign, including S t e p h e n Twigg, MP for Liverpool West Derby, and Dan Carden, MP for Liverpool Walton, who are understood to have written to the club expressing their concern about the partnership.

Tibet advocacy groups in the UK and around the world, together with the international consumer group SumOfUs, launched the campaign calling for an end to the deal in October last year with letters to 8

Liverpool FC and a petition signed by nearly 90,000 people, many of whom, including Liverpool fans, have contacted Liverpool FC directly.

John Jones, Campaigns and Communications Manager at Free Tibet - a British Tibet support group – said the deal has “encountered strong opposition from Tibetans and Liverpool fans […]. We are delighted to see that they have been joined in their struggle by a bold, principled group of MPs, from Liverpool and around the UK. Their letter makes it clear that they are firm in their belief that human rights must come before profits”.

Sondhya Gupta, Senior Campaigner at SumOfUs, said:“25 MPs have now joined the nearly 90,000 people from all over the world who want to see Liverpool FC live up to its values on human rights. Fans don’t want to see their club lend legitimacy to the Chinese military occupation of Tibet”.

To date, no response has been received from Liverpool FC. APRIL 2018

Cash Rewards for Informers in Tibet

by Tenzin Samten A document issued by the Chinese authorities on March 13 in Tibet’s Nagchu county promises cash rewards of 100,000 yuan (US $16,000 / £11,500) for people reporting on “criminal” activities – which include promoting Tibet’s national culture or language; supporting HH the Dalai

Lama; supporting the “Middle Way Approach”; demands for greater cultural or religious rights and environmental activism.

The official notice targeted the activities of “criminal gangs” – a term loosely referring to a person or organisation that promotes “separatism”, which in China includes all activities banned for political reasons. They are interested in Tibetans and organisations working

on issues relating to human rights, religion, culture, language and the environment in Tibetan regions.

The same document gives details of a second award of 50,000 Yuan [$8,000/£5,600], offered for information on gambling, drug trafficking and “the abuse of religion, power, and family connections to illegally encroach on property”.

The notice promises confidentiality for informers, saying their identity will not be disclosed.

A copy of the notice, which is written in Tibetan, has been published

by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Other offenses included in the list are fundraising activities, environmental activism, money lending at high interest rates and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The 22–point notice says that it is a criminal offence to promote the Tibetan culture and language, terming such activities as “reactionary and narrowly nationalistic”, and warns against contact with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and “foreign hostile forces” which support His Holiness.

NEWS & ISSUES French President Kowtows to China French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will not meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama as it would trigger a “crisis” with China.

The British Daily Mail has reported that, speaking to students at George Washington University in the United States capital, Macron said he would consult Beijing before meeting His

Holiness as otherwise it would send a signal to China which would be “useless and counterproductive”. He said he had found the Dalai Lama “very inspiring” when he met him before becoming President of France.

Regarding hopes of reopening talks between the Dalai Lama and China, Macron said, “I will do my best”.

China’s Spysite

by Lodoe Gyatso The Chinese authorities have launched a website for the public to report on spies and those engaging in activities endangering state security and attempts to “overthrow the socialist system”, as well as any potential threat from foreign agents and their designs to its “sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security”. The site is in Mandarin and English and promises to provide “material or spiritual reward” as an incentive to Chinese citizens to report “spies”.

The list items 21 reportable activities, including using religion or organising “heretical cult organisations” to engage in activities endangering state security, which are listed as acts of subversion. Also included in the list is collusion with Contact

overseas institutions, organisations or individuals to endanger the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security of China. These are itemised as “to subvert the state power”– charges often used to detain Tibetans in occupied Tibet.“Colluding with separatists in exile” is another charge often used to detain Tibetans and is itemised under the heading “to dismember the state”.

Also reportable is information about any foreigner who wilfully meets any person within China who has conducted activities endangering state security or is strongly suspected of doing so. This latter is seen as an attempt to ensure that dissidents of the Chinese political system do not have access to foreign visitors - including journalists.

9

Anyone suspected of selling or buying state secrets should be reported.

Reporting corrupt officials who are known or suspected to be taking bribes is encouraged. President Xi Jinping has launched an aggressive drive against corruption since taking office although critics have said that it is also a tool to eliminate political rivals such as Bo Xilai.

People reporting any activities may qualify for cash rewards depending upon the level of information they provide. The amount of the rewards is not specified, however the Beijing Daily has reported in the past that Beijing City National Security Bureau was offering US$ 1,500 to US$ 73,000 (£ 1,000 to £ 53,000) for information on spies.

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES

by Tenzin Samten The Doeguling Youth Sports Association team from Mungod Tibetan settlement has taken the gold cup and cash prize at the 24th Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial (GCM) Gold Cup Football tournament, beating runners up Gangtok with one goal in the tournament finale on April 10.

Phurpa from Gangtok FC was awarded the best player of the tournament.

Mrs Asha Reddy, a long time Tibet supporter who sponsored the prize money for the tournament, and the Tibetan Chief Representative of South zone, Choephel Thupten, attended the final match as Chief Guests.

by Simon Cavendish, Marvin Westerveld and Amelia Rozelle Soil is an important part of the earth’s ecosystem whether we are looking at McLeod Ganj, Tibet, or anywhere

else in the world: the same principles apply. A good quality of the ground is crucial for the growth of plants and the existence of our diverse nature. It is therefore important to understand what soil is – and how we can protect this life-giving resource.

Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter and voids. These

Mungod the Winners!

The GCM Gold Cup Football tournament, which was held from March 31 to April 10, saw 19 teams in the initial line up and was held at Dekyi Larsoe football field in Bylakuppee Tibetan settlement in Karnataka, south India. GCM is

the biggest sporting event in the Tibetan exile community across the world. Teams from various Tibetan communities across India, including

Ladakh, took part, along with teams from Nepal and Canada.

This year’s winner took home a cash prize of INR 120,000 [$1,840 / £1,300] as well as the Gold Cup, while the runner up was awarded INR 80,000, [$1,230/£865] together with their cup.

The GCM is played annually in memory of the great mother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Diki Tsering.

The tournament has been organised since 2003 by the Tibetan National Sports Association (TNSA) based in Dharamshala. They select players from the GCM to play in the Tibetan National Football Team – the official team representing Tibet in international tournaments.

Saving Our Soils voids make up about 50% of the soil and are filled with water and gases.

But depending on the depth, many characteristics of the ground change.

Scientists have distinguished several layers – called “Horizons” – each one important for different reasons.

Horizons O and A are called top soil. These are the layers in which seeds germinate and plants grow. The roots might also reach into the subsoil underneath which contains mineral deposits from the upper layers. This makes the Horizons O, A and B of special interest to farmers.

Plants usually do not enter the layer below – Horizon C. It consists of slightly broken-up bedrock which becomes unweathered further down.

Engineers focus on this depth, as the bedrock has to carry building foundations or roads.

But engineers are becoming increasingly interested in the upper layers and preventing their erosion.

Erosion happens naturally, but humans often accelerate this process through improper use of the ground.

And it causes the loss of a valuable

resource: a resource that could be used for farming or protecting building foundations. A good Erosion and Sediment Control (E&SC) is therefore a necessity.

The topsoil from construction sites can easily be saved and reused for stabilising roads and growing plants. This is standard practice in E&SC. It adds costs but ensures good infrastructure that will last for many years.

An example of E&SC playing an important role can be found among the Gaddi farmers of Kareri village near McLeod Ganj. Over hundreds of years, they have made flat terraces to minimise soil loss of Horizons O, A & B. Their crops and lives depend on E&SC. Soils management should follow the “waste” diagram (see our previous Contact article Reducing Waste and Material Use). Prevention is better than reuse, which is better than disposal. We depend on a good quality of the ground. And because of that we should treat soil as a valuable resource.

The latest article in our series on the environment leading up to World Environment Day on June 5. Look out for the Lha World Environment Day activities – coming soon!

Contact

10

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES The Four Aspects of Mindfulness

by Corinne Dobinson Professor Samdhong Rinpoche gave a series of lectures in English, The Four Aspects of Mindfulness, from April 16–19 in Lha Charitable Trust’s Ahimsa House in McLeod Ganj.

Between 60 and 80 people attended, mostly Westerners from 25 countries; another 80–100 people watched via a live-stream broadcast.

Rinpoche is a highly revered figure in the Tibetan world and known for his depth of knowledge about Tibetan Buddhism. He has held many academic and political positions since arriving in India in 1959 and has worked for decades in education, culture, social welfare and administration, both in India and abroad.

Rinpoche explained that the term “mindfulness” is derived from the Sanskrit language and that it is important to be able to distinguish between the Western concept of mindfulness and that followed by the Buddhist spiritual path. From a Buddhist perspective, mindfulness

is where memory and awareness work together and assist in personal investigation. It is used throughout all stages of the path. He explained that the purpose of meditation is to keep the mind healthy, just as food sustains the body.

The four aspects of mindfulness are body, feelings, mind and phenomena. Meditations on these assist in realising the Four Noble

Truths: the truth of suffering; the causes of suffering; the cessation of suffering and the path to the cessation of suffering. Rinpoche explained that to understand the philosophy behind

the four aspects of mindfulness, it is necessary to understand something of the mind. He expanded on this and gave practical details on how to begin and progress with the meditations.

He advised those beginning to meditate to focus on each of these in a sequence, as the earlier meditations support those that follow. He also reminded practitioners that, in the Buddhist path, a positive intention, or motivation, to practise is crucial to gain merit, which should be dedicated to all sentient beings.

The audience reported they gained much benefit from the talks. These were organised by Lha Charitable Trust, a social work charity based in McLeod Ganj, in collaboration with The Tibet Fund, the American based Tibet support and humanitarian organisation. The talks are available on Rinpoche’s website and Facebook page, which can be found through the links: www.facebook.com/Samdhongrinpoche and www.samdhongrinpoche.com/en/

China’s HR Record Under Scrutiny

by Lodoe Gyatso This November, China will be held accountable for its human rights track record at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the human rights records of all 193 United Nations Member States.

Various reports have been prepared by civil societies for presentation at the UPR. One report, by the Tibet Bureau, Gevena mentions: • economic marginalisation of Tibetans in their own country; • a growing environmental crisis due to mass infrastructural projects; and • repression of freedom of religion and expression.

It calls on the Chinese government to ensure measures are taken to preserve the economic, social and cultural rights of Tibetans; to stop the forced evictions, the continued surveillance and the environmental Contact

degradation; and to reintroduce fair trials to those it accuses of destabilising the state.

The Tibet Bureau report has been endorsed by six human rights advocacy groups : the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples’ Organisation, Nonviolent Radical Party Transnational Transparty, Tibet Initiative Deutschland, Switzerlandbased Tibetan Community, Tibetan Friendship Association and Tibetan Women’s Association.

In a separate report, also aimed at the UPR, FIDH (Worldwide Movement for Human Rights) and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) documented a dramatic deterioration of the human rights situation in Tibet : • the creation of an extremely repressive environment in which there are no limits to state authority; • a systematic and widespread use 11

of arbitrary detention, torture and illtreatment; • increasing interference and controls over religion; • recurrent violations of Tibetans’ rights in the name of environmental protection and development.

The joint FIDH-ICT report lists a set of recommendations for UN member states.

The Chinese government is also actively promoting its case. The State Council Information Office has published a White Paper China’s Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief. Tibet Online in an article on the White Paper reports “With detailed data and numerous facts, it systematically introduces China’s policies and laws for guaranteeing freedom of religion and comprehensively covers new achievements made in religious work in China.”

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES

Tibetan Headlines

Apr 30: Villagers Detained More than 30 Tibetans have been detained for their opposition to Chinese mining on the sacred Sebtra Dzagen mountain near their village in Driru county. Reports of the mining appeared in the foreign press and the villagers are accused of leaking the information to contacts outside Tibet. There are reports that they have been beaten in detention.

Apr 18: Farmland Grabbed Farmland at Yushang village in Lhatse county in southern Tibet has been seized by the authorities to build an airport.

Radio Free Asia reports that the Tibetans living there have been offered far less in compensation than the land is worth.

The farmland is their main livelihood and the land has been in the families for generations.

Apr 25: Estonian Visitors The Estonian Member of Parliament and Head of the Estonian Parliamentary Tibet Group Mrs Yoko Alender has visited Dharamshala and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), along with her husband Mr Priit Juurmann and Mr Roy Strider, Coordinator for Tibet support related activities in Estonia.

They were welcomed by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel.

Apr 17: Czech Friends of Tibet In the Czech Republic a new unofficial Tibet Friends group has been launched in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament. The group aims to draw attention to human rights observance, to promote meetings between the Tibetan Governmentin-exile and Czech lawmakers and to cooperate with human rights nongovernment organisations.

Apr 24: Hope for Korea?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has welcomed North Korea’s announcement that it will halt nuclear and missile tests, saying he hopes the forthcoming meetings “can take place in a spirit of amity, compromise and transparency, enabling the resolution of past disagreements.”

His Holiness said that demilitarisation could “serve as the model of a human approach to peace” which will “have a deep impact on the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.”

Apr 14: Free Tashi Wangchuk Campaign Press statements and demonstrations around the world today mark the 100th day since the trial in Tibet of Tashi Wangchuk, the Tibetan businessman jailed for campaigning for the right of Tibetans to be educated in Tibetan.

When his trial, which ended without a verdict, took place on January 4, he had been held in prison for two years and subjected to torture.

Apr 23: Success in Canada Nima Dorjee, a Tibetan living in Canada, has been appointed President of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. Dorjee grew up in a refugee camp in India; he is now Director and President of the Project Tibet Society in Canada and was awarded the Canada Peace Medal in 1997 and the Calgary Freedom of Expression Award in 2007 for his work on human rights.

Apr 20: USCIRF Lobbies China Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee, Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has called for the release of “prisoners of conscience” in repressive regimes - including the Panchen Lama who is currently being held in China.

Dorjee is the first Buddhist and person of Tibetan origin to chair the Commission.

Contact

Apr 12: Sikyong in Washington Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is on a visit to Washington DC where he met Senator Steve Daines who is also a commissioner of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, and Mr Daniel Twining, President of International Republican Institute which promotes democracy around the world.

Apr 10: Gold Medal!

Choeyang Kyi, a Tibetan athlete, won a gold medal in the women’s 20 km walking race at the International Association of Athletics Federation meet in Rio Maior, Portugal. She was the first Tibetan to win an Olympic medal when she competed in the 2012 Olympics. She comes from a nomadic family in Amdo in eastern Tibet.

Apr 7: Pa La Shelved The Tibetan play Pa La by award 12

winning Indian playwright Abishek Majumdar has been shelved by London’s Royal Court Theatre – “on the advice of the British Council”. The theatre had planned to stage play next year. The decision is to avoid upsetting a joint arts programme with China.

Apr 6: US Congress Visit Two members of the United States Congress, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Representative Claudia Tenney, have visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) in Dharamshala.

Apr 5: Talks With China?

Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, has said in an interview with News18 that talks are occurring between the Chinese and the Tibetan exile government. He said that while no official communications have taken place since 2010, “People come from the Chinese side”, and that some discreet visits to China have taken place.

Apr 5: Festival of Tibet A three-day cultural festival taking place in Delhi has concluded with a closing ceremony presided over by leaders of the Tibetan Government-inexile, with guests from Tibetan institutes and Indian leaders. The festival included screenings of Tibetan films, talks and panel discussions and an exhibition from the Tibet Museum.

Apr 4: Media Coverage Saturday’s launch of the “Thank you India” campaign in Dharamshala attracted media coverage across the world, appearing in major international newspapers, websites and television news programmes, confirming the interest in and support for the Tibetan cause around the globe. India’s major news websites gave the story top billing, and very positive coverage.

Apr 3: Nyima Lhamo in Australia Nyima Lhamo, who is the niece of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, the revered Tibetan lama who died in a Chinese prison nearly three years ago, is on a two-week advocacy tour of Australia.

She wants to tell the world about her uncle and the unresolved issues around his death.

APRIL 2018

NEWS & ISSUES

International Headlines

Apr 26: 5th Century Massacre In Sweden, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a massacre at the 1,500 year oldSandbyborg on the south eastern island of Oland. Dozens of bodies were found; they had been left to rot where they fell in houses and streets, and show evidence of decapitation and “brutal injuries”.

Apr 25: Students Killed Three Mexican film students, SalomónAcevesGastélum, Jesús Daniel Díaz and Marco Ávalos, all in their 20s, who were kidnapped last month in the town of Tonala, have been killed and their bodies dissolved in acid. They were killed by the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel criminal gangand it is thought the students had been mistaken for rival gang members.

Apr 24: Death Penalty A nation-wide protest following the gang rape of an eight year old girl has prompted the Cabinet of India to approve the death penalty for rape when the victim is a girl below the age of 12. There were 18,862 reported cases of child rape in 2016 in India, plus nearly 39,000 cases of rape against women.

Apr 23: Kingdom of eSwatini King Mswati III of Swaziland – one of the world’s few absolute monarchs – has renamed his country “the Kingdom of eSwatini. eSwatini means “land of the Swazis”. King Mswati has been using the name eSwatini for some years, claiming people abroad confuse Swaziland with Switzerland.

Apr 21: US Lawsuit In the United States. the Democratic Party is suing Russia, the Trump campaign and Wikileaks, the whistle-blowing website, for conspiring to disrupt the 2016 American presidential election. They claim the campaign “gleefully accepted Russia’s help” to win the election. Both US President Trump and Russia have denied the allegations.

Apr 20: Plane Crash A plane has crashed on landing in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu airport killing 49 people and leaving 22 in hospital, some critical. The plane veered off the runway.

The airline blames Kathmandu’s traffic control, Kathmandu says the pilot approached from the wrong direction.

Contact

There were 67 passengers and four crew on board.

Apr 19: EU Disapproval China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) flouts international transparency norms and is aimed at furthering Chinese interests, say European Union ambassadors to Beijing. They have released a report signed by 27 of the 28 national EU ambassadors in Beijing which condemns the initiative, saying it is designed to hamper free trade.

Apr 17: SS Guard Charged In Germany a 94-year-old unnamed former SS guard has been charged with aiding and abetting mass murder at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. It is alleged that he assisted in the murder of 13,335 people in the winter of 194243 when he was 19. He says he did not know that mass murder was taking place.

Apr 13: Women Bikers In Saudi Arabia, women have taken part in the first ever women’s cycling race: 47 women competed in a 10-kilometre race held in the city of Jeddah, organised by Be Active, a group which brings together women cyclists and local authorities.

There was huge demand from would-be competitors and some has to be turned away.

Apr 12: Chemical Attack War-torn Syria is dealing with the aftermath of a suspected chemical attack on Douma, in the Eastern Ghouta region – the last town held by rebels. At least 40 people died, many of them children, with reports of bombs filled with toxic chemicals being dropped by Syrian government forces: the government, however, says the attack was fabricated.

Apr 11: Bootleg Alcohol Kills In Indonesia, at least 45 people have died and dozens more are in hospital, some critical, after drinking illegally produced alcohol. This brings the total to over 80 deaths this month: people have drunk spirits, bought on the black market and which contain lethal amounts of methanol. At least nine people have been arrested.

and into a gorge in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The driver and two teachers were killed along with the children, most of whom were under the age of 10. India’s National Disaster Relief Force was called to the site.

Apr 7: Gaza Protests Violence has erupted along the IsraeliPalestinian Gaza border leaving eight Palestinians dead. Palestinian protestors attempted to breach the frontier, demanding that refugees be allowed to return to ancestral lands that are now in Israel. However Israel says the Palestinians are staging the rallies to launch attacks.

Apr 6: Ivory Trade Ban The United Kingdom has announced it will ban the UK’s ivory trade - with narrow exemptions for trade that does not involve poaching. The UK now joins the United States and China in implementing a strong ivory trade ban.

An average of 55 African elephants are killed every day for their ivory tusks.

Apr 5: Facebook Scandal Up to 87 million Facebook users have had their data improperly shared by the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. Facebook has known for years that Cambridge Analytica had collected data from millions of its users, but allowed the company to self-certify that it had deleted the information.

The company had insisted that it had destroyed the material.

Apr 4: Flights Delayed Up to half of all flights in Europe – about 15,000 trips – have been threatened with delay following a fault in air traffic control. Eurocontrol say that air traffic control itself was not directly affected and “safety was not compromised at any time”. The last failure was in 2001.

Apr 10: Road Tragedy At least 30 people, most of them children, died when a school bus skidded off a road

Apr 3: Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela and South African anti-apartheid campaigner, has died aged 81. While her husband was in prison she became an international symbol of resistance to apartheid, spending time in jail herself. She was known as “Mother of the Nation”. In later years her reputation was tainted by controversy.

13

APRIL 2018

DHARAMSHALA VOICES

Identity, Art and the Tibetan Struggle

by Elizabeth Mundy It’s a bright, clear afternoon in McLeod Ganj, the kind where you can see beyond the valleys and lush foothills to the tall crown of snow-dusted Himalayan peaks that encircles the Tibetan refugee settlement. Tenzin Dalha suggests we sit outside on one of Illiterati Cafe’s sunsoaked balconies to take in the view.

The 24-year-old actor, born in Delhi to Tibetan parents and best known for his breakout role in Shonali Bose’s lauded Margarita with a Straw (2016), brushes his dark locks into a messy ponytail and deftly rolls a cigarette as we start to talk about his burgeoning Bollywood career and the ways in which he explores concepts of Tibet through his art.

“It all started doing theatre when I was at school: the stage was a space where identity didn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who you are. People become just people, reduced to the same impulses as you, separate from their nationality or cultural background.” Tenzin credits his drama teacher for nurturing his talents during his time at Tagore International School in Delhi. “Growing up, your identity was never under scrutiny. I was never separated out or alienated,” Tenzin recalls. “I came to understand more about my identity as a Tibetan much later.”

“When I was 16, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao came to visit our school. The student cabinet – which I was part of – met him, but I was stopped from doing so. It was the first time I really felt the weight of this: I am Tibetan.”

Tenzin’s acting career was jumpstarted when he was picked from a public audition to star alongside Bollywood darling Kalki Koechlin in Margarita with a Straw, a coming of age story about a woman with cerebral palsy. At the time, he was a student of Political Science at Delhi’s Ramjas College, a degree he followed up with a double masters in Peace Building and Conflict Analysis, and Clinical Psychology. “I wanted to understand human nature. To understand a character, it was very important for me Contact

to understand the psyche; how and why things are.”

Of his first taste of big screen acting, he reflects: “Kalki is an amazing human being. You have a lot of time together when the shot is being set up, and before our first scene she told me one thing. It was very simple: be in the moment. It’s essential, it’s the key – not just to film but in life.”

Tenzin tells me he’s relocated to McLeod Ganj for several months to write a script. Writing is another string to his bow and the history and struggle of Tibet is fertile source material for him. His first play, Algaav, meaning “separated”, penned during his final year at college, looked at three generations of Tibetan refugees. “Those who’ve known only exile, they have the narratives and images passed down from the older generation; the idea of home is constructed from them.” He explains that his father left Tibet for India when he was just two years old. “It’s all we have. You dream of going home back to a place that only exists in your mind.”

His new project looks to tease out the uneasy relationship between Buddhism with its doctrines regarding inner peace and the Machiavellian politics required to challenge China. “When your basic unconscious is structured to not hurt an insect, how do you engage in realist politics?” he says. Tenzin relates an encounter in McLeod Ganj that inspired the central thesis of the script: “One afternoon, I met two gentlemen playing chess. One a monk and the other a driver. It was a friendly match, with both players thinking out loud. Finally, the monk lost, but afterwards he sat me down like a child and spoke about the game.

The central four squares of the board are the most important in chess, he told me, and the best way to play would be the American method: you push forward, strive forward, destroy every corner. But the best and most noble way to play would be Umaylam – the Middle Way.” Tenzin is passionate about the Tibetan cause and has in the past volunteered for Students for a Free Tibet. (“Am I interested in going back? Oh yeah, man.”) Interestingly, his actor’s curiosity about human motivation also pushes him 14

to try to understand “the other”. He’s currently studying Mandarin.

“The linguist Edward Sapir says that language moulds your perception of the world, so I want to find the similarities and differences between Tibetan and Mandarin. For example, the word for ‘radish’ is the same in both. And I did some research and found that radishes didn’t grow in Tibet – it was traded from China – so the Tibetans used their word: ‘luóbo’. I think it’s important to find the similarities between us,” he adds. “It’s the same when I play a character: you work out the commonalities.”

Over the course of our conversation, a portrait of a deep-thinker emerges, someone endlessly intrigued by human psychology and the existential struggle of the Tibetan people. It may be these cerebral qualities that attract directors to his talents. Tenzin followed Margarita with a Straw with a nuanced performance as the 14th Dalai Lama in The Great Escape, a docu-drama of His Holiness’s exodus from Tibet in 1959 aged 22, currently on Netflix. “I researched the part by reading My Land and My People and watching BBC archive footage. I

Tenzin (middle) appearing as His Holiness in the film The Great Escape

understood that he would have been different to the man he is now.”

And his star is set to rise further.

Scheduled for India-wide release this year is Indian composer A R Rahman’s first cinematic feature, 99 Songs, where Tenzin plays the parallel lead in a story about individuals finding themselves through music. “I went through a sevenmonth crash course to learn the drums,” he reveals. “But from A R Rahman, I learnt so much more. He saw life through music.” Tenzin rolls another cigarette between his fingers and fixes his gaze on the valley. “Everyday was a new day for him. A new beginning.”

APRIL 2018

Keeping Dhasa Clean

Our monthly mass clean up took place this month on April 21 to mark World Earth Day and the Tibetan Women’s Association joined Lha and the Clean Upper Dharamshala Programme to collect trash around Kyirong village on Tipa Road in McLeod Ganj. More than 50 people took part and as usual Lha students and volunteers came along to help. Every third Saturday we focus on cleaning areas which are in danger of becoming an illegal dumping site. With the increase in tourism it is important that McLeod Ganj develops a better system to keep the town clean and to work with the many restaurants, shops and hotels to achieve this. We are putting out a plea for everyone to be more responsible and aware of the environmental chaos that we are creating on this earth.

Training for Translators

Lha hosted a talk by Shri Dhawa Dhondup (Acharya), an expert and highly respected Buddhist translator, who came to Lha’s Ahimsa Hall to speak about his work and to give advice to people wishing to pursue a career in translation. The talk, which took place on March 29, was attended by 15 people. We are very grateful to the Tibet Fund for sponsoring this event.

26th Water Filter System

Lha installed the 26th Water filter system at Spiti Children’s Hostel on February 5.

The Hostel is home to around 250 residents who come from Spiti, Ladakh and around the Himalayan region to attend secondary schools in Dharamshala. Their hostel is located in Sidhpur in Lower Dharamshala.

Lha’s Director Mr Ngawang Rabgyal, together with the Dharamshala Rotary Club President, Zonal Chairman and other club members came to the opening of the new water system, along with the schools’ Directors and Principals. This is the first proper water filter machine the hostel has installed and we hope this will help improve their overall health including the prevention of water born diseases.

LHA NEWS AND PROJECTS Lha could not provide the services we do without the support of our wonderful volunteers who help in so many ways and inspire us with their enthusiasm.

Every month we ask a volunteer to share their story. This month Michel Estienne from France tells us his story.

Volunteer Job at Lha: French Teacher

I’ll Be Back Soon!

The first time I arrived in McLeod Ganj it was in the nineties. I was on the top of the bus’s roof as we stoppedin the main square and the first thing that struck me was how everybody around me was smiling and looking happy. I felt at home right away.

It was in May and a few days later I was in front of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he was putting a white scarf around my neck. He did

arrived this time, Iwanted to make myself useful to others and found out about the Lha Institute and their voluntary teaching program.

I have never taught before and I thank all the students who attended the class for being so compassionate with me. I just hope they had as much joy in learning French with me as I did while trying to teach them. The Lha team is also so nice and helpful and because of them, I was returning there everyday with a big smile on my face.

I will come back soon and I hope for a much longer time in McLeod next time. I really Michel (holiding Lha volunteer momento) with his students do want to help not smile at me, not at all. He rather more and for that I am planning to stay looked at me like a father not very three or four months. And even if, of happy with the ongoing of his son’ s course, I would like to teach again, I life. I was shocked and it took me a also want to do a lot of more to help couple of minutes as I was walking everyone the best way possible. back to my guest house to realise that One more time thanks to all the he had justshown me where I was in people I met here, Tibetans, Indians my spiritual life, where I could be, and others from so many places. I and how lazy I was. Because of that love you all and have lovedbeing part loving father look I started to work of your life. harder on myself and I am still doing I know how I’ll miss your smiles so today. and for that I’ll be back soon.

That’s probably why, when I Love from my heart!!!

Contact magazine is published by Lha Charitable Trust

Lha Charitable Trust is an award-winning, grassroots, non-profit organisation and one of the largest Tibetan social work institutes based in Dharamshala, India. Lha has been striving to provide vital resources for Tibetan refugees, local Indian communities, and people from the Himalayan regions for 20 years. Lha was registered as a charitable trust by the Indian Government in 2005.

For more information, please visit www.lhasocialwork.org To keep up to date with news of what’s happening in Tibet and in the Tibetan exile community, follow Contact magazine online at www.contactmagazine.net Facebook: Contact News / Twitter: Contact News Contact

15

APRIL 2018

around town

Charities and Organisations

Central Tibetan Administration

The CTA serves in Dharamshala as the government in exile of Tibet. It is democratic with judiciary, legislative, and executive branches.

Within the Executive branch there is the Kashag, consisting of the departments of Religion and Culture, Home, Education, Finance, Security, Information and International Relations and Health, and Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay.

WEB: www.tibet.net LOCATION: Near Library PHONE: 01892-222218 HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9:00 am-5:00 pm EMAIL: kashag@tibet.net

The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (OHHDL)

OHHDL is the personal office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The office organises his schedule, including appointments and travel plans, diplomatic and personal correspondence, and liaises with officials of the Central Tibetan Administration.

WEB: www.dalailama.com LOCATION: McLeod Ganj, PHONE: 01892-221343 / 221210 EMAIL: ohhdl@dalailama.com

Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC)

The TYC is an advocacy and political action organisation with chapters around the world.

The TYC organises cultural exhibitions, educational campaigns and social welfare activities.

WEB: www. tibetanyouthcongress.org LOCATION: Tipa Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala -176219 PHONE: 01892-221554 EMAIL:president@tibetanyouthcongress.org, tyc@tibetanyouthcongress.org

Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA)

The TWA conducts workshops on gender sensitization and domestic violence throughout Tibetan settlements in India, provides Tibetan women with education scholarships, and connects women with international sponsors.

WEB: www. tibetanwomen.org LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 01892-221527 EMAIL: tibwomen@gmail.com

Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV)

TCV provides care to Tibetan children by creating a nurturing environment and fostering Tibetan values and culture while delivering a modern education. There is an Upper and Lower residential school in Dharamshala and day school in McLeod Ganj, with other branches throughout India.

WEB: www.tcv.org.in LOCATION: Dharamshala Cantt.176216 PHONE: 01892-221354 / 221348 EMAIL: headoffice@tcv.org.in

Men-Tsee-Khang: Tibetan Medical & Astro. Institute

Men-Tsee-Khang is a facility for research, training and practice of traditional Tibetan medicine.

Patients may seek treatment at Men-TseeKhang for both acute and chronic conditions.

The facility provides extensive training and produces traditional pharmaceuticals.

Contact

WEB: www.men-tsee-khang.org LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org

Tibetan Library (LTWA) (Centre for Tibetan Studies)

The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives has the purpose to restore, protect, preserve, and promote Tibetan culture in all its aspects. They offer courses in Tibetan and Hindi language and Buddhist philosophy and can provide affordable accommodation for those enrolled in two or more courses.

WEB: ltwa.net, tibetanlibrary.org LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong PHONE: 98822-55047 EMAIL: ltwa1970@gmail.com

Delek Hospital

Delek Hospital is a small, Tibetan run hospital in Dharamshala. It has 45 inpatient beds, holds outpatient hours from 9am to 12pm Monday through Friday, and can handle most small procedures. Patients are responsible for a 10 Rupees registration fee. The hospital has a pharmacy on site.

WEB:www.delekhospital.org LOCATION: Kharadanda Rd, Dharamshala; Delek Clinic, Bhagsu Rd, Dharamshala HOURS: Outpatient, Mon-Fri: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Specialist clinics, Mon-Sat: 2:00 pm-4:30 pm; Emergencies, 24 hours daily PHONE: 01892-222053 / 223381 EMAIL: delek@bsnl.in hospitaldelek@yahoo.com

Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society The society was established in 1999 to provide educational and administrative guidance to all Tibetan schools in remote areas of India and Bhutan that do not fall under the guidance of Tibetan Childrens Village. Today there are 12 schools under this organisation.

WEB: www.sambhota.org LOCATION: Session Rd, Dharamshala176215 PHONE: 01892 - 228877 | 226877 EMAIL: stss1999@gmail.com

Tong-Len Charitable Trust

Tong-Len’s mission is to help displaced communities in North India achieve a secure and sustainable future. Tong-Len projects include educational and health programs, childhood education and sponsorship, primary and nursery tent schools, and children’s support hostels. Volunteer opportunities available.

WEB: www. tong-len.org LOCATION: Top Floor, Bank Of Baroda, Kotwali Bazaar, Dharamshala-176215 PHONE: 01892-223930 EMAIL: jamyang@tong-len.org

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT)

SFT is an international NGO that promotes the Tibetan cause among the non-Tibetan community.

The organisation attempts to build international solidarity by advocating for a free Tibet through chapter organisations at Universities around the world.

WEB:www.sftindia.org, www.studentsforafreetibet.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 9882786875

16

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)

TCHRD advocates for human rights and provides education on the human rights situation in Tibet. The centre publishes journals and articles, as well as conducting workshops and campaigns.

WEB: www.tchrd.org LOCATION: CTA, Dharamshala - 176215 PHONE: 01892-223363 EMAIL: office@tchrd.org

Lha Charitable Trust (Lha)

Lha, a Tibetan grassroots NGO based in Dharamshala, is one of the largest social work organisations providing vital resources for Tibetan refugees, the local Indian population, and people from the Himalayan regions. Lha offers free English, French and Chinese classes, cultural exchange programs, IT classes, vocational training, health and environmental awareness education, distribution of clothes and medicine, a community kitchen, and many other programs and activities. (see page 2) WEB:www.lhasocialwork.org LOCATION: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj, Opposite State Bank of India PHONE: 01892-220992, 988-2323-455 EMAIL: office@lhasocialwork.org

The Kangra Distt. Red Cross Society

The Kangra District Red Cross Society renders its humanitarian services, projects and activities with the help and the co-operation of people at all levels of society by donation.

WEB: www.redcrosskangra.org LOCATION: Red Cross Bhawan, Dharamshala PHONE: 01892-224888 / 9418832244 EMAIL: sharmaopl12345@gmail.com

Gu-Chu-Sum Movement Association of Tibet is an organisation of former political prisoners of Tibet and former activists currently in exile that engages in their complete assistance from medical, financial, basic education and vocational training. It also organises lobby and advocacies about human rights abuses in Tibet.

WEB: www.guchusum.org LOCATION: Jogibara Road, McLeod Ganj, PHONE: 01892-220680 / 220679 EMAIL: guchusum1991@gmail.com

Tibet Charity

Tibet Charity provides programs including English and computer classes, an animal care program, and a variety of medical and educational financial support programs.

WEB: www.tibetcharity.in LOCATION: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 01892-221790 / 221877 EMAIL: director@tibetcharity.in

Norbulingka Institue

Centre for Tibetan culture with studios and artists at work.

Temple, tour guides of the workshops, and gardens.

L O C AT I O N : S i d h p u r, Dharamshala PHONE:9882144210 EMAIL: info@norbulingka.org WEB:www.norbulingka.org

APRIL 2018

around town

Charities and Organisations

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA)

Established in 1959, under the vision of HH the Dalai Lama, TIPA strives to preserve and promote Tibetan theatrical tradition. The Insitute imparts comprehensive training and lessons on Tibetan folk dance, folk song, traditional instruments and tradition of Tibetan opera.

TIPA also hosts a beautiful theatrical museum which remains open during working days. We organise a special group tour of our campus every Wednesday (10 am).

WEB: www.tibetanarts.org LOCATION: TIPA Road, McLeod Ganj Dharamshala-176219 PHONE: 01892-221478 EMAIL: tibetanarts2012@gmail.com

Learning and Ideas for Tibet (LIT)

Learning and Ideas for Tibet (LIT) is a nongovernment, non-profit adult education centre in Dharamshala, North India. LIT provides Free Education, Health Care and Skills Training to Tibetan Refugees to help eradicate poverty and illiteracy amongst the Tibetan population.

WEB: www.learningandideasfortibet.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala 176219 PHONE: 01892-220690 EMAIL: learningandideasfortibet@gmail.com

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR)

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution is a nonprofit, educational organisation dedicated to the non-violent management of conflicts in the Tibetan Community and the world as a whole.

They work to promote the approaches and tools of non-violent conflict resolution and democratic processes in the Tibetan community in exile and elsewhere.

WEB: http://tccr.org LOCATION: Session Road, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 PHONE: 01892-226627 EMAIL: tccrteam@gmail.com

Rogpa Baby Care Centre

The Rogpa Baby Care Centre helps low-income Tibetan families to become self-sufficient by providing free child care for infants so that their parents can work. The centre needs volunteers to help with art, games, singing and other tasks including diaper changing.

WEB: www.tibetrogpa.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala- 176219 PHONE: 9857973026 EMAIL: rogpa2004@yahoo.com

Gamru Village School

Gamru Village School is a successful NGO that provides free high-quality education to any children who encounter serious barriers to education and who have a low standard of living.

WEB: www.gamruschool.com LOCATION: Village Gamru, P.O Kotwali Bazaar, Dharamshala, Distt Kangra 176215 PHONE: 9816105554 EMAIL: tashu72004@yahoo.com

Contact

Clean Upper Dharamshala Project

Founded in 1994 to provide a waste management system in and around McLeod Ganj, the Green Workers, the Handmade Recycled Paper Factory, the Green Shop and the Environmental Education Centre are part of the Clean Upper Dharamshala Project. Weekly guided tours are offered on Wednesdays at 3 pm.

WEB: www.tsodhasa.org LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala - 176219 PHONE: 01892-221059 EMAIL: cudpswm@gmail.com

Nyingtob Ling (Realm of Courage)

Nyingtob Ling supports Tibetan children from disadvantaged families. The children make handicrafts and paintings. They are so friendly and love to have visitors.

WEB: www.nyingtobling.org LOCATION: Near Norbulingka, Sidhpur PHONE:01892 211042 / 9816028149 EMAIL: nyingtob_ling@hotmail.com

Women’s Team

Volunteers needed to teach English to Indian women and children in the village of Kaniyara near Dharamshala. Contact Jitender.

EMAIL: jitenderje@gmail.com PHONE: 7831956680 / 08894435595

The Active Nonviolence Education Center (ANEC)

ANEC facilitates trainings, workshops and open forum discussions on nonviolent strategies to help resolve disagreements and differences at all levels of human society. ANEC welcomes

volunteers from western countries to participate in informal panel discussions on ideas of regional and global peace and nonviolent strategies. Free lunch and tea and many more benefits for volunteers.

LOCATION: No. 262, 1st floor, Khajanchi -Mohalla, Khunyara Rd, Lower Dharamshala PHONE: 9882077708 / 9882921477 EMAIL: wangduemiddleway@gmail.com Website: www.anec-india.net Facebook: www/facebook.com/anecpeace

National Democratic Party of Tibet

The NDPT is currently the only Tibetan political party. With 5000 members in 36 regional chapters throughout the world, the main aim and objectives of the NDPT are to prepare for the establishment of a political party in a future Tibet, to promote democracy, to educate the Tibetan people about the significance of political parties and to create awareness among the people about Tibetan issues.

WEB: www.ndp4tibet.org LOCATION: Dharamshala–176219 EMAIL: tibetparty4@gmail.com PHONE: 9882787633 / 9882673330

Tibetan Dubbing Society

Tibetan Dubbing Society, founded in 2015, is a non-profit organisation working towards preserving Tibetan language through various forms of entertainment and dubbing animation movies into Tibetan language for Tibetan children.

LOCATION: Near Norbulinga Institute WEBSITE: www.tibetdub.org EMAIL: savetiblang@gmail.com CONTACT: +91-8629837735

BUS SCHEDULE * Times and prices may vary. Please check with the bus stand ahead of departure.

Leaving from the McLeod Ganj bus stand, unless otherwise stated: DELHI: Ordinary Bus: 4:00am (Rs 554), 6pm (Rs 580), 7:30 pm (Rs 570) Semi Deluxe Bus: 5pm (Rs 590) , 6:30pm (Rs 590) Full Deluxe Bus: (Rs683) AC Volvo Semi-Sleeper: 8:15 am (Rs 1243), 5:35pm (Rs 1275), 7:00pm (Rs 1275), 8:50pm (Rs1275) AC TATA: 5:50pm (Rs 972) AMRITSAR: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs257) *from Dharamshala DEHRADUN: Ordinary Bus: 2pm (Rs 560) 8pm (Rs 551); VOLVO: 7pm (Rs 1199) MANALI: Ordinary Bus: 7:10am (Rs358 *from Dharamshala / VOLVO: 11:30 pm (Rs 782) PATHANKOT: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs 136) * from Dharamshala SHIMLA: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs 408), 6am (Rs 360), 7:50am (Rs 375), 8:am (Rs 520) 7:45 pm (Rs 363), 12pm (Rs 367) *from Dharamshala, Semi-Deluxe Bus: 9:30pm (Rs455) *from Dharamshala FOR BOOKINGS: Location: Ticket stand under McLLo’s, McLeod Ganj Main square Hours: 10am-5pm, daily Phone: 220026 (McLeod bus stand), 224903 (Dharamshala) For deluxe buses, book through any travel agency.

TA X I S A private taxi to Lower Dharamshala will cost you Rs 200. Cram into a jeep (from the bus stand), and it’ll only cost you Rs15.

17

APRIL 2018

activities and information UPCOMING EVENTS May 29, 2018: 15th Day of Sakadawa (The fourth Tibetan holy month) June 28, 2018: Universal Prayer DAy (Zamling Chi-sang) July 6, 2018: His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday July 16, 2018: Buddha’s first teaching (Choe Khor-Duechen)

BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Library of Tibetan Works and Archives WEB: www.ltwa.net/library LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, between McLeod Ganj and Lower Dharamshala HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9-10 am, 11-12noon PHONE: 921-842-2467/9882255047

Public Audience with HH Karmapa WEB: www.kagyuoffice.org LOCATION: Sidhpur HOURS: Wed & Sat: 2:30pm PHONE: 01892-235307

YOGA AND REIKI Yoga & Reiki Courses

Location- Om Yoga Ashram,Near Dal Lake Mob- 9805693514 /981649432 Email - om.yoga@ymail.com web- http://www.omashram.in

Shivam Neelkant Yoga Kendra LOCATION: Upper Bhagsu PHONE: 098165-65138 WEB: www.shivamneelkant.yoga.com

MASSAGE Nature Cure Health Club

Shiatsu massage LOCATION: Near Tibetan Ashoka, Jogiwara Road PHONE: 07833047078 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Men-Tsee-Khang

LOCATION: Mcleod Ganj Branch Clinic, 1st floor, TIPA Road (2 mins from Main Square) PHONE: 98828-60505 EMAIL: therapycenter@men-tsee-khang.org

Om Massage Centre

LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, Opposite the Green Hotel, Mcleod Ganj PHONE:7018483961/9857999373 EMAIL: kunsangdolma75@gmail.com

Dorjee Spa LOCATION: Pema Thang Guest house, Hotel Bhagsu Road PHONE:9816393673 / 9857108408 WhatsApp: 9816393673

Contact

MEDITATION Ocean of Harmony

Taught by an experienced and qualified coach WEB: www.oceanofharmony.org PHONE: (+91) 99798-94585 EMAIL: ohlifeandwellness@gmail.com

Tushita Meditation Center WEB: www.tushita.info LOCATION: Dharamkot HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9:30-11:30am PHONE: 0898-816-0988 EMAIL: spc@tushita.info

Shivan Neel Kanth Yoga

WEBSITE:www.shivamneelkant.yoga.com LOCATION: Bhagsu Nag, Near High Sky PHONE: 09816565138 EMAIL: yogi_shivam@yahoo.co.in

Om Meditation Ashram

Location-Om Yoga Ashram,Near Dal Lake Mob-01892 220333 /9805693514 web - www.himalayanashram.com

COOKING

Lha Tibetan Cooking Classes - for groups LOCATION: Lha Soup Kitchen, Temple Rd, Just below the Dalai Lama’s temple HOURS: Registration, 9:00-11:00am PHONE: 01892-220992

Indian Cooking and Knitting with Ms Rita Kapoor LOCATION: Old German Bakery, 1st Floor, Room No. 2, Opp. Buddha Hall, Bhagsunag PHONE: 94592-06586

Indian Cooking Classes

LANGUAGES Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translators Program LOCATION: Rato Chuwar Labrang, Phuntsok Gatsel Session Road Hours: 10:45-5pm Email: lrztp.manager@gmail.com

REETA THAKUR HINDI CLASSES Location: Near Dal Lake Mob - 9816494732 Tibetan Language

LOCATION: The Tibetan Library *see Buddhist Philosophy Listing

Hindi Lessons with Kailash

LOCATION: Hotel India House, Bhagsu Rd PHONE: 01892-20063, 941-816-1947

Esukhia Online Tibetan Courses and Tibetan Immersion Spoken LOCATION:Tilak Ray Building, Bhagsu Rd PHONE: 8679502538 / 98820-04965 EMAIL: contact@esukhia.org

Sanskrit Language Study Program at Vikramashila Foundation India (VFI) Location: Vikramashila center, 1st flr, Ketan Lodge,Jogiwara road, McleodGanj, Dharamshala, H.P Email: vikramashilafoundation@gmail.com

ART AND MUSEUMS Tibet Museum

LOCATION:Near the Main Temple and Namgyal Monastery gate, McLeod Ganj HOURS: Tue-Sun: 9:00am-5:00pm

LOCATION:Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guesthouse HOURS: 10:00am-6:00pm PHONE: 07833047078 / 0988230136 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Tibet Photo Exhibit: 50 Years of Struggle and Oppression

Lhamo’s Kitchen: Tibetan Cooking Classes

The Tibetan Institute for the Performing Arts (TIPA)

Sangye’s Kitchen: Traditional Tibetan Cooking Classes

Kangra Art Museum

LOCATION: Bhagsu Rd, near the Green Shop HOURS: 8:00am-9:00pm PHONE: 981-646-8719

LOCATION: Lung-ta Restaurant, below the Tashi Choeling Monastery on Jogiwara Road HOURS:10:00am - 4:00pm PHONE: 981-616-4540 EMAIL: sangyla_tashi@yahoo.co.in

COMPUTER CLASSES Tibetan Career Centre, Dharamshala LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj HOURS: 9:00am-6pm PHONE: 9882321424 /9880969175 Email at : yesheadconsultant@tibet.net

Lha Charitable Truse

LOCATION: Near Dolma Chowk, Mcleod Ganj PHONE: 9882323455 / +91 (0)1892 -220992 WEB: www.lhasocialwork.org

18

LOCATION: Gu-Chu-Sum hall, Jogiwara Rd HOURS: Mon, Wed & Fri: 2:00pm-5:00pm

WEB: www.tibetanarts.org LOCATION: Tipa Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 1892-221478 EMAIL: tibetanarts2012@gmail.com

LOCATION: Near Bus Stand, Kotwali Bazaar PHONE: 01892 224214 HOURS: Tue-Sun: 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Men-Tsee-Khang Museum

LOCATION: Near CTA, Gangchen Kyishong PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org HOURS: 9am-5pm. Closed on Sun, 2 and 4th Sat

Center for Living Buddhist Art WEBSITE: www.livingbuddhistart.com EMAIL: sarikalochoe@hotmail.com

PHONE: 9418655401 HOURS: 9 am- 5 pm LOCATION: Khanyara Road

APRIL 2018

activities and information HEALTH SERVICES Perfect 32 Dental Clinic Dr Natasha Mehra LOCATION: Near Hotel Mount View, Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 09218742046 EMAIL: perfect32dentalclinic@gmail.com Tibetan Physiotherapy Clinic Specialised in Muscle and Joint Pain LOCATION: Near Delek Hospital, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 HOURS: 10am - 5pm (Appointment Bases) PHONE: 9882322783 / 9882321532 EMAIL: jigten17@yahoo.co.in WEBSITE : tibetanphysiotherapy.com Tibetan Delek Hospital LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, between McLeod Ganj and Lower Dharamshala PHONE: 01892-22053 / 223381 HOURS: Outpatient services, Mon-Sat: 9:00am-1:00pm; Specialist clinics, Mon-Sat: 2:00-4:30pm; Emergencies: 24 hrs daily Maanav Health Clinic LOCATION: Main Square HOURS: 10:00am-12:30pm and 2:00-5:00pm PHONE: 941-815-5795 EMAIL: maanavcare@yahoo.co.in Men-Tsee-Khang LOCATION: Below Delek Hospital, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org Primary Health Centre LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, main market HOURS: 9:30am-4pm, Mon-Sat Nature Cure Health Club LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House-Map #10 HOURS: 9:30am-6:30pm PHONE: 7833047078 / 9882320136 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com Dr Tandon Advanced Dental Orthodontic & Implant Centre Location: Opp. AP Travels, Mcleod Ganj Phone:9418462936 Email: dr.rahultandon@gmail.com

Tibet-Related Websites

News:

tibet.net - official website of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile phayul.com -Phayul is published in Dharamshala,has opinion, reviews, photos, etc contactmagazine.net - Contact magazine online news rfa.org/english/news/tibet - Radio Free Asia’s mission is to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press voatibetanenglish.com - Voice of America’s Tibet pages - VOA is an international multimedia broadcasting service funded by the US government thetibetpost.com - Tibet Post International online news tibetexpress.net - Tibet Express online news guardian.co.uk/world/tibet - the UK Guardian newspaper’s Tibet pages scmp.com/news/china - the South China Morning Post – one of the more independent news sources in China thetibetpost.com and tibetexpress.net are both sources of news and information

News, information and campaigning:

dalailama.com - for broadcasts of His Holiness’s teachings, his schedule and information about Tibet and the Dalai Lama tchrd.org - Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy - a nongovernmental organisation and a research centre to protect the human rights of Tibetan people and promote the principles of democracy tibetanyouthcongress.org - an international non-governmental organisation that advocates full independence for Tibet from China studentsforafreetibet.org - a global grass roots group campaigning for full Tibetan independence tibetanreview.net - news, opinions, reviews and information freetibet.org: - UK-based campaigning organisation, also a good news source savetibet.org - Website of the International Campaign for Tibet and a good resource for news, campaigns, fundraising and projects tibetnetwork.org/home - a coalition of more than 190 Tibet organisations dedicated to campaigning to end human rights violations in Tibet and restoring rights to the Tibetan people tibetanjournal.com - Tibetan Journal - news, reviews and opinions

Writings:

highpeakspureearth.com/category/woeser - occasional translations of Woeser’s enormously popular blog – Woeser lives in Beijing and is continually harassed by the Chinese government for her courageous writings.

DHARAMSHALA CONTACTS Ambulance: 01892-102, 222189 Tibetan Delek Hospital Location: Gangchen Kyishong, CTA Hours: Outpatient services: 9am-1pm, Mon-Sat; Specialist clinics: 2-4:30pm, Wed only; Emergencies: 24-hrs, daily.

Phone: 222 053,223 381 Kangra Airport: 01892-232374

Contact

Bhagsu Taxi Union: 01892221034 Tourism Office: 01892-224430 , 223325 Rail Booking & Enquiry: 01892265026 Police Superintendent: 01892222244 Police Contact Information Location: Past St.John’s Church on the road to Dharamshala in

19

Cantt. area.

Phone: 221 483 McLeod Ganj Post Office Location: Jogiwara Rd, past Peace Cafe Hours: 9:30am-1pm and 2-5pm, Mon-Fri; 9:30am-noon, Sat. Parcels and money orders can be sent in the mornings only.

Phone: 01892-221 924

APRIL 2018

advertisements

DR TANDON’S ADVANCED Our specialty: Chocolate Vegan cake, Gluten free cake, Fresh Coffee Beans, cappaccino, Chocolate chilli lollipop 9am to 7pm - Closed on Monday

Below “Black Magic Hotel” on Jogiwara Rd -Map#4

DENTAL

ORTHODONTIC & IMPLANT CENTRE Mcleod Add: Downstairs Opp. AB Travels Temple Road Mcleod Ganj Dharamshala Add: Opp. Canara Bank Kotwali Bazaar Dharamshala

A centre with multispeiciality dental treatment facility since 2000. Map#24 website: www.himachaldentist.com Email: dr.rahultandon@gmail.com Appointment/Emergency call: 9418462936

To advertise here, Contact Lha office at Temple Road, McLeod Ganj Or Call on our number 9882323455 Price of advertisements depends on the size of your Ad

HIMALAYAN YOGA RETREAT Yoga Time: 8:30 am to 9:30 am

Drop-in Classes/ Weekly Courses/ Reiki Course & Treatment Teacher Training Course (200 hours) Map#26

Mobile no: 988222502 - Surinder

Address: Jogiwara Road, Green View House after Youngling Schoo Mcleod Ganj, Opposite Pink House www.himalayanyogacentre.com / Email:surinderlala@yahoo.in

8 AUSPICIOUS HIM VIEW HOTEL

8 beautiful rooms with balcony facing the Himalayan Range.

Enjoy the sunrise from your bed!

Phone: 01892-220567 Cell: 9418236603 Jogiwara Rd (Map #12) Email: tseringd@aushimview.com

Nature Cure Health Club

Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House - Map #23 Mobile: 07833047078 /09882320136 / Email: mahinder_m@ hotmail.com 20+ yrs’ experience: Swedish massage courses & treatment, Zen Shiatsu courses, treatment, reflexology treatment, SPA, Singing Bowl Treatment and many more!

TIBETAN OM MASSAGE THERAPY Bhagsu Road, Opp.Green Hotel Mcleod Ganj - Map #27 Email: kunsangdolma75@gmail / Mobile : 7018483961 / 9857999373

I) COURSES

• Thai Massage ( 90 minutes for 3 days - Rs 4500 ) • Traditional /Ayurvedic Acupressure (90 minutes for 3 days - Rs 4500 ) • Litho Us Therapy (60 minutes for 3 days - Rs 4000) • Deep Tissue (90 minutes for 2 days - Rs 3000) • Swedish Massage (90 minutes for 2 days - Rs 2000) • Foot Reflexology (90 minutes for 1 day - Rs 2000) • Back Massage (120 minutes for 1 day - Rs 2000) • Head Massage (90 minutes for 1 day - Rs 1500) • Chair Massage (90 minutes for 1 day - Rs 1500) • Yoga Classes (5 days course - Rs 1000)

II) MASSAGES

• Lithos Therapy ( 70 minutes - Rs 1600) • Thai Massage ( 60 minutes - Rs 1500) • Deep Tissue Massage ( 60 minutes - Rs 1300) • Compresss Therapy ( 60 minutes - Rs 1300 ) • Kerala Traditonal Massage ( 60 minutes - Rs 1000) • Swedish Massage (60 minutes - Rs 1000 / 90 minutes - Rs 1500) • Reflexology ( 30 minutes - Rs 600) • Chair Massage ( 30 minutes - Rs 600) • Baliness Back Massage ( 30 minutes - Rs 500) •Ayurvedic Head Massage ( 30 minutes - Rs 500)

Contact

20

APRIL 2018

advertisements

Contact

21

APRIL 2018

advertisements Map not to scale

Map of McLeod Ganj showing locations of places of interest

BHAGSU NAG 16

See advertisement pages for details of advertisers TIPA

21

DHARAMKOT

Naddi Village Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV)

27

26

Vipassana Centre

15

Tushita Centre

22

MAIN SQUARE

3

McLEOD GANJ 25 Main Bazaar

27

Cantt Police Post

6

23

4

20

28

1

24

12

11

10

5

Lha

29 14

2

13

Road to Dharamshala

1. Lha Headquarters and Tibet Fair Trade 2. Namgyal Cafe 3. Common Ground Cafe 4. Dr Mobile, Woeser Bakery 5. Black Tent Cafe 6. Carpe Diem Restaurant 10. Perfect 32 Dental Clinic 11. Hotel Ladies’ Venture 12. 8 Auspicious Him View Hotel 13. Ahimsa House and Lha Soup Kitchen 14. Chonor House 15. Lhamo’s Croissant 16. Shivam NeelKanth Yoga Kendre

17. Central Tibetan Administration,Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Tibetan Library 18. LRZTP Tibetan Language Programme 19. Tibetan Museum and Temple 20. Tibetan Handicraft Centre 21. Taste of India 22. SnowLion Custom Tattoo 23. Nature Cure Health Club 24. Dr Tandon’s Advanced Dental 25. Smile Dental Clinice & Implant Center 26. Himalayan Yoga Retreat 27. Om Massage Centre 28. Chapri Handicrafts 29. Dorjee Spa

Enjoy traditional Taiwanese and Chinese food and peaceful environment, just one minute from the Bus Stand, just behind Asian Plaza! (Map # 3)

19

17 18

Road to Dharamshala

Shifted to new location!

First floor opposite Municipal Parking near HH Dalai Lama temple #Temple Road

NEED A DENTIST?

For all your dental requirements under one roof, in a sterile and state of the art clinic

Dr Natasha Mehra @ Perfect 32 Dental Clinic Location: Near Hotel Mount View Jogiwara Rd, McLeod Map #10 Email: perfect32dentalclinic@gmail.com /Call: 09218742046 Website: www.perfect32dentalclinic.in

Shivam Neelkanth Yoga Kendra

BOOKWORM - THE COMPLETE BOOKSHOP is the oldest bookshop in Mcleod Ganj, where the Lonely Planet Guide (India) calls it the Best bookshop in town.

YOGA TEACHER TRAINING May 7- 30, 2018 200Hour One Drop Meditation with Yogi Shivam. Experience a taste of love. One drop of love, happiness & joy.

Location: Pemathang road, few steps from Dolma Chowk • •

Daily meditation @ 11:30 am

Lhamo’s Croissant

LOCATION: UpperBagsu, next to Namaste Cafe & behind Reggae Cafe Yogi Shivam has 28 years of yogic practice experience from from his master Dooni Nath Babaji!

Daily Yoga - 7 am to 9:30 am Website: www.ShivamNeelkantyoga.com Email: yogi_shivam@yahoo.co.in Phone: +91 9816565138 Contact

Online shopping gives us only the books we already want.

Bookshops draw us into the ones we didn’t know we wanted

Vegetarian and Vegan Food

Bakery, Coffee shop, Gluten Free and Fresh seasonal juices and salads

Roof top terrace with stunning views

Bhagsu Road, just after Tibetan Settlement Office Map#15 22

APRIL 2018

lha news and advertisements Smile Dental Clinic & Implant Center

Oppo. Walia Medical Store Near State Bank of India ATM, Mcleod Ganj. MOBILE NO: 7018354594 / 8629011445 Map#25 website: smiledentalclinicmcleodganj.com

Ocean of Harmony Programmes for Wellbeing Meditation Intensives Meditation Therapies Intensive Yoga Courses/Retreats Stress Management Integrated Healing Therapies Wellness Retreats

To advertise here, Contact Lha office at Temple Road, McLeod Ganj

For upcoming events, visit www.oceanofharmony.org For intensive trainings around the world (any country) contact: Shalu Patel (experienced & qualified life and wellness coach for international trainings)

Phone: (+91) 9979894585 Email: ohlifeandwellness@gmail.com

Contact

23

APRIL 2018

ལྷ་བོད་ཀྱི་ལུགས་མཐུན་བཟོ་ཚོང་ལས་ཁང་།

Lha Tibet Fair Trade Regd No.U74140HP2013PTC000540 IEC No. 2213006741 TIN: 02060101641 CST: 02060101641 PAN: AACCL5897M

What’s LTFT?

Lha Tibet Fair Trade (LTFT) is a certified Fair Trade company which supports Lha’s charitable work through the sale of traditional Tibetan goods made by local craftspeople.

What we have?

Hand-made woollen carpets, singing bowls, jewellery, goods made from recycled paper, Tibetan home decor pieces and many more!

Why LTFT?

Your shopping and support will contribute to Lha’s numerous social projects and help Lha become more sustainable and self-sufficient.

What we do?

Retail outlet, manufacture, wholesale, import & export, support local artisans, tours and travel.The LTFT is pleased to welcome any businesses wishing to form partnerships and set up exhibition tours.

Drop-in at our store at LHA office, Mon-Sat Phone: +91 (0) 98823-23455 / 01892 -220992 W

www.tibetfairtrade.com To advertise call Lha

office: 01892-220992 or visit Lha office at Temple Rd, McLeod Ganj Map #1

འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact Newsletter Managing Director Ngawang Rabgyal

Follow Contact website us-

ing the

QR

Phone: 91(0)1892-220992 Email:editor@contactmagazine.net Facebook: ContactNews Twitter: @ContactTibet Printed at Imperial Printing, Dharamshala Phone: 222390 Email:ippdsala@gmail.com

Editor-in-Chief Jenny James Editor Tenzin Samten Assistant Editor Dorji Kyi Circulation Manager Lobsang Rabsel Published by Lha Charitable Trust Web:www.lhasocialwork.org www.contactmagazine.net www.samdhongrinpoche.com