DHARAMSALA – Kalsang Dickey has done what few other aspiring beauty queens would even think of attempting.
The 24-year-old hiked hundreds of kilometers (miles) from her home in Tibet, enduring freezing rains and exhaustion on her yearlong journey over the Himalayas to India in pursuit of twin dreams: meeting the Dalai Lama and entering the Miss Tibet 2004 beauty pageant.
Dickey is one of five participants in the Oct. 8 pageant, part of the annual Free Spirit Festival celebrated by Tibetans in Dharmsala, the headquarters of the Dalai Lama’s government in exile. Last year only one participant showed up and received the crown.
Dickey, whose trek through the mountains began in September last year, trudged through slush and mud and used ropes to descend from cliffs to avoid being caught by Chinese border guards.
China has ruled Tibet since a failed independence uprising in 1951, and the Himalayan region’s citizens are not allowed to travel abroad unless they get proper documentation from the Beijing authorities – a near impossibility.
Dickey eventually reached a refugee center in Nepal, where she was hospitalised for severe dehydration and exhaustion. She arrived last month in Dharmsala, 425 kilometers (265 miles) northwest of New Delhi.
“It’s flattering to know that participation in this pageant could motivate someone to escape from Tibet and come to Dharmsala,” said festival director Lobsang Wangyal.
Dickey hopes to meet the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet after a failed revolt against Chinese rule.
“I want to be a professional model and thought I’d get some experience and exposure from the pageant. But my prime reason for coming to Dharmsala was to meet the Dalai Lama,” Dickey said.
The Dalai Lama, who is currently visiting Latin America, does not have a role in the Oct. 5-10 Free Spirit Festival, which highlights Tibetan culture through dance, drama and films. More than 130,000 Tibetan refugees now live in Dharmsala.
Wangyal dismissed critics who say the beauty contest – consisting of a swimsuit competition, talent show and Tibetan costume event -violates Tibetan traditions and trivializes their freedom struggle.
“A culture cannot remain stagnant. It has to evolve and has to address the needs of a younger generation,” he said.
Dickey says she has no plans to return to her homeland, as those who do typically face imprisonment.
