By Sherab Woeser
DHARAMSHALA, October 26: A young Tibetan contemporary artist has made it a reality what many Tibetans in exile have spent an entire lifetime dreaming of – stepping foot on home soil.
Tenzin Rigdol, a New York based artist has transported 20,000 kg of soil from Tibet to the exile seat of Dharamshala, north India and created a work of art which is as true to its moral values as it is to its subtle aesthetics.
Under a brilliant October sky, the soil from Tibet was spread on a grand stage at the open grounds of the Tibetan Children’s Village School (TCV) in Dharamshala. A portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was placed in the centre and the ‘banned in Tibet’ Tibetan National flag was raised on the little piece of land from Tibet.
Old men bent on walking sticks kneeled down to touch their foreheads on the soil and feel the grains in their hands while monks recited prayers and threw little handful of soil to the sky as offerings.
Inaugurating the site-specific installation, titled “Our Land, Our People”, earlier today, an emotional Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay stood for the first time on the soil of his forefathers and spoke through a microphone set on the stage of his late father’s wishes of returning to Tibet.
“It has been the dream of many Tibetans to return to Tibet and set foot on Tibet’s soil. Many have passed away with that wish unfulfilled. Today, I am stepping on this soil as a gesture of our struggle to reunite with our brothers and sisters in Tibet,” Dr Sangay said.
Speaking about his work, Tenzin Rigdol, an alumnus of TCV said that his late father who passed away as a refugee in 2008 was the inspiration behind the project.
“It was my father’s inherent wish, his sense of helplessness exemplifying the Tibetans’ nostalgic longing to return to their country before their death, which gave birth to the idea of the project,” Rigdol said.
An eager stream of students and ordinary Tibetans, many amongst whom had never set foot on their homeland or had only childhood memories of Tibet, lined up to walk on the soil and express their reactions.
The air around the stage, inspired in its design and colours by the Tibetan national flag and the tragic history of Tibet, became charged with heightened emotions as students took vows to study hard to win the struggle for Tibet’s independence while an old lady broke down saying prayers for the re-unification of the displaced Tibetan people.
Organisers said that the installation will go on till Friday after which the soil will be given away as souvenirs.
Addressing a press conference following the inaugural event, Rigdol said that he felt “honoured” at being given an opportunity to present a tray full of the soil to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“We presented the tray filled with the soil from Tibet and His Holiness, with his index finger wrote ‘Bhod’ – ‘Tibet’ in Tibetan script on it,” Rigdol said.
“I feel very happy and honoured with the experience,” added Rigdol.
Perhaps the power of Rigdol’s transgressive art, “Our Land, Our People”, was best conveyed as a true act of defiance when a young Tibetan stepped up to the microphone with fistful of soil in his hand and said: “Remember, this soil carries the blood and sweat of thousands of our brethrens who have sacrificed their lives for Tibet. Let us fight forever stronger for Tibet’s independence”.
