DHARAMSHALA, January 8, 2014: The gateway to the northeastern states of India, Guwahati, will witness its maiden festival of Tibetan art and culture next month. The Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama will grace the opening day of the five day festival that will showcase various art and culture from the roof of the world.
At a press conference Tuesday in Guwahati, the organizers announced that the Tibetan leader will address the opening day at Kala Shetra in Guwahati, the city through which the Tibetan leader had once passed through in 1959 after his escape from Tibet via the Khenzimani Pass in Arunachal Pradesh.
The chairman of the organizing committee Pema Khandu, who is also a minister in the Arunachal government, said the festival will bring the people of the northeastern Indian states a lot closer to Tibet and its unique cultural heritage which is also shared by several people in these states.
The Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay will grace the closing ceremony on February 6, 2014. Former Tibetan PM Samdhong Rinpche, who is also the Chancellor of Sanchi University, will also deliver talks on Buddhism and Tibetan culture.
Several thousand people are expected to attend the festival during the five days. Visitors can watch Tibetan thangka paintings being drawn by Tibetan artists, enjoy Tibetan cuisine, watch monks create Sand Mandala and butter sculpture, see Tibetan woodcarving art and also buy traditional Tibetan handicraft products made by Tibetan refugees.
The festival will also hold Photo exhibition, film screenings, talks and seminars to educate the visitors about Tibet’s history, culture and religion. The artistes from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts will perform traditional Tibetan songs and dances. Cultural troupes from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will also perform their traditional dances at the festival.
“During the five days, visitors can be part of a unique experience – one that will leave a lasting impression in their minds about the beauty and the sheer magic of Tibetan culture,” said Pema Khandu, chairman of the festival organizing committee.
“It is a great way of sharing the Buddhist culture and tradition with the people of the northeastern states, and also a wonderful way to build a lasting friendship with our brothers and sisters from the northeast,” said Karma Yeshi, Tibetan MP and member of the organizing committee.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will also visit Shillong, where a sizable number of Tibetan refugees live, and address the 6th Convocation of the Martin Luther Christian University on Feb. 3. His Holiness will give a religious discourse to the Buddhist Community on Feb. 4. His Holiness will also participate in an inter-faith event in the afternoon at the State Central Library in Shillong. This will be the Tibetan leader’s first visit to Shillong.
