By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, DEC. 14: The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje said he remembered his childhood days at his nomadic village in Lhatok region after blessing the inaugural ceremony of a photo exhibition at the Tibet Museum here.
Titled “Grasslands”, the exhibition is a collection of a Tibetan photographer, Kunchok Gyaltsen, who had taken the images during his visit to his nomadic village after 21 years of exile.
“It is an exemplary initiative taken by an individual and I feel every Tibetan should be appreciative of his work,” Karmapa said at the inauguration which was attended by secretaries of Department of Information and International Relations, Sonam Norbu Dagpo and Tenzin Dhardon Sharling.
“When we speak of Tibetan issues, it is not just limited to political issues. It also envelops issues regarding religion and environment. Especially the environment of Tibet, which is not just a concerning issue for Tibetans but for the neighboring countries and the whole world,” the young Buddhist leader said, while urging the world community to speak up about the environmental situation of Tibet.
Speaking of similar concerns, the photographer said that ‘an alarming changes’ have happened near his birthplace with the Tibetan custom, religion and environment in ‘grave danger’.
“My aim is not for personal recognition but fulfilling my responsibility as a Tibetan, often advised by His Holiness, to spread awareness and the reality of the situation,” said the photographer.
He also added that he aims to sponsor young Tibetans students with the help of the fund collected through his photographs’ ‘sale or permitted use’ after his initial plan of building a small school in his hometown was objected by the authorities.
Kunchok, a former monk of Kirti Monastery, said that during his six-week stay in Tibet in 2013, he had clicked over 20,000 pictures including photographs of the birthplace of the Dalai Lama and the 10th Panchen Lama.
