By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, FEB 23: ‘This novel took over 15 years to come about and after tweaking it for years he had left it as a manuscript before he passed away,’ said the Lhamo Pempa, Daughter of posthumous novelist Dr. Tsewang Yishey Pemba at the unveiling of his book, White Crane, Lend me your wings, in Gangchen Kyishong today.
Lhamo Pempa expressed her gratitude to the Tibetan Prime Minister for taking out time to talk about the book by late Tibetan surgeon who was a well known figure among the Tibetan communities in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Gangtok area.
PM Sangay who also hails from Darjeeling spoke highly of the late author saying he knew the author. “It is a great privilege for me to launch the book by Dr. Pempa because he is, was and will continue to be a legend in Darjeeling area. He was a very humble, compassionate and a very down to earth person despite all his achievements in his field,” he said.
Dr. Tsewang, (June 5, 1932-Nov 26, 2011), a surgeon by profession who loved to pen his stories was the pioneer of fiction in English by a Tibetan with his initial works like ‘Young Days in Tibet’ (1957), and ‘Idols on the Path’ (1966). However, his latest book is launched five years after his demise because it took Lhamo and the team some time to find a publisher.
The 466-paged novel is a fiction set in Nyarong Valley in Eastern Tibet about two young boys and their family and their tale of vengeance, warfare and love unfolding through a time of upheaval. The novel also explores issues of tradition versus modernity, individual choice and freedom, and the role of religion in people’s lives etc.
“My father loved writing. He did whenever he could and has left many notes behind. Amongst many, he has left behind a diary about Tibetan Rinpoches and monks. He was very impressed with them and felt that their upbringings had a lot to do with their facets of personality. So we are trying to see if can bring that out too,” said Lhamo.
The well-known doctor is the first Tibetan to become a Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons and also served as consultant physician to the Royal Family of Bhutan.
