Clermont Ferrand, France September 15 – For the people of Clermont Ferrand, it was the event of the year. And for the organisers it was even bigger an achievement. More than 2 million people visited the ten-day international fair (Foire International) at Clermont Ferrand, three hours drive from the French capital. Amid all the high tech gizmos and brands of today, the people of this French industrial town had a rare opportunity to witness the mystique of Himalayan culture and Buddhism from September 3 to 12, courtesy of PACE, a French team and Tibet Art, a modest Tibetan enterprise based in Paris.
“Expo Himalaya” was the centre of attraction of the huge international fair. The event received a huge publicity in French television and press. Schools sent students to study the significance of Mandala. Young enthusiasts curiously ask how a Tibetan tea is made. Elderly men and women enquire why a rosary has 108 beads. As the two monks articulately drip the coloured sands to form an unbelievably beautiful masterpiece of Tibetan Buddhist ritual curious onlookers rush for their cameras for one shot of the Mandala in front of a huge portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. At one corner was a Citroen expedition car, believed to be the first automobile to have entered Tibet, the forbidden kingdom, on a mission to conquer Pamir. The visitors could literally see the nomadic life of Tibet as they pass the tent and boat made from Yak fur and skin.
The Tibetans who have travelled from India for the exhibition feel very much thrilled by the support they received in form of huge turnout of people at the fair. Dorjee Sangpo, who coordinated the exhibition in conjunction with PACE, thinks that the exhibition turned out to be a great success in generating Tibet awareness especially since this year is observed by the French Parliamentarians Group for Tibet and Tibet Support Groups all over France as the Year of Tibet.
“I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to create awareness about the Tibetan culture and religion in Clermont Ferrand and I am very thankful to Pascal and Alex of PACE for their trust in me. By giving me this opportunity to exhibit Tibetan culture, I believe they have tremendously helped the cause of the six million Tibetans,” Sangpo added.
