By Indira Kannan
New York: As the years go by and Chinese occupation of Tibet becomes a fait accompli, activism for freedom of the mountainous region has now shifted to an appeal to save Tibetan culture.
A documentary by a US filmmaker, shot surreptitiously inside Tibet and blessed by the Dalai Lama, is the latest contribution to the cause of Tibet.
Not many films can boast of an endorsement from the Dalai Lama, but the spiritual leader acknowledged this feature-length documentary Vajra Sky Over Tibet as helpful to the Tibetan cause.
New York based producer and director John Bush, who filmed Vajra Sky Over Tibet in Tibet without seeking or receiving permission from Chinese authorities, says he wanted to highlight the damage done by Chinese repression of Tibetan culture.
“The Tibetans are not allowed to have any contact with their own living Buddha, which is the Dalai Lama. They cannot even keep a photograph of the Dalai Lama in their home, that’s illegal. They have not seen him in over 47 years though he lives just across the border, in Dharamsala,” says John Bush.
As a practicing Buddhist for 35 years, Bush has spent a lot of time in India and south-east Asia.
Vajra Sky Over Tibet was recently released commercially in the United States, and Bush is keen to show it to Tibetan exile communities worldwide. He also wants to document the Tibetan community in India.
“Indians have been so open and generous, they have allowed the Tibetans to set up their monasteries in exile and continue their traditions so that they can take them back when they can return to Tibet. I would love to be able to document that,” says he.
Vajra Sky Over Tibet claims to be one of few films shot entirely inside Tibet. The film is filled with predictably stunning landscapes and plenty of other pretty visuals, but the message it seeks to convey is that of an ancient culture in deep distress.
