Singer Loten Namling from Switzerland calls his one-year tour to India, Nepal and Bhutan a ”Musical Journey” during which he plans to perform at various Tibetan settlements and institutes; and meet fellow singers and document their musical talents. Accompanying him are his wife and two children.
His mission is to preserve the rich classical music of Tibet. He wants to revive the good old habit of singing as a Tibetan way of life. He began his tour from Ladakh in July. He will be performing on Doordharshan(DD1) on October 6 at 5 pm. During his stopover here, he met the Delhi-based Parikrama band.
Loten sings traditional folk songs and his favourite are nangma toeshes, songs from central Tibet and those based on the poetry of His Holiness the 6th Dalai Lama and Acho Namgyal, a popular Tibetan musician in 1940s.
With two albums – White Crane and Songs of Tibet – to his credit, he is presently working on a project titled Tibetan Blues.
Loten traces his artistic journey back to his school days in Tibetan Children’s Village, Dharamsala. He recalls how his family and Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts have been instrumental in furthering his musical pursuits. He has performed over 200 shows in around 12 countries so far. He plays dranynen, singing bowl, conch shell and drum.
Loten is also participating in the forthcoming Tibetan Music Awards ceremony in Dharamsala. Asked what he thinks of the burgeoning music scene in exile, he laments that the sheer passion for music is lacking and exhorts youngsters to delve deeper into the art.
Loten moved to Switzerland in 1989. He believes the best thing he can gift to his children is Tibetan music, culture and values. Besides singing, Loten is known for his cartoons which are by and large political in nature.
If you are interested in inviting Loten Namling in your locality, he can be contacted at his website www.loten.ch. or through norsanglateng@phayul.com.
