|
|
Pavilion
of Tibetan Culture Auroville
Patron:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Newsletter
July 6, 2000
The
Pavilion wishes His Holiness the Dalai Lama a very Happy Birthday
and a Long Life.
Grant
from the Department of Culture
On March
31, the Pavilion has received a grant from the Department of
Culture, Government of India. Not only has the sanction of this
grant come in time to boost the construction, but it has been
at many levels a very special 'present'. It shows the deep
interest the Government of India has in preserving a culture
which is on the brink of disappearance on the other side of
the Himalayas. This grant in three installments will help us
to complete the ground floor of the Pavilion and start the first
floor. We will in fact be able to build the large Conference
Hall on the first floor that we have decided to name after
the great Indian Pandit Atisha who in the 9th century brought
Buddhism in all its purity back to Tibet after two centuries
of decline. This hall will be used not only for the activities
of the Pavilion but will also be available for other Auroville functions
when the need arises.
Construction
News
We
are now hoping to complete the ground floor sometime in September
this year. Natural stones from Kadapah (Andhra Pradesh) have
been laid in all the rooms and their polishing is going on.
A team of 5/6 painters have been working for the past 2 months
to put a first layer of primer paint on the beams and pillars.
We are planning at a later stage to call Tibetan artists
to give a special look to each room, keeping in mind the advice
H.H. The Dalai Lama gave us for the building: "keep it simple,
close to the nature and one should have a feeling of contentment
[santosham) while in the building". Most of the visitors
have been impressed by the Exhibition Hall which is getting
its finishing touches. After receiving the best technical guidance
from friends working at the India International Centre and
the National Gallery of Modern Arts in New Delhi, we have designed
the high-ceiling room incorporating some of the best available
features, including a lighting system which was procured from a
Delhi-based manufacturer. The kitchen is also taking shape and the
laying of tiles and flooring should be completed in a couple
of weeks. The structure of the first floor has been started
on one wing and by the end of the year most of the structure
(pillars and beams) should be completed.
A lot still remains to be done and we have now to start again a
fund-raising campaign to keep up the tempo and make the Pavilion
of Tibetan Culture the first Pavilion to be completed in the
international zone of Auroville.
Career-empowerment
for Tibetans
In March,
the Planning Council in Dharamsala sent twelve young college
graduates to Auroville for a workshop on Career Empowerment. The
workshop was conducted by Marijke Lassche, an old friend
of Auroville and a professional career counselor from Holland.
Though the Pavilion is still under construction, we made some
arrangement in the Pavilion itself to have a room relatively
conformable for the workshop. The Project Officer for the PADME
Project (Promotional Agency for Development of Micro-enterprises)
and the career counselor of the Department of Education in
Dharamsala were the leaders of the group. Most of the other
participants were Regional Project Officers (REPRO) of the Planning
Council. They are active in training, and assisting, unemployed
Tibetan youths in different Tibetan settlements in India (the
majority are school drop-outs).
The group leaders assisted Marijke during the course.
Marijke
later wrote: "The members of the young staff were serious,
could speak and write fluent English, though they were on their
first jobs in this field. Their job is to help to direct the
young unemployed Tibetan youths in the rural settlements to
choose a profession they want training in, and to support them
to set up a business after training. They also handle the accounts
on the soft loans that Tibetan Government is giving to the
unemployed youth for setting up their business. We hope that during
their five day stay in Auroville, the trainees would have acquired
some self-confidence and will be able to provide help to the
unemployed youth in their respective settlements."
Marijke expressed the hope that the Tibetan government
will empower these young officers and that they will have
"the courage to take initiative, to be positively critical,
to listen to all, and be ready to help all."
Monthly
Lectures
Since
our last newsletter, we had two lectures. One was given by Penpa
Tsering, an MP (from Amdo) who is living in Pondicherry and
who has been a constant support for our project, as well as
for the young Tibetan living in Auroville. Penpa-la spoke on
the "Democratization of the Tibetan society under the
leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama". He explained
how the Tibetan society was transformed from a feudal society to
a democratic society in a few decades time since the introduction
of the first draft constitution by the Dalai Lama in the early
sixties and the formation of the first Assembly of Tibetan
People's Deputies. He elaborated on how this institution evolved
under the leadership of Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche as a fully
democratic institution which is now electing the members of
the Tibetan cabinet and monitoring the Tibetan executive of
behalf of the people. He also detailed the functioning of the Tibetan
government-in-exile which apart from the Legislative wing has a
full-fledged executive wing and a nascent judiciary system.
The second lecture
was given by Maj. Gen. K.K. Tewari (Retd) who spoke of the
seven months he spent in Tibet as a prisoner of war after the
1962 war. He developed upon the circumstances which led to
the Indian debacle of 1962 from the point of view of the army.
The public was very touched by the narration of his prison
days in a Tibetan monastery in Chongye in Yalung valley and
the silent and discreet support of a few Tibetan Lamas. He
spoke of the character of his Chinese jailors as well as the bravery
of the ordinary Indian soldiers in face of the most difficult
situations. Maj. Gen. Tewari is the author of a book, called
"A Soldier's Journey to Self-Discovery", published
by himself in Auroville in 1995. This book describes the journey
of an army officer through his career, three wars against Pakistan
and one with China who at the end decides to retire in Auroville,
the city of universal brotherhood. Two chapters describe the
Indo-China war and his ordeal in the Tibetan monastery.
Future
Programs
Though
most of our energies go toward the construction of the Pavilion,
we will be organizing a film festival in August. The famous
Oscar-winning movie: "The Cup" directed by Dzonkar
Kyentse Rinpoche will be screened on August 25. We are
in the process of arranging some other films and videos in
particular on Tibetan medicine as the subject is very popular in
Auroville.
Tibetan
Medical Centre
The
monthly consultation of Dr Dorjee Rabten, Chief Medical
Officer, Bangalore branch of the Tibetan Medical & Astro
Institute (TMAI) is continuing regularly and every month new
patients from Pondicherry or Auroville are added to the long
list of those seeking Tibetan medical treatment. Apart from
the consultations, we plan to start a research program in the
plants and seeds of South India and their use and potentialities
for Tibetan medicine. We have received an assurance from the
TMAI, Dharamsala that they would collaborate with such a project
based in Auroville which should open new avenues for the manufacture
of Tibetan medicines.
For
further information, contact
Claude
Arpi, The Co-ordinator
Pavilion of Tibetan Culture
Auroville, 605101, TN India
Tel: 91-413-622172/622136
Fax: 91-413-622062
Email: tibpav@satyam.net.in
|
