The Tibetan festival took Delhiites on a journey where they could unravel the intricacies of their art, culture, traditional beliefs and deities
little Buddhas and deities that won’t melt despite being made out of butter. Sounds like a miracle in the heat of DelhiIJ Not really if you ask their Tibetan sculptors for whom this artform is akin to worshipping the lord. So they have substituted butter with local Dalda. An impressive collection of native calligraphy, nomadic artworks, ritual handicrafts, Thangka paintings, herbal medicines and literature on his Holiness, the Dalai lama, were part of the Cultural festival of Tibet, a rare exhibition on the area referred to as the Roof of the World.
The exhibition focussed on ways to nurture the cross-cultural bonds between the two countries. “The cultural programmes will keep the significance of the native community alive. Somewhere we believe that the culture has lost its true value and there are no avenues to preserve Tibetan traditions. For the past 60 years, India has provided us with the foundation where our culture can thrive and be preserved for the future generations”, said Sharling Dharamshala, organiser, the Cultural Festival of Tibet.
A Tibetan nomad family from Changthang (in ladakh) gave a glimpse of their life in a tent and tried to make people aware of life at freezing high altitude. There are about 395 Tibetan refugee families scattered in nine different nomadic areas of ladakh and are primarily pastoralists. The family also exhibited their utensils as well as the clothes that they wear to combat extreme circumstances. “Many people are not aware that nomadic families are still living in a traditional manner. If one ever reaches ladakh, vast areas can be seen to be retaining the original nomadic culture even in present times”, said Dharamshala. The event was executed by Central Tibetan Administration in collaboration with India International Centre.
Apart from the cultural presentations in art, natural medicines from Manali, Spiti Valley and parts of Sikkim were also on display. Dr Tsewang Tamdin held an exhibition of Tibetan medicine which displayed books on Sowa-Rigpa (the traditional Tibetan system of medicine). Apart from these traditional medicines, pharmaceutical products as well as tools and instruments used by doctors in making these medicines, were also on display.
Also, the artwork of renowned calligraphist Jamyang Dorjee Chakriskar showcased the rich style and technique of cultural heritage of Buddhism and Tibet. A retired bureaucrat from Sikkim, Chakriskar is immensely passionate about the Tibetan language and his love led him to create the world’s longest calligraphy scroll. Measuring 165m, it had prayers by 33 Tibetan spiritual masters for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai lama and was created in 2010. This script was made using hand-made Tibetan lokta paper and contained 65,000 Tibetan characters. The Dalai lama’s picture in calligraphy is decorated with prayers for his long life. Chakriskar’s artworks also encompass the image of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of the Nyingma tradition, the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Goddess Tara, a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism.
The traditional and intriguing crafts of Tibet have stuck roots in some parts of India. Butter sculpture was one the crafts that could be seen at the exhibition. These artworks are inspired by China. Made from Tibetan Dri butter – the dri is the female yak – they are sacred offerings, moulded by hand and decorated in the most colourful ways imaginable. These delicately ornate sculptures are often displayed in monasteries and temples throughout Tibet. Butter has always been highly valued in Tibetan culture and its malleable qualities and availability make it the ideal medium for sculptures. Making them requires a great deal of skill gleaned through years of practice. It is a unique art that has been handed down through the centuries. In order to prevent melting, craftsmen frequently soak their hands in freezing water. These figures are sculpted into shapes like Buddha, religious characters, landscapes, pavilions, animals, flowers and trees. “Creating these sculptures is a form of meditation for the monks, who display them on the 15th day of the Tibetan New Year. In Tibet, it is made with butter, but in Delhi, since butter is soft and melts quickly given the heat, we have used Dalda,” said artist Jigmes Thupten.
Sand Mandala, another exhibit, installed by Gyuto monastery monks had intricate artworks which displayed the creation and destruction of mandalas made from coloured sand. The sand is created by crushing marble and colouring it with five basic colours — green, yellow, white, blue and red.
The deities are depicted by various symbols in a sand mandala. These include beautifully coloured lotus, dharma-chakra and others which symbolised the deity of Tibet. Sharing the relevance and techniques of this art, Thupten said, “This presentation symbolises the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.”
The three-day-festival had everything from traditional art, paintings, handicrafts to educational activities. Dharamshala shared that the first two days were dedicated to spiritual talk on the mindfulness of past things which happened in the life of His Holiness, Dalai lama. Whereas the second day was equipped with the screening of a motivational film produced by Tibet TV. The third day was dedicated to exhibition presentations.
Dhardon Sharling, Secretary of CTA’s Information Department shared, “Our Tibetan culture finds its roots in Indian culture in scope, language and the deities that we worship. All of it draws inspration from India. And, through such exchange of art and culture, we keep our present and future generation aware of our roots and provide an in-depth knowhow of our traditions.”
Placed amidst the big sculptures, it was the minimal glass frames exhibited by the Tibet Museum which was the cynosure of all eyes. This collection of pictures themed as Indo-Tibetan Ancient Ties which displayed Tibet’s journey in exile and Dalai lama’s escape and entry into India. Also, where Norbulingkha Institute at Dharamshala displayed aprons, wall hangings, thangka paintings, carved wooden boxes; the Dekyiling Tibetan Handcraft cum Training & Charitable Society showcased its traditional carpet weaving, apron-weaving and yata weaving techniques. “One of the main objectives of the society is to preserve the traditional Tibetan art of weaving vibrant carpets and sturdy fabrics,” shared Dharamshala.
Summing up to the whole festival, Dharamshala highlighted the aim of exhibition. He said, “The basic aim of the event is to deliver the root tradition to our younger generation and make them aware about its relevance and ways to preserve it for the future.”