Report submitted by Tenzin Lhaksam

NEW DELHI, November 20: Beginning November 15, a 19-member troupe from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) have been touring the northern Indian cities of Chandigarh and New Delhi, presenting a Tibetan cultural fest – “Dances from the Roof of the World.”

Taking the Indian students on an hour long musical journey across Tibet's varied region, the artistes performed before packed audiences, a variety of Tibetan folk and ceremonial dances from Tibet's three traditional provinces. The programme also featured some rare monastic ritual dances and Tibetan opera which provided a rare glimpse into Tibet's both secular and non-secular musical traditions.

The tour was organised in collaboration with SPIC MACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth), a movement dedicated in the promotion of Indian classical music and art among the youth in India. As part of their ongoing series of "World Heritage" event, the organisers seek to promote and educate Indian students studying in various educational institutions on diverse classical and folk traditions from other communities.

The Tibetan artistes mesmerised the students with their brilliant performances and skillful execution of folk dances from the plains of southern Tibet to the high sonorous mountainous songs from eastern Tibet, intertwined with the colorful monastic ritual dance and the hugely popular snow lion dance. The musical concert also unraveled the deep and common cultural, religious and linguistic bond that Indians and Tibetans share.

Starting from Punjab University, Chandigarh, the troupe visited some of the best schools enroute to the nation’s capital, including the Motilal Nehru's School of Sports in Haryana, the New Era Public School and the National Bal Bawan in New Delhi.

The final show was performed on November 19, at the Stein auditorium, Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi with the Honourable Governor of Chhattisgarh Shekhar Dutt gracing the musical concert as Chief Guest and Tripurari Sharan, Director General of Doordarshan as guest of honor.

Eager to share their thoughts at the end of the show, hundreds of Indian students lined up to see the artistes backstage, asking for autographs and seeking photo opportunities with the artistes.

The audience response at all the venues was overwhelming and awe-inspiring.

A retired IAS officer from Chandigarh, while urging the artistes to continue with their good work said that Tibet as a nation was alive through the active preservation and promotion of its culture. "A nation will live as long as its culture is alive. If culture dies, nation dies too," the former civil servant said.
The tour was made possible through the assistance of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi.

Tenzin Lhaksam Wangdue is the Secretary of the Dharamshala based Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.