Dharamsala: The Dharamsala Community Library’s (DCL) opened today with Mr. Tsering Phuntsok, the settlement officer of the Dharamsala Tibetan Settlement Office, as the chief guest.
“This is an excellent community service, which is very necessary. I will extend any help that you need, both personally and in my capacity as the settlement officer,” Tsering said.
According to Tenzin Tsudue, one of the four founding members of the library, the DCL aims to promote intellectual and creative awareness in the community by providing a space for reading and other activities such as poetry recitation, film screening and group discussions on history and current issues.
Earlier the DCL operated for a year on the temple road with generous assistance from the renowned Indian writer, Pankaj Mishra, who also donated a large number of books. The current funding for the DCL comes from generous donations by Tibetan communities in Boston and Amherst in Massachusetts, US, said Bhuchung D. Sonam, one of the founding members of the DCL.
The DCL was started and operates under the guidance of the four founding members which include Tenzin Tsundue, writer-activist, Tenzin Choeying, the director of the Students for a Free Tibet India, Ashiwini Bhatia, journalist and photographer, and Bhuchung D. Sonam, a poet and writer.
The library has a large collection of books on various fields and films, including a wide variety of documentaries and films on history, arts and literary criticism. The DCL is strategically located near Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, where there are a number of adult learning centres including the Hope Centre, LIT (Learning Ideas for Tibet) and Volunteer Tibet.
