Another Lazy Weekend

Last Monday was the Dalai Lama's birthday, so there was no school and many shops were closed. Instead, people gathered at the main temple to watch the special ceremonies in honor of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who was actually out of town for the festivities. People gathered on rooftops, balconies, the temple floors and benches to watch students from various schools in the area perform for Karmapa, another high lama, and the other dignitaries.
High school and college students dressed in traditional dress entertained for mesmerized audiences. Tibetans have little contact with their families back in Tibet due to the increasingly strict rules set down by the Chinese government, so a strong connection with their culture is necessary.
Beautiful voices, faces and costumes are the "rule of thumb" for Tibetans, whose love of country and separation from it are at opposite ends of the exile scale. Some of these young people have not seen their families for many years. The Communist Chinese government has tried to squash Tibetan language and culture. Celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthdy was a wonderful way for the Tibetans in exile to connect once again, if just for the day, with their heritage.

On weekends and special holidays, all the musicians come out on the streets to play and, hopefully, earn some Rupees from crowds of passerbys. These two talented youngsters made beautiful music and probably earned enough money to buy them food for a few days. I always ask permission when taking photos. However, Indian families are very social and I am frequently asked to be in their family photos; nothing like knowing a Westerner!!

Another Indian family trying to earn enough Rupees for a day's food. The little girl was playing some percussion hand clappers made of wood, perhaps the hard seed shell from a mango or papaya. Dad's music was enchanting and many passersby took photos and dropped money in their collection plate. They were sitting along the wall outside the main temple on the Dalai Lama's birthday, so their audience was quite large.

The rain has stopped and I'm off for the 3km walk down the steep road to Dharamsala, the next biggest town. There's supposed to be a great Indian restaurant there called, surprisingly enough, Midtown, that I hope to try for dinner. Tashi Delek!