the Singsa clans first photograph in India.
The Buddhist view of moral conduct is that it will shield
you like strong armour.
Shamar rimpoche.
When momola Pembalama came to visit us during December of
1990, I remember the winter flowing by with her story telling. As she sat on
her favorite cane chair, her fingers constantly moving through her prayer beads
while she narrated stories of yore, we her grandchildren (some listening and
others fidgeting )would be transported to the past tracing the genesis of our
Tibetan family(singsa clan)in India. These afternoons on the terrace involved dreamy anecdotes as I sat eating oranges under the mild winter sun. Momola
Pembalama would dramatically narrate the long trek our ancestor Thillen Sardar
took from Tibet to India carrying only a sack of salt which he would use to
barter for grain on his arrival, since in those days Tibet had no currency and
traders would barter items like musk, wool, falcons and even salt……. There is
no doubt that every displaced Tibetan
family in India and abroad has a similar story of migration because it is not
easy transitioning from having a homeland to arriving as a refugee into a
foreign land. Like dissipated snowflakes in an ocean Tibetans have sought
sanctuary all over the world and the tragedy of not being able to go back to
their homeland even after decades in exile is insurmountable.
A horrific image of a burning man running through the
streets of Delhi on 28th march,2012 was published in the papers a few
days back. Jampel Yeshi, a 27year old monk decided self-immolation was the
only way of protesting against Chinese policies in his homeland. Thirty or more
Tibetan exiles have done the same before him. Tehelka, an Indian magazine
states that “a document smuggled out of palden’s monastery, lists forced
resettlement of Tibetan nomads, increased regulation of religious practice and
heavy patrolling of Tibetan-dominated towns as factors in the monk’s decision
to self-immolate”. Now, as an art blogger I’ve been advised time and again never to
politicize art but for me the questions lie on whether art is functional or
just for art’s sake? Should art have a cause attached to it so it can be
humanized? In this case YES! The Tibetan cause is a personal one because I
belong to this community and I have decided to use Tibetan art in a political
context so that it offers a solution. Art can be used to ideologically
challenge the powers that be and hope some justice is given, otherwise what is
the point? The passage to India has not been easy for Tibetans. They have
arrived through the years with nothing but clothes on their bodies and skills
in hand. They have started all over again taking up different trades in the hills of
Darjeeling and Ghoom in West Bengal , Dharamshala in Uttaranchal, and
settlements down in Karnataka. Tibetan artisans, a reclusive art community have
had to expose themselves and make money through their craft. Tibetan wood works,
thangka paintings, ceramic sculptures and silver jewellery are now easily
recognized due to their uniqueness. But there is more work to be done and kriya
kalash has joined hands with Tibetan artisans to promote their craft. We are
attaching a deeper meaning to the artifacts because this time it is standing up
for humanity, freedom, justice, everything that the free world takes for
granted. We stand for Jampel Yeshi and all other unknown Tibetans who have lost
their lives in some way due to this displacement. Lastly, we stand for Tibetans
all over the world struggling to rebuild their lives.
A thangka is a silk painting with embroidery mainly depicting a buddhist deity or scene.
Tibetan artisans are excellent wood carvers, making wooden altars (chesums) and sculptures keeping the religious theme in mind.
If you would like to purchase Tibetan thankgas,ceramic sculptures and wood works, kindly mail us at kriyakalash@gmail.com. prices are on request. you can also look at the following link to view another artifact in our blog.
http://kriyakalash.blogspot.in/2012/01/tibetan-snow-lion.html
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