Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 18 (ANI): Ninety paintings created by Tibetan children from across the world are on display at three different restaurants in McLeodganj, the North Indian hill town in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala.
The exhibition, titled “Dear Kundun” – Tibetan Children’s Art Exhibition, was inaugurated on Sunday by the Tibet Fund and Khadhok, a Tibetan Artists’ organisation. The event features artworks and heartfelt messages in tribute to the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama.
This exhibition is part of the organiser’s ongoing Youth Art Engagement Initiative, encouraging children, in particular young Tibetans, to reflect, create and share their stories through art. The selected works are deeply personal responses to a simple, yet powerful question: “What does His Holiness mean to you?” Through their paintings, these young artists express gratitude, hope and the quiet resilience of a generation in exile.
Tashi Nyima, an organiser and Tibetan visual artist, told ANI, “The occasion is specially for the kids, and the theme of this exhibition is ‘Dear Kundun (Dalai Lama). ‘” Basically, this is for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”
He added, “The Tibetan kids from across the globe have shown their love for the Dalai Lama. We have selected three cafes in McLeod Ganj, each featuring 30 artworks. In this Juniper cafe, we are doing the opening today. We have placed 30 paintings, created by kids who are with us, in celebration of His Holiness’s 90th birthday. We wanted to do something special. We knew that from the younger generation, especially from the kids, we would get the genuine and honest messages.”
Nyima further explained the choice of venue, saying, “We have placed the paintings in the restaurants to engage more and more people and communities instead of keeping it in some high or exclusive places. We decided to place it here, where a variety of people, including tourists, visit, and they can discuss the Dalai Lama while having tea or coffee, and many of them will certainly come to know about Tibetans and the messages of the Dalai Lama. Every artwork is for sale, and the amount will directly go to the kids’ account who have made it.”
Liya, a German volunteer, told ANI, “The whole idea behind this is to highlight the relationship between the Tibetan children and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, so we made this worldwide, global art call and asked the kids, What does His Holiness mean to you and all of them sent their artworks and messages. We selected 90 artworks for the 90th birthday of His Holiness.”
Tenzin Paldon, a Tibetan artist, told ANI, “This is my painting right behind me. This painting depicts the Dalai Lama, with students, another monk, and a woman visible behind him. I’ve tried to convey that the students are enjoying themselves because His Holiness has given us the opportunity to attend school and lead a normal life. We are not able to live in our own country. Then there is an old woman, who symbolises hope. Even the elderly in India are hopeful of returning to Tibet and seeing their homeland again. The girl behind the woman is a senior student, symbolising opportunity, and then there is another monk. As we know, the Chinese have invaded our country, and most of the monks are not able to practice their religion, whereas in India, with the help of the government of India and the grace of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, all Tibetans, including monks, are able to perform their religious practices.” (ANI)
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