The two-day International Himalayan Festival was celebrated from December 10 at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala, and marked the 25th anniversary of the Dalai Lama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mongolian dancer
Photo: Lha\Karthik Achar
Mongolian act
Photo: Lha
The event saw troupes from Mongolia and the Kalmykia Republic in Russia perform their traditional songs and dances, along with performances by troupes from Uttarkhand, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. The students of TIPA and the local Forsythganj school, also performed traditional dances for the audience.
Local organisations set up stalls at the Festival site to exhibit their work and sell their products, including the Tibet Museum with their exhibition on Indo-Tibetan relations, Men-Tsee-Khang, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department, and the Trekkers and Mountaineers Association.
“The festival has created an excellent atmosphere for traditional music and dance. It’s beautiful to have this opportunity to see the traditional culture”, said Scott, a tourist from Canada.
Urban development minister visits the Mountaineering stall
Photo: Lha/Karthik Achar
“The festival began in 1995 and due to financial constraints, was not celebrated from 2004. This year, the festival is being celebrated at a scale grander than ever before”, said Subash Neharia, president of the Trekkers and Mountaineers Association, and an organiser of the event.
The first International Himalayan Festival was organised in 1995 to celebrate the awarding of the Noble Peace Prize to the Dalai Lama in 1989. The aim was to promote peace, progress and friendship by bringing together people from different Himalayan regions in an atmosphere of festivity and joy. Financial support from the state government and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) enabled the Festival to resume this year.
Indian dancers
Photo: Lha
This year’s event was presided over by the Honourable Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Town and Country Planning of Himachal Pradesh, ShriSudhir Sharma; and Sikyong Dr LobsangSangay, the elected head of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, along with other prominent members of the CTA. The festival was organised by Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Himachal Pradesh, in collaboration with the CTA, with the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Association playing the role of facilitator.
The Festival was inaugurated earlier in the day by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh in the Tsuglagkhang temple complex. His Holiness the Dalai Lama could not attend the event as planned as he had left for Rome to attend the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit which had been postponed from October.
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