As I meet Karma Ringzin Topgyal, he is ready for me. He hands me a document containing information about his date of birth, parents, education and work history. He seems almost surprised that I want to know more about him.
Karma reveals that he is currently a freelance Web designer. He tells me that his love for computers goes back to 1998, in the days of “black and white screens” and DOS. He found working with computers to be fun, and started learning to use DOS commands. He tells me his knowledge of the DOS commands turned out to be very handy when he later started learning the windows operating system and applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
He muses that there have been big changes in the computer world since then. In those days connecting to the Internet cost Rs 45 per hour. Now the Internet is faster and provides more benefits such as Google and YouTube.
Karma graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi in 2000, but it seems that he was not satisfied with this achievement. He changed course and studied Computer Applications at first at Apar India Computers. He then attended Sikkim Manipal University where he completed the degrees of Bachelor of Computer Information Technology and Master of Computer Applications, the last of which he completed in 2004.
Karma’s joy is teaching about computers. For six years from 2004 he taught at the Education Support Trust. He has lectured students from many different backgrounds, always encouraging them to ask questions. Sometimes he does not know the answers, and then he has to find it out. In this way he keeps on learning all the time.
When building a website, Karma puts a lot of thought into it. One has to plan carefully, and think how the user will interact with the site. There are a lot of options, such as the colours of the site, as well as the fonts and the layout. All of this has to be practical and easy to use. Building a good website cannot be rushed. He believes that a good website should have an active life, with regular new posts and lively discussions. So the design of the website has to assist in meeting this ideal.
When asked what he wants to be remembered for, Karma is very forthright. “I designed the website for Sera Jay Rigzod Chenmo,” he says proudly. In describing it, he uses the word “useful” over and over. The management of the site is good, he says, adding that it hosts many books, especially Buddhist scriptures of all traditions. He believes that a large number of Buddhist practitioners can get benefits from those free books. (see www.serajeyrigzodchenmo.org – site is in Tibetan language)
I ask him what advice he would give to a young person just starting out. Karma is very clear. “Get trained in a job that has prospects in the long term.” He cites an example. People will always eat, he reasons, so training to be a chef is a good choice. He says that he was deeply impressed by a saying of the Dalai Lama: “Helping is a sign of Buddhism.”
One of Karma’s goals is to return to Tibet. This is at present impossible, but he is tempted by the wonderful stories that his students have told him of the country. He longs to see Lhasa in particular, and mentions Amdo with longing. He has been to Nepal and was impressed by the famous stupas and the awesome Guru Rinpoche Caves.
Karma’s favorite motto is “Never leave what you can do today for tomorrow.”
As we part, I am certain that he is ready for whatever will come his way. After all, he has prepared for it.
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