Focus on Youth at the Pavilion of Tibetan Culture

While the topic of youth is getting a lot of attention in Auroville recently, the focus on youth empowerment has long been a mission of the Pavilion of Tibetan Culture. Even before the existence of the Tibetan Pavilion or its stated goal to “welcome the youth of Tibet,” in 1971 The Mother invited 20 Tibetan children to stay at the Ashram under the care of Katak Tulku, a Rinpoche. They then moved to Douceur, and stayed at what came to be known as the “Tibetan Hut”. At one point, Rod and Shraddhavan, who looked after the group, went to the Mother and reported that they were an unruly bunch of kids and challenging to handle, and requested that they separate them into individual foster homes. Mother denied this request, stating that the group should stay together and that they were there to preserve the culture of Tibet. When tensions with the Sri Aurobindo Society arose in the late 1970s, many suggested that the kids were no longer safe, and most of them left Auroville.

Today, the Tibetan Pavilion fosters engagement with Tibetan youth through a variety of programmes, which have blossomed since the second visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Auroville in 2009. It was his presence and encouragement that inspired Kalsang, executive of the Tibetan Pavilion, along with her partner Namgyal, to focus on bringing young Tibetans to Auroville. “When His Holiness visited, it was the experience of a lifetime,” says Kalsang. “I realized then that I wanted to offer my best to the young Tibetan groups that come, but also to have no expectations. I just wanted their experience to be the best.”

The following year, the Pavilion welcomed the first group of students from the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) network, which was Kalsang’s alma mater. TCV is an educational community, originally comprised of orphaned Tibetans, but now open to all Tibetan children throughout the Himalayas who are in need. It has branches from Ladakh to Bylukuppe, with over 16,000 students in its care. The students selected to visit Auroville are between 12 and 23 years old, and are usually chosen from those who have not travelled much before. Of the first group that came in 2010, not one student had travelled more than two hours outside of Dharamsala.

“TCV is very good, but it also functions within an insular Tibetan community,” says Claude Arpi, also an executive of the Tibetan Pavilion. “Kalsang had the opportunity to come out of that system and see how the outside world functions. Now she wants to provide that opportunity and awareness of the outside to other young Tibetans.”

The first visit of 16 TCV students in 2010 was stressful for Kalsang. Not only was she new to the job of working with groups, but also nervous about how to handle the students, most of whom came from diverse backgrounds. “I had a lot of fear,” said Kalsang, “as all of the students are orphans and there were certain topics that I didn’t want to touch.” But that year was also eye-opening in many ways. The next year, Kalsang had gained in confidence and every succeeding year the programme has expanded and improved.

Since the first year, TCV groups have made an annual visit to Auroville over their winter holidays; this year twelve students arrived on January 20th. The focus of the TCV visit to Auroville is to expose young Tibetans to a different way of living and to encourage them to interact with the Auroville community. Service is a large component of their stay; in the past they have volunteered at the Solar Kitchen, Matrimandir gardens, Solitude Farm, Pebble Garden, and for the Litter Free Auroville campaign. The group also always dedicates one early morning each year to volunteering for the Auroville Marathon. This year, they will be working at Annapurna Farm, engaging in a permaculture workshop, and going on a trek to Gingee. They will also visit the beach, and some students will see the ocean for the first time in their lives.

The TCV group also interacts with a variety of Aurovilians through guest speakers and interactive activities. Several Aurovilians volunteer their time and energy over the course of five weeks to teach English, Yoga, Arts and Crafts, Music and Math to the students. Students are also encouraged to take their own initiative. “You have a chance to pursue what you want,” Kalsang told the group in their introductory meeting, “but nothing is compulsory. This time is for you.”

This year’s TCV group has just landed in Auroville, and their biggest adjustment seems to be the weather. Sonam Youdon, 16, who heard about Auroville from her friends, says, “Auroville is very interesting so far, but very also very hot.” Dorje Dujome, 18, who heard about Auroville from his elder classmates, has been looking forward to this trip for three years. “”I learned of this trip when my elder classmates made a presentation about Auroville. They said that people in Auroville are happy. I’m looking forward to this time to improve my English language, and focus on arts and creativity. The weather is difficult to get used to, but I’m very happy to be here.”

While Auroville provides a rich campus for learning and exploration, the relationship with these groups is also beneficial for the Auroville community. One memory that stands out was when a group of TCV students visited Last School. With over 80 people in the room, including one Chinese student then in attendance at Last School, the TCV students shared their life stories. For some, this included how they escaped from Tibet. The atmosphere was heavily emotional but the impact was powerful. Later, Last School students reflected on how important it is to hear someone’s story from them directly rather than watching it in a film or reading about it. The one Chinese student who was there said how she had never been made aware of the Tibetan situation in school in China. Instead, she had been told that Tibetans were barbaric, uneducated, and violent. In the days after the meeting with the TCV students, she brought her family to the Tibetan Pavilion to begin to share with them what she had learned.

Each year, the TCV group’s journey ends with a presentation open to the public in which they share Tibetan songs and dance, and also reflect on their time here. In some years, the TCV students conclude their visit with a meeting with students from the Tibetan Students Association of Madras (TSAM). This is the second youth programme hosted by Tibetan Pavilion, and it has been running for the past five years. Each year, the TSAM group of around 25 Tibetan college students based in Chennai visits Auroville, where they host a Tibetan Café for a few days around Pongal and host a cultural show for the community. Their visit overlaps with the TCV group, bringing together two groups of young Tibetans to meet and inspire each other. At the conclusion of the TCV visit, the younger TCV students are escorted by the TSAM group, and integrated for a few days into college life in Chennai. This exposes the TCV students to university life, where they sit in on classes and sleep in shared housing. “They are exposed to what their future could be like at university,” said Kalsang, “and this helps to expand their awareness of their life possibilities”.

In December 2015, another group visited for the first time to attend a conference in Auroville. Sponsored by the Empowering the Vision (ENVISION) organization based in Delhi, the conference was called “Global Vision for Young Tibetans.” The conference brought together 49 Tibetan college students from around the country for six days. While the mission of Empowering the Vision is to “promote and support youth empowerment”, this conference focused on enhancing the leadership skills of young Tibetans. To achieve this aim, students engaged in workshops focused on communication, creative assertiveness, volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and the true purpose of education. While some trainers were brought in from the outside, others included Aurovilians Claude, Deepti and Krishna of Solitude Farm.

While TCV groups integrate more with the Auroville community, the ENVISION conference leaders specifically chose to host its programme in Auroville. Not only does Auroville provide excellent infrastructure, but it reflects the values of the organization itself: personal awareness and growth, as well as social justice. The work of Kalsang, Namgyal and Claude also provides support for the organization.

Through these three programmes, Tibetan youth from all over India are exposed to different possibilities for their future and allowed the chance to explore different parts of themselves. The Tibetan Pavilion buzzes with their energy as it works to fulfill its mission.

“My name is Tsetan. Currently I am here in Auroville on a student exchange programme. I am studying in the Tibetan Children’s Village Suja in Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh. I like reading and travelling. I was born on 10 Jan 1998 in the Dzongha region, between the border of Nepal and Tibet. Dzongha itself is a very happy place covered with mountains.

In the winter of 2001, my parents sent me to India with some strangers of different ages. Most of them were monks and there was one girl my age. Though we were strangers to each other, still they took care of me like their sibling. I don't remember how many days it took, but after a long walk we reached the Tibet Reception Centre in Nepal. Because of the snow it was a long journey. There were no proper transportation systems. On top of that we had no passport to travel. One time we had to creep in at night. The days were full of fear and stress and cold…

Fortunately we were not caught by Chinese forces. When we reached the Nepal Reception Centre and Dharamsala Reception Centre we met many children and adults who were like us. By spending days, weeks and months with them I came to know that all had faced similar difficulties and had the same purpose in coming there. After two months in the Reception Centre, I was sent to TCV Suja with some children of my age.

Ever since I reached the Nepal Reception Centre, I lost the connection with my parents. After seven years, I met a monk who is my uncle. Through his guidance, I reconnected with my parents. I came to know that my mother has passed away. But I can do nothing more except pray to the almighty God for peace and happiness for their souls.

Until now everything is fine in the school under the grace and guidance of the Dalai Lama and kindness of his sister. I will not forget their blessings, love and care. I will work hard in my studies and will never forgot their kindness. When I grow older I will keep all these people in my heart and will surely make them proud. I am very fortunate to have this opportunity and I am very grateful to my school. Thank you all.”