L-R Tibetan nuns, a young novice and monks blowing the Long Horn or Dung-Chen

A Taste of Tibet

In the Indian Himalaya

In April 1959 when HH The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet he first stayed in a hill town in India called Mussoorie. It’s where I live. The Dalai Lama was just 23 years old then.

In 1960 the Tibetan capital-in-exile was established in Himachal Pradesh. A large community of Tibetans still live in Happy Valley in Mussoorie and in Clement Town (Dehradun) not far from Rishikesh of Beetles fame.

L-R Juniper incense and a Tibetan woman in prayer holding her prayer beads (108 beads in total)

My Tibetan friend invites me every Losar (Tibetan New Year) to visit the three monasteries in her neighbourhood with her. It’s an opportunity I look forward to. Here’s why.

L-R A monk blowing the Dung-Dkar (trumpet made of conch shell) and a woman from Tibet in full traditional attire..

Even though I feel like I’m in a different world (Little Tibet) in Clement town, I believe that Tibetans, like the Parsees in India , have blended in like “sugar in milk”, enriching our cultural diversity.

The Long horn up close

Buddhists from Ladakh (like these two senior citizens), Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal come to Dehradun to celebrate Losar.