A three-day tour to Dharamshala had truly enchanted me. In true sense, I was mesmerized by the little town where different cultures had come together and made it their home.
The appreciation for this place did not happen the first time I visited. This is my second visit and what made me appreciate this time around was the fact that I had not been busy trying to cover more grounds. Definitely, the touristy places did not seem to create much of an impression on me.
It was the serene beauty in the everyday landscape, the slow sleepy town where people were not rushing, also tourists stopped by to have a little chat with the locals, the busy hawkers all made a beautiful picture in my mind.
Then the stories of people, who they were, were intriguing, what were their struggles, why did they leave home and make a new home, all formed a beautiful amalgamation of the town. The stark contrast of harsh weather and beautiful faces brimming with a smile made my heart warm.
What had made the place truly enchanting is the very fact that it had been built by people who lived there and also who migrated from Tibet. Children as young as 1-2 years had barred the harsh weather crossed the border and made it the heart of this place.
When people migrate they bring very little material things with them but in making it a home, they enrich the place with their own culture, food, custom, practices, rituals, all a part of the human story.
The sacrifices people had to make, to this place shows immense strength which one could find in the little museums which a repository of such memories.
The little ones who made it through the hardships and then the ones who did not were a part of their collective stories in the form of memories. The longing for the home left behind is seen in the reconstruction of the new home from memories.
The opportunity to look into this aspect of life in Dharamshala and gain a close understanding of the Tibetan experience was provided by the Tibetan Government in Exile through an all-expense paid trip for the students of IIMC-Delhi (English Journalism) majors in the year 2011.
The appreciation for this place did not happen the first time I visited. This is my second visit and what made me appreciate this time around was the fact that I had not been busy trying to cover more grounds. Definitely, the touristy places did not seem to create much of an impression on me.
It was the serene beauty in the everyday landscape, the slow sleepy town where people were not rushing, also tourists stopped by to have a little chat with the locals, the busy hawkers all made a beautiful picture in my mind.
Then the stories of people, who they were, were intriguing, what were their struggles, why did they leave home and make a new home, all formed a beautiful amalgamation of the town. The stark contrast of harsh weather and beautiful faces brimming with a smile made my heart warm.
What had made the place truly enchanting is the very fact that it had been built by people who lived there and also who migrated from Tibet. Children as young as 1-2 years had barred the harsh weather crossed the border and made it the heart of this place.
When people migrate they bring very little material things with them but in making it a home, they enrich the place with their own culture, food, custom, practices, rituals, all a part of the human story.
The sacrifices people had to make, to this place shows immense strength which one could find in the little museums which a repository of such memories.
The little ones who made it through the hardships and then the ones who did not were a part of their collective stories in the form of memories. The longing for the home left behind is seen in the reconstruction of the new home from memories.
The opportunity to look into this aspect of life in Dharamshala and gain a close understanding of the Tibetan experience was provided by the Tibetan Government in Exile through an all-expense paid trip for the students of IIMC-Delhi (English Journalism) majors in the year 2011.
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