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Message of peace from turbulent Tibet
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Tibetan music and art work on the principles of compassion and peace. The Tibetan cultural event that concluded in Bangalore recently brought home the need to infuse these principles into our lives.
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Thangka painting exhibition. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
THE GRAND Tibetan cultural event, which concluded in the City recently, was much more than a "spectacular" occasion to delight the connoisseurs of art and music. The event brought home the much-needed message of peace and compassion in today's world torn by divisive forces. It was as much a testimony to the ingenuity and resilience of the exiled Tibetan community, which has made India its home.
The underlying intent behind all the events that went into the making of the Tibetan fest — the exhibition of Thangka paintings, the folk and sacred music concerts, and a seminar — was creating awareness among the masses about the need to make the world a better place to live in.
"As living beings, we all seek happiness and do not want suffering. Each one of us has an equal right to pursue happiness. Compassion is a peaceful, gentle, and powerful force that helps us develop the very qualities we need to attain our goal of happiness," says the Dalai Lama in one of his messages. Incidentally, it was the Tibet House, the cultural centre of the Dalai Lama, which had organised the event.
The event at Chitrakala Parishat showed how this message is followed by hundreds of his followers in letter and spirit. The refugee community successfully brought colour, smile, and hope to the dreary lives through impressive paintings and lively performances, thereby also trying to preserve their own threatened cultural identity.
"Compassion and Reincarnation in Tibetan Art" was the title of the art exhibition. The exhibition was held in Bangalore for the first time, while the people of Delhi have seen them on many occasions, with renewed awe. The exhibition has travelled to Germany, Switzerland, and many other parts of Europe.
Traditional Tibetan paintings appear both as wall frescoes (or Thangkas) or scroll paintings. The paintings have to be viewed along with the descriptions attached to each of them to get at the innate meaning. The Thangkas are an integral part of Tibetan Buddhism's artistic heritage. Lamaism, the highest priest of which is the Dalai Lama, is the religion of Tibet. Lamaism is a branch of the Buddhist religion, and its followers believe in reincarnation.
With brocade silk as the base, episodes from the lives of Buddha and Bodhisatvas or incarnate Lamas were depicted through rich colours at the exhibition. Intricate embroidery and artistic weaving were also made use of. These 25 paintings and handicrafts, which date back to 16th Century, aim to serve as inspirational images and aids meditation. According to Mr. Tsering Wangyal, who was in charge of the exhibition, the aim is to use a creative medium to bring about positive changes in people's lives.
Vegetable colours and colours derived by crushing stones, appliques, traditional wood block printing, and water colours are the medium used to create these masterpieces. These works of anonymous Tibetans are a testimony to the artistic annals of a bygone era.
The exhibition was categorised into different sections such as Living Legends, Unique Traditions, Incarnation of Compassion, and the Twelve Acts of the Buddha. Paintings, which depicted the twelve stages in Buddha's life right from his descent to this earth to his passing away into Parinirvana stood out among the exhibits. The event included a musical presentation, Echoes of the World Festival of Sacred Music. Tibetans believe that "music is the language of the universe and gives every soul the serenity to put aside all differences and work towards a more compassionate and peaceful environment." Enthused by the tremendous response it received during the World Festival of Sacred Music, a global event held in Bangalore in 2000, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts had arranged the programme. This organisation was founded in India in 1951 by the exiled community. Tibetan monks from the Tashi Dhargye monastery in Karnataka presented Buddhist chants, monastic music, and ritual dance, all integral to Tibetan Buddhist practice. The chanting and dancing is a traditional sequence beginning with the meditation on emptiness, the core of both esoteric and exoteric Buddhism.
A booklet, brought out by Tibet House, has this to say about the glory of music: "Music is the vehicle of noble thoughts and ideals. Every society, modern, tribal, aboriginal, or primitive, has its own. It provides not only entertainment, but functions as the vehicle of devotion and prayer. Music calms the nerves and even cures illness." The echoes of the sacred music of Tibetans will perhaps linger in the ears of Bangaloreans for a long time to come.
B.S.VENKATALAKSHMI
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