ASSEMBLY OF TIBETAN PEOPLE'S DEPUTIES Message Showcasing a culture can provide a window to it, particularly for people who might otherwise not have sufficient opportunity to experience its riches. Such an exposition is particularly important in the case of Tibet, for the distinct identity of its people and culture is under continued threat of extermination. Besides, today Tibet is more than a geographical or cultural entity. Tibet is a metaphor. A metaphor for the forced loss of innocence, for the outraging of modesty, that people everywhere are having to undergo. In this context, the 'Festival of Tibet 2000' organised by the Friends of Tibet (INDIA), Mumbai and the Tibetan Youth congress is a significant event. What makes it particularly significant is that this festival is intended to be only the first of a series of similar festivals on Tibet to be held across the country. Thus, the festival in Mumbai will set the tone and trend for the other such festivals to follow. Such festivals, I hope, will facilitate an exchange, and a mutual enrichment. While Tibet will gain new friends and supporters, the people who come to the festival will be enriched and enlivened by what they learn about Tibet and its real historical background. I wish the festival all success.
Prof Samdhong Rinpoche
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