Afternoon

‘Closing Ceremony’
by Staff Reporter
(Afternoon. March 21, 2000)

The 'Festival of Tibet 2000' came to an end in the city with tragic accounts of Tibetan suffering, discussions, resolutions, reaffirmations, and we were more than a little sorry that we could not hear more of flutist Nawang Kechog.

Amongst musical instruments only a few soar and speak as eloquently as the flute. At a concert Kechog played his Tibetan flutes called lingbhur, jeling, and modulated his voice to create some rare vocal music... sorry, after that we thought the accompaniment of Sultan Khan's sarangi was utterly superfluous! The flute is meant to be heard solo and solo only. Especially when it is Nawang Kechog played it.

It is this pic of Buddhist monks bearing symbols of the eight-fold path of Buddhism which we finally looked at the longest. From all that we've heard and understood at the 'Festival of Tibet 2000'... Buddhism is the perfect religion for the new millennium, and now if only China would set the trend and free Tibet from its old-fashioned iron grip!