Photos of the Festival of the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamshala, India

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Festival of the TCV in Dharamshala

The Tibetan Children’s Villages (TCV) were established as integrated communities in exile to care for and educate orphans, needy, and refugee children from Tibet. Their main facility is at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, North India: the residence of the 14th Dalai Lama and the seat of the Tibetan Government in exile.

Getting ready for festivities
 
Marching onto festival ground
 
Drum band playing
 
Grandstand for festivities
 
March past of the different houses
 
Different houses lined up
 
Speech by Dalai Lama
 
Speech by Dalai Lama
 
Students lined up
 
Drum band marching off
 
Boys with green flags
 
Boys with green flags
 
Boys playing flutes
 
Women in Tibetan Opera
 
Masked dancers in Tibetan Opera
 
Masked dancers in Tibetan Opera
 
Woman dancers in Tibetan Opera
 
Masked dancer in Tibetan Opera
 
Women in Tibetan Opera
 
Playing the 'Dhyangro' drum
 
Women dance in Tibetan Opera
 
Women  dancing in Tibetan Opera
 
'Old man' in a Tibetan Opera
 
Woman and masked dancer
 
Dance by two men
 
Dance with a hobby horse
 
Song by a 'Muslim'
 
Fast swirling dance
 
Scene with a throne, Tibetan Opera
 
Young dancer, a Tibetan Opera
 
Playing the 'Dhyangro' drum and crowd
 
Scene in a Tibetan Opera
 
Woman in classic Tibetan dress
 
Scene in a Tibetan Opera
 
Boy with khatag, Tibetan Opera
 
Finale, Tibetan Opera
 

Following the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama’s flight to India in 1959, it was found that many children were orphaned or separated from their families during their arduous escape from their homeland. The Dalai Lama quickly proposed establishing a centre for impoverished children in Dharamshala. On 17 May 1960, ill and malnourished children arrived from Jammu. They were looked after by Mrs Tsering Dolma Takla, the Dalai Lama’s elder sister, but soon the Indian Government assisted, and a nursery was established. It grew, with help from private donors and international aid organisations, and eventually, it became a small village with its own schools and homes.

On 27 October 1979, the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, celebrated 19 years of existence. The event featured a drum band and other performances by the TCV children. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama delivered a speech outlining the achievements and growth of the network of facilities looking after Tibetan children across India.

The festivities included performances of Lhamo, or Ache Lhamo, the classical secular theatre of Tibet with music and dance; it is often named “Tibetan Opera” and has been performed for centuries. There is a narrative, a story with dialogue, comedy, and satire. The characters wear colourful masks and women dance, wearing long-sleeved garments and elaborate headdresses. The core stories of these theatrical plays mostly derive from ancient Indian Buddhist folk tales, the lives of important people and historical events from traditional Tibetan life. The ceremonies, dances, and rituals performed strongly reflect the period when Tibet was a mighty empire.