Varanasi, India — A cultural program titled ‘India and Tibet’ was held on Friday March 9 in the Performing Arts Faculty’s Auditorium of Banaras Hindu University.
The program was comprised of three parts; a talk session, cultural performances, and a three day exhibition. The event aimed to showcase and celebrate the cultural ties and bond between India and Tibet. It was organized by the Banaras Tibetan Student Association, founded in 2014 and supported by Central Tibetan Administration, Central University of Tibetan Studies and Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR).
The event was attended by 250 people comprising of notable scholars from various fields, lecturers, Tibetan Students from BHU and Sarnath,foreign and Indian students of BHU. The opening statement was orated by Mr Sherab choephel , President , BTSA.
A talk session enlightened the theme of the event was presented by Professor Ngawang Samten, vice-chancellor of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) who spoke on His Holiness Dalai Lama’s perspectives on revival of ancient Indian knowledge; Professor Rakdho lobsang Tenzin, Director of Tibetan Medicine and Astrology Institute, CIHTS talked about the relation of Tibetan Medical Science and Astrology to the tradition of Ayurveda; and Dr. Ajay Pratap, Head of History department, Banaras Hindu University, speaking on the political and historical relations between India and Tibet.
Performances for the day included the 15th century traditional dance Tashi Shopa, a duet using traditional instruments, Tibetan dance by CIHTS student and Tibetan students from BHU and BTSA.
The exhibition is being held from 9 am to 5 pm in the Visual Arts Faculty of Banaras Hindu University. All the exhibits are based on artworks, photographs and icons depicting the cultural relationships of India and Tibet. The overall impact of the day was to strengthen the Indo-Tibetan relations.