An ode to Tibet

Back in 2009, when Tibetans completed their 50 years in India, the Dalai Lama started a ‘Thank You India’ campaign by offering prayers at various religious shrines. That is when the idea to put together an exhibit comprising photographs of Tibetans struck photographer and freelance journalist Vijay Kranti.

“During the campaign, the Dalai Lama lauded India’s dedication in safeguarding the Tibetans and providing them freedom, facilities and space. So, as someone who was photographing Tibetan culture since long, I felt we should also thank them for their contribution to our social and spiritual life. And hence, I decided to keep the focus of my exhibit on their life in India,” Kranti, who has been photographing Tibetans in India for the past four decades, told Metrolife.

He added that his recently exhibited photo series, ‘Thank You Dalai Lama’, was a tribute to the success story of a peaceful and brave refugee community, its monk leader the Dalai Lama, and their magnanimous hosts — the people and the Indian government.
The exhibit comprised Kranti’s concluding part of a five-year long photo series titled ‘Buddha’s Homecoming’, which was first exhibited in March 2011 in Barcelona. “The Dalai Lama is considered as the reincarnation of Lord Buddha. His coming and adopting India as his second home has proved a blessing in disguise, and I look at his presence here as the second homecoming of Buddha after a long gap of over 2,500 years,” he said.

Over the past four decades, Kranti has created a full-fledged photo archive on the various aspects of Tibetan life which is considered as the largest and aesthetically rich photo-documentation of the community’s life and culture across the globe.

From capturing the Tibetan leader riding a yak and him meditating in his private chamber, to Tibetan children playing in the neighbourhood, Kranti has showcased different aspects of their life in India. 

Having met the Dalai Lama on several occasions, Kranti said that he had observed the leader’s “unmistakable leadership” on his very first meeting.

“Initially, I was sceptical of how the Dalai Lama would be in person. But when I met him first, I was surprised that he had a vision. He wanted the Tibetans to continuously work towards rebuilding their community by passing on their skills to the next generation. The result being, India is today the largest reservoir of authentic Tibetan people and culture,” he said.

Having showcased around 275 photographs from his collection of over 2.5 lakh images, Kranti is reminiscent of how the spiritual leader and the refugees became his
subjects.

He said, “As a cub reporter in 1972,  I was offered the opportunity to do a cover story on the Dalai Lama which my editor put across as a challenge for me. I made a few requests to Tibet’s representative office in Delhi and got access. But I had no photographer with me which meant I had to use my own skills. And when Tuliki ji (the layout artist and my guru) saw the photographs, he was impressed. Subsequently, the cover story was published in April 1973 with 18 of my clicks.”