Woesel, Tenzin

“Gender equality is a shared vision of social justice and human rights. Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.” - Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director, at the High-level Thematic Debate on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, 6 March 2015 at UN Headquarters in New York.  Gender equality is based on “the view that men and women should receive equal treatment, and should not face discrimination”.  For gender equality to prevail, both the sexes should be treated equally. There is no equality when women are less privileged or being looked down upon. Women can do what men can and if not everything, we can do some things even men cannot do. We have qualities that many men do not possess. Women are under-privileged and have been suffering from gender inequality for centuries. This is why the feminist movement was brought into action. Feminism is the belief that women should have the same rights and o...

Dikyi Ukyab is a twenty-four year old Tibetan-Nepali based in New York, US. She has her own music album out and she sings cover music as well. She has a very unique passion and talent of hula hooping. Dikyi and her friend, Sangye Dolker, started the Khushi Project to help children in Nepal, affected by the recent traumatising earthquake.  Tenzin Woesel: Hello, I am Tenzin Woesel. I have started a project to interview young talented Tibetans around the globe to make people of the world aware that Tibet is an independent nation and has its own celebrities just like the other nations. With this project, I also intend to appreciate and encourage young Tibetan women like you who are talented and are pursuing your passion to go further. I found you on Instagram and I checked your blog, your YouTube channel and your SoundCloud account. I love your voice and your big heart in helping the children of Nepal through the Khushi Project. Thank you for accepting my request to have an interview o...

Some years ago, I visited my grandmother and we went on a long walk to the far end of the village. During our time together, she told me so many stories of her salad-days; I cannot remember all now but one thing that has struck me since then was about how she left writing poetry. I have heard from her friends that my grandmother unlike other girls of her age when she was young, would spend a lot of time alone; meditating on life and sometimes imagining herself to be a bird. “She was always seen with a book and a pen, writing poetry in the fields.”, a friend of hers once told me. “In my early twenties, I was known as ‘the-poet-in-the-making’ in our village.”, my grandmother told me on our walk. “Most of my poems are melancholic for writing poetry had always been an escape for me. It was a friend whom I could turn to when I felt low. I also used to write poems that were beyond the personal. I loved speaking on behalf of the sad people to let know that they were not alone. I wro...

Born in the land encircled by the snowcapped mountains, Where human, flora and fauna lived in peace. You, the sun of Tibet rose from Taktser in Amdo On the sixth day of July in the year 1935. Your rays fall on every sentient being, illuminating hearts, The world rejoices in your presence, Your Holiness! As the red Chinese flag covered your homeland, You fled to keep the hopes of your people alive. Crossing the Himalayas into India's welcome On the thirtieth day of March in the year 1959. In Dhasa, the little Lhasa you found a home, You are our only hope in exile, Your Holiness! You promote human values and religious harmony, You spread love and compassion wherever you go. Honoured with countless awards, the Nobel Peace Prize On the tenth day of December in the year 1989. You travel the globe in humility and selflessness, The whole world looks up to you, Your Holiness! At sixteen you bore the burden of Tibet, Living up to the hopes and confidence of the six million. We will forever ...

Kunga Chemi is a twenty-one year old Tibetan girl from Rajpur, Dehradun (India) who moved to New York, US in the year 2002 when she was only nine. She has a melodious voice.  She sings cover songs and shares them on social media like Sound Cloud, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. She is in a music band in New York called; wOne Sound. Tenzin Woesel: Hello, I am Tenzin Woesel. I am doing a project to interview young talented Tibetans around the globe to make people of the world aware that Tibet is an independent nation and has its own celebrities just like  other nations. With this project, I also intend to appreciate  and encourage young Tibetan women like you who are talented and are pursuing their passion to go further. For almost a year now I have been enjoying listening to your music and I have a few of your songs on my playlist. Thank you for accepting my request to have an interview with you on Skype. Kunga Chemi: I think what you are doing is really great. ...

Spill your heart on me, Your burdened heart. The heart shot with a gun, Loaded with lies and disloyalties. The heart she shattered and abandoned, The one that never healed since then. Burst on me like a water balloon, Splash me with your sorrows; How you wish she was still here, How you wish she was still yours. The warm cuddles, the tender kisses; All far gone, all you miss. Spill your heart on me, I can be a wall for you. “Walls have ears.” they say, And thus I will listen. Fear not; I’ll keep them to myself, Walls may have ears but no mouth. Spill your heart on me, Your burdened heart. Burst on me like a water balloon, And I’ll listen like a wall. Spill your heart on me, Spill. Your. Heart.

Tibet is known as ‘The Roof of the World’. It has the highest plateau region on earth. It neighbours China on the north and India, Nepal, and Bhutan on the south.  The country is the source of river Brahmaputra, Indus, and many other major rivers flowing to India and south Asia. It is the homeland to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and 6 million Tibetans scattered all across the globe. We have been in India as refugees for the last 60 years.             Tibetan New Year also known as Losar (‘Lo’ literally means ‘Year’ and ‘Sar’ means ‘New’) is the most important festival on the Tibetan calendar. It falls very close to the Mongolian and Chinese New Year following a lunar calendar. The festivities last for 15 days and the first three days are the most important.  This year, it falls on the 2nd of March. According to Tibetan Calendar, it will be the first day of the Wood-Horse year 2141. We go to temples and worship, hang colourful prayer flags...