In the following interview excerpt, Tenzin Dardon Sharling, the Research and Media Officer for the Tibetan Women’s Association in Dharamsala, India, discusses her cultural identity as a young Tibetan woman born in India of parents who came from Tibet. She speaks of her devotion to His Holiness, but also acknowledges that Indian culture has had a profound impact on her identity. At approximately 2:00 into the interview, the interviewer mentions Ling Rinpoche, who has expressed concern about the fact that many younger Tibetans, as they leave the Tibetan settlements, are losing the fundamental traditions of Tibetan culture. Ling Rinpoche is the current incarnation of the Dalai Lama’s original teacher in Tibet. He is currently a young monk living in Drepung Loseling monastery in south India, and when the current Dalai Lama passes away, Ling Rinpoche will most likely be one of those responsible for the education of the new Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan Women’s Association was originally founded on March 12, 1959, in Lhasa during the Tibetan Uprising against the Chinese invasion. The main objective of TWA is to raise awareness of the abuse suffered by Tibetan women in Tibet as a result of the Chinese occupation. Today, TWA has become one of the vital organizations devoted to the preservation of Tibetan culture in exile, placing Tibetan women at the forefront of charting the future of all Tibetans who are currently living both in exile and in Tibet.
