DHARAMSALA MASALA: A Walk Through the Dalai Lama's Backyard
From: The Tibet Connection
Length: 00:11:44
The North Indian town of Dharamsala, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, is the present home of the Dalai Lama and a vibrant population of Tibetan exiles. In the early 1900's the British came here to escape the heat of the plains, in the 1960's Tibetans came to escape the Chinese occupation, and today people come from all over the world for all kinds of reasons. We hear from the town's diverse mix of visitors and residents, including a taxi driver from Bognor Regis in England, a volunteer dentist, an Oxford University academic, an Australian multi-millionaire, and a young Tibetan mother of four who risked everything to come here. A place of refuge, a place to party, relax, study, eat chocolate cake or expand your mind, Dharamsala has something for everyone...
"It's a real spiritual place." American tourist. "I wanted it to be more spiritual." Israeli tourist
TWO VERY DIFFERENT VIEWS OF DHARAMSALA
The KARMAPA is currently on a US tour
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Piece Description
The North Indian town of Dharamsala, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, is the present home of the Dalai Lama and a vibrant population of Tibetan exiles. In the early 1900's the British came here to escape the heat of the plains, in the 1960's Tibetans came to escape the Chinese occupation, and today people come from all over the world for all kinds of reasons. We hear from the town's diverse mix of visitors and residents, including a taxi driver from Bognor Regis in England, a volunteer dentist, an Oxford University academic, an Australian multi-millionaire, and a young Tibetan mother of four who risked everything to come here. A place of refuge, a place to party, relax, study, eat chocolate cake or expand your mind, Dharamsala has something for everyone... "It's a real spiritual place." American tourist. "I wanted it to be more spiritual." Israeli tourist TWO VERY DIFFERENT VIEWS OF DHARAMSALA The KARMAPA is currently on a US tour
Broadcast History
Originally aired on THE TIBET CONNECTION on KPFK Pacifica 90.7 Los Angeles, April 27 2007
Timing and Cues
INTRO: The town of Dharamsala is home to the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan exiles. This story Dharamsala Masala takes us on a walk through the Dalai Lama's back yard....
OUTRO: That story was produced by Rebecca Novick, founding producer of The Tibet Connection radio program, online at thetibetconnection.org
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Claes Andreasson
Posted on August 14, 2007 at 09:38 AM | Permalink
Review of DHARAMSALA MASALA: A Walk Through the Dalai Lama's Backyard
What a wonderful, sound-rich story! Full of fascinating aural images, lots of voices describing this North Indian town, and the contrasts between the traditional and the contemporary. People from all over the world, who are here for all kinds of reasons; Hoping, of course, to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama, while munching on a Lama croissant, or dining at the Italian restaurant actually run by a Tibetan woman, while comparing Richard Gere sightings. Rebecca?s attention to details, her talented and passionate writing, makes it a both beautiful and telling mosaic worth listening to many times over. Her profound knowledge of the area, its people, culture and philosophy is obvious, and her convincing story-telling makes it easy to put my ?ears in her hands.? This is what radio is meant to be!