Ugyen: I am 68 years old. I am from the same region as the woman in the couple that was just interviewed before us, from Tekrab. I was born there. Before the Chinese occupation, life was very good. I was a farmer, and I also had yaks, sheep and some other animals. I grew many [...]

I was born in 1985 in the Kanze District of Kham in eastern Tibet, in the village of Chitzanha. My parents were farmers and nomads. From my childhood on, I never had a chance to study. I spent my time taking care of grazing cattle, and it was impossible to study. My village was quite [...]

LIFE IN TIBET I was born in Ghantse. At the age of twelve, my mom would carry me on her back, and never let me work. [But] when I was thirteen, my mom died, and then, when I was fourteen, my dad died. After my parents died, I stayed with my sister, and I looked [...]

My very first memory is of being a very young child, and of getting an injection. I was quite sick, and I was crying, and I remember that both of my parents were there. We were nomads, and because I was sick my mother had brought me to the closest small town. Then I remember, [...]

I was a monk from the age of six to eight years old. After that, an uncle of mine who was one of the managers of the monastery sent me to the north. Because my uncle was appointed as a manger of the monastery, and since my uncle was very old, I was sent on [...]

I was seventeen years old when I came to India. I came some time after His Holiness came. I am from Kham province in the far east of Tibet, from a large village there. It was two kilometers from Ghantse district. It was called Homi, an is quite near the border with China, far to [...]

“…A son was born on the way. After this snow incident, I gave birth to a baby boy, in a cow shed. I felt so sad at the time…”

Dachung is an vibrant and energetic woman from Lhasa. “…as a child I loved singing and dancing. I’m not good for studies, but if I hear a song just once, I remember the melody and the words. I didn’t really get proper training in Tibet for Lhamo (opera). But when I arrived here in India, I got good training…Actually, in Tibet ladies were not supposed to sing. Lhamo opera was only done by the men. All the women’s roles were done by the men…