Yeshi Lhundup, Director and Founder of the Tibetan non-government organisation Tibet World, is a man on a mission. “I want to make a contribution to make the world more peaceful and happy. If I cannot reach the whole world, then I want to at least make a difference to the place I stay.”
His mission is bearing fruit. Tibet World has just moved to a new location to accommodate the growing needs of the organisation; they are still in Jogiwara Road, but are now below Yongling School, next to Hotel Moon Walk and opposite Sharma Cottage. Yeshi hopes that in its new premises, Tibet World will be in a position to offer more and better services.
Yeshi started Tibet World for two reasons. The first was that he wants to benefit the Tibetan community. He realised that with only knowledge of his own language the world of the Tibetan is very small. He is restricted to staying in areas in India where Tibetan is spoken. With knowledge of foreign languages, Tibetans are able to live in places they could not reach before. A student told him, “I want learn ABCD because then I can find Block A and Block B. Then I can find the bathroom.”
The second reason is that as a Tibetan refugee Yeshi wants to make a difference to the world. Yeshi believes that he is an ordinary person “with two hands, two eyes and two feet,” and in that regard he has nothing special to give. He has attended many teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and this has inspired him: His Holiness has often said that the world needs Tibetan values. Yeshi strives to make the knowledge he has available to people from all over the world.
“Tibet needs the world and the world needs Tibet,” Yeshi says enthusiastically.
This leads to the tagline of the organisation: “Where Tibet meets the World and the World meets Tibet”.
Tibet World’s new premises
The first part, about Tibet meeting the world, is reflected in the foreign language classes held at Tibet World. These include English, French, German, Chinese and Russian. There is a winter school for Tibetan children and training workshops where subjects which include leadership and writing skills are taught.
The second part, about the world meeting Tibet, is reflected in activities such as Tibetan folk shows and workshops entitled Compassion + Wisdom = Happiness. There are also yoga and meditation classes.
Yeshi explains that the basic premise of the workshops is that we all strive to be happy, but often we don’t succeed. We might look to agents such as alcohol and drugs, but these actually take us further from our goal. Compassion and wisdom are like two hands, each indispensable for happiness.
Tibet World was established in 2013 in Yeshi’s room. It grew rapidly, and in June 2014 they moved to Jogiwara Road where they took up the entire building. The growth in the organisation is reflected in the carefully maintained records which show that there have been over 2,800 volunteers from more than 60 countries. In addition, there have been over 4,000 students, and student numbers are growing.
Yeshe talks about plans for the future. He says Tibet World is envisaging opening in other places, replicating the programmes they are offering here in McLeod Ganj. He is thinking about writing a book covering the points contained in the Compassion + Wisdom = Happiness workshops. He enthuses about food, saying that Tibetan food has a lot to offer the world – there are more than 20 types of Tibetan bread alone. Classes on Tibetan cooking would introduce foreigners to this product of Tibetan culture.
Yeshi smiles at the thought that he currently does not have the resources for such expansion. He explains that if you need the resources for something that is adding value to the community they will come. He sometimes worries about money, but says that so far, Tibet World has always had enough, with the help of its volunteers who teach language classes, help with the website and fundraising.
I asked some volunteers about their experiences of teaching at Tibet World.
Menng, a teacher there says that the teaching at Tibet World is valuable as she is learning so much about Tibetan culture.
Wangchen Tsering says that he is enjoying it as he needs to adapt his approach to meet the needs of his students. He emphasises the basics to prepare his students for harder things.
Leeshin says, “It might seem like I am helping them, but actually they are helping me. If I hadn’t worked here I wouldn’t have known how much I can do for others.”
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