By Kelsang Rinchen,
Phayul Reporter
Dharamsala, April 3 – The annual Shoton carnival began yesterday amid much fanfare at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, which was established in the sixties to preserve and promote the unique performing arts of Tibetan culture. Honouring the occasion as the chief guest was His Holiness the Dalai Lama who watched with enthusiasm the 35-minute excerpts each of all the participating troupes from various exile Tibetan communities. Also present on the occasion were the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Lamas from various sects, Chairman and the Vice Chairperson of the ATPD, Kalon Tripa and his cabinet ministers, officials of the CTA and representative of the various NGOs and educational institutions. Throngs of people attended the inaugural day with food and brewerages to seek blessing of their leader and enjoy the Tibetan tradition of opera.
The festival will go on for the next ten days.
As the first day drew to its end, the public, as usual, gathered on the two sides of the road to seek another glance of their revered leader as his cavalcade drove past the bustling town of Mcloed Ganj towards Theckchen Choeling. The Public unexpectedly saw a real life incident blended so well with reel life drama yesterday. The baddie of Bollywood, Gulshan Grover, a synonym in Hindi Movies of a rapist, dacoit, mafia don, corrupt policeman and terrorist was seen in police uniform controlling the crowd asking the curious onlookers to back up a bit to let His Holiness’ convoy pass through with ease.
Many were taken aback to see the goon of Mumbai’s tinsel town bowing venerably with folded hands as His Holiness’ car drove past him. There were no retakes, no clapboards, no lights, camera, action from the director, a Tibetan, who was also among the crowd seeking a glimpse of the Tibetan leader. And the man from Mumbai did it so naturally that many people, especially foreigners, since Tibetans are sufficiently familiar with him, mistook him as real police officer and patiently waited without causing the usual trouble to the security personnel on guard.
Four Harmonious Friends, a Tibetan movie directed by Pema Dhondup of Sargyur fame, a video news bulletin that had ceased production, was being shot. The film required a scene where Gulshan is shown performing his duties of a policeman, who, in his own words, was little ‘nasty’ to the Tibetan youth miscreants according to the script.
Gulshan said he had his first brush with Tibet and Tibet issue during his college days in Delhi. He is offering his acting service free of charge with a hope that his appearance in the movie might attract more audience. To save money for the Tibetan amateur filmmaker, he has brought his own police costume from Mumbai.
The bad man of film has proved that his reel life is far different from what he is in real life.
Kelsang Rinchen can be contacted at kalsangr@yahoo.com.
