By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, April 6: The Tibetan opera festival, known as the ‘Shoton’ or ‘Yogurt’ festival, began on Wednesday at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala with locals joining in on the first day of the celebrations. Sikyong Penpa Tsering gave the inaugural address in the presence of all the theatre performers and local Tibetans and announced the commencement of the 25th Shoton festival.
The festival enacts Tibetan folk stories in the indigenous form of Lhamo (opera) showcased through the unique Tibetan dramatic art form. “Performance drama is also a form of knowledge production. The legendary stories have morals that we can apply to ourselves. I congratulate all the participants of the festival for coming out here today,” the CTA President told the crowd. He further invoked the story of Yogi Thangtong Gyalpo, the founder of Tibetan opera (Ache Lhamo) back in 14th century, to urge the Tibetans to contribute to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture.
“I am delighted to see a lot of young Tibetans participate in this festival today. Alongside the celebration, the rich history and knowledge inherited from our ancestors must be preserved in the present and bestowed to the future generation. And this responsibility falls on each one of us,” President Tsering wrote on his official social media handle.
The eight troupes participating in this year’s edition of the Shoton festival are THS Mussoorie, Poanta, Chaksamapa, USA, Kalimpong, Bhandara, Kollegal, Nepal; the 8-day festival will conclude on April 13 with each group performing a different Lhamo story.
The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts which organizes the annual event will showcase the saga of ‘Choegyal Norsang’ on the last day of the festival. The first ‘Grand Shoton Festival’ in exile took place in 1993, which saw participation from only four troupes.
