Lifetime achivement award for Tibetan opera artist

Sunday, October 16, 2011

IANS

Kundeling Thupten, Lhamo singer, winner of 2011 Lifetime Achivement Award (Photo: MusicTibet.com)

"I feel honoured getting this award. It was my long-cherished dream for Tibetan opera to become popular among the youngsters in exile. I will continue to promote the traditional art form as it helps protect our unique identity," Thupten told IANS over phone from Bylakuppe in Karnataka.

Organiser Lobsang Wangyal told IANS: "Thupten was given the lifetime achievement of the Tibetan Music Awards 2011 at the fifth edition of the award ceremony held last (Saturday) night."

Wangyal said Thupten, who is settled in Bylakuppe, could not attend the ceremony due to his old age.

Thupten formed a   Lhamo   (or opera) group after coming into exile in India in 1959. He is an active member of the Bylakuppe Lhamo Association and performs regularly.

The   Tibetan music awards, which started in 2003, are given once in two years on the basis of albums produced by musicians and singers. The winners are directly selected by the public through online voting.

The other winners included: Best male singer Gomo Tulku (Italy), best female singer Kadak Tayang (Tibet), best album "Trung Trung" by Tsering Gyurmey (Nepal), best lyrics "The Sound of Unity" by Sherten (Tibet), best song "Potala" by Kadak Tayang (Tibet), best fusion "They Stole My Land" by Culture Brothers (US), best opera singer Samten Dhondup (India), and best traditional artiste Tenzin Kunse for "Nangma Toeshay" (US).

Wangyal, also known for organising the   Miss Tibet pageant   every year here, said that due to the critical situation in Tibet, especially in the northeastern region, the award-giving ceremony was kept a low-key affair.

At present, India is home to around 100,000 Tibetans.

The Tibetans settled across India after their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959. The Tibetan government-in-exile is based here.