This is a portrait of Gadang Lobsang Tenzin. I don’t know if I can find
the words to tell you about the feeling that overcame me on meeting
him. I knew before the interview that he had spent a long time
imprisoned (twenty years). Here is a man, aged, but with no sign of
bitterness. In fact, I am not sure I ever experienced meeting such
person who seemed to radiate kindness as I did on meeting Lobsang.
His glance and his smile almost moved me to tears. I do not sure that
the portrait presented here captures that. Every movement, every step,
every gesture, revealed a rare combination of great dignity and great
humility. Lobsang is one of my living heroes – a person unjustly
persecuted for such a long term, yet who, in my estimation, was able to
develop most profound spiritual qualities that one can hope to attain.
Later on a few return visits to Dharamsala, Lobsang helped tutor me in
spoken Tibetan language. He currently lives there and works for the
Central Tibetan Administration.
In 1959, after the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese army, his parents,
his brother and he were imprisoned. He was eighteen years old at the
time. His uncle was a high ranking official in the Tibetan government,
which seemed to be enough reason for the Chinese to arrest close
relatives. That was their only crime – that is, to be related to a high
ranking official. Their property was confiscated and his younger
brothers, ages six and eight were left in the street along with their
grandmother. She died two days after this episode. Fortunately the two
children were helped by some kind people in the local community.
For one entire year, every day, the four family members were taken
from prison for questioning. Then they were separated to different
prisons: Kongpo, Gyaltse, and Samye prison. During the separation,
his brother died of starvation at Kongpo prison.
Lobsang was taken to Gyaltse prison first and then from there, as one
of a group of 180 prisoners, to Lhokha Samye Lungtung prison. Food
there was barely enough to survive. The prisoners were forced to work
from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Each day, one or two prisoners died due to
starvation and torture. Out of the group of 180 prisoners, 93 died due
to starvation and torture before completing the first year at Samye
prison. From the balance of 87 prisoners who survived the initial year
at Samye, due to deterioration in health, day by day, many more died.
He was one of the very few who survived out of this group, but still
continues to have health related problems.
In 1979, he was released from prison and in 1983, he left Tibet and
came to India. Since that time, he has been working for the Tibetan
administration. He said, “Due to the Chinese invasion, I could not
complete my studies and lead a proper life. I hope and pray that one
day Tibet will be free from the Chinese.”
CYBEReTOWER™ LLC. All text and photographs above are copyrighted by the artist, David F
Shever, all rights reserved.
