Word: wangyal
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...reincarnation of a spiritual leader requires scouring the country for a child who recognizes his previous incarnation's possessions. In the northern Indian city of Dharamsala, seat of the Dali Lama's government-in-exile, crowning a Miss Tibet may prove almost as hard. For the past year, Wangyal, a freelance journalist, has been trying to put together a pageant that will feature Tibetan beauty?and also publicize the cause of Tibetan independence. The reception from community leaders, however, has been unenthusiastic. Since 1959, when the Dalai Lama fled Chinese-occupied Tibet, Tibetans in exile have fought to preserve their...
...last week's beauty pageant wasdecidedly nontraditional. None of the four contestants came from Dharamsala: three hail from refugee settlements in India and the fourth lives in the U.S. Originally there were 10, but several dropped out at the last minute?some, suspects Wangyal, due to social pressure. It didn't help that the Tibetan Prime Minister publicly denounced the pageant as foreign and inappropriate. "Our religion is from a foreign country," fumes Wangyal. "Buddha was Indian. Our food is Chinese, our clothes come from Mongolia. We have always borrowed from other cultures. A beauty pageant is just one more...
...Aside from the low contestant turnout, there was also the small problem of funding. There was none. Even the winner's gold and turquoise crown was bought on credit. "There are people with money in the community," notes Wangyal, "but they are not coming forward." He asked actor Richard Gere, who visited the Dalai Lama two weeks ago, for support. "He thought it was a joke, and when he stopped laughing, he wished me the best of luck...
...Wangyal would like nothing better,but right now he's fixated on the swimsuit round. The music starts up and the contestants gather at the pool gate, nervously tugging on their outfits. One by one they stroll up to the makeshift platform, to pose and pout. Then, in perilously high heels, they negotiate the cracked flagstone path back to the gate, only to collapse in nervous giggles. Lhakpa Dolma, 26, finishes her round with an open-armed shrug and a wry grin. Though her bathing suit?a demure tank with shorts?would win few points in an international contest...
...global standards, the pageant would be a catastrophe, but Wangyal has gained the press coverage he sought. Most importantly, he has procured a slot for the winner?19-year-old receptionist Dolma Tsering?at next month's Miss Tourism World contest in Colombia. "Our Miss Tibet will stand alongside a Miss China," he says. "That's when we will really get our message out that Tibet is an independent country." The sponsors have waived the entrance fees, but he still has to find money for airfare and hotel. He shrugs his shoulders with the optimism that has already gotten...