Foundation organizes exhibitions, multimedia installations and intercultural workshops as part of its efforts to strengthen historical ties between Indian and Tibetan culture and facilitate a deeper dialogue between women and men, across different generations, in the two communities.

A recent initiative is Exile Web, an exhibition of paintings by young Tibetan artists in India. Exile Web portrays the jigsaw that is the life of the Tibetan community living in exile. It represents the effort of five well-known Tibetan contemporary artists to decipher the puzzle of exile using their canvases to express their feelings.

Tibetan artists with Mr. Tempa Tsering
(Representative of HH the Dalai Lama in
New Delhi), Ms. Raji Ramanan
(Projects Officer, FUR), Mr. Shakti Mehra
(Artist & Sculptor), Ms. Arpana Caur
(Contemporary Painter) and Mr. Rajiv Mehrotra
(Trustee & Member Secretary, FUR)

"Art is my
guide into the heart of

the Tibetan culture. My art

interprets the
root of humanity

which is compassion and

tolerance.”

– Mr. Sonam Lhundup Tibetan Artist

A central goal of the Foundation is also to create spaces for dialogues between Indian and Tibetan youth. Among others, the methodology of theater is used to empower young women and men, training to be educators, artists, activists and performers. The most recent initiative of the Foundation employed the tool of “theater of the oppressed” – a methodology that is naturally accessible for communities caught initiatives is to empower Tibetan and Indian youth with the life skills to deal with conflict within their homes, communities and nations.

The Foundation also uses the methodology of Inter-Cultural Conflict Transformation Workshops to foster dialogue and build relationships between the next generation Indian and Tibetan leaders. The Foundation collaborates with various Indian and Tibetan organizations to facilitate such dialogues and trainings. A recent partnership with the Tibetan Center for Conflict Resolution, Dharamsala, brought together Indian and Tibetan youth leaders with a purpose to:

• Strengthen the historical relationship between Indians and Tibetans;
• Enable the participants to become “role models” for nonviolence and compassion in their communities;
• Facilitate coexistence between the Indian and Tibetan communities and celebrate their diverse traditions.

In this context, the Foundation Workshops introduce young leaders to the field of peacebuilding with a focus on the diverse ways in which they can practice “active nonviolence” and coexistence, and reduce violence-promoting behaviour in their communities.

“The Dalai Lama’s Foundation for Universal
Responsibility is helping make real the vision of
one of the great spiritual masters of our time,
inspired as he is by my grandfather,
Mahatma Gandhi.”

– Ms. Ela Gandhi

Peace Activist & Former Member of Parliament South Africa