Lobsang Wangyal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lobsang Wangyal
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Lobsang Wangyal, 2006
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| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) |
| Education | BA 1995, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh |
| Occupation | Photojournalist, Events producer, Web producer |
Lobsang Wangyal (born 1970) is a writer, social activist, photojournalist, and event producer. He lives in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, India. For many years, he has worked as a reporter and photographer for Agence France-Presse.
Through his company, Lobsang Wangyal Productions, he has organized Tibetan cultural events since 2000. His most famous event is the yearly Miss Tibet Pageant. He also runs a news website called Tibet Sun, which he started in 2008. Many people see him as a very important person in Tibetan culture outside of Tibet.
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About Lobsang Wangyal
Lobsang Wangyal was born in 1970 in Orissa, in eastern India. He grew up in a small village for Tibetan refugees. His parents were teenagers when they escaped from Tibet in 1959. This was during a time when China was taking control of their country.
He went to the Central School for Tibetans in Mussoorie. Later, he studied at a college in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and earned his BA degree in 1995. He has been working as a photojournalist since 1994.
He helped start the Association of Tibetan Journalists in 1997. He was also the president of this group for two terms, from 2004 to 2009.
Producing Exciting Events
Lobsang Wangyal started producing events in 2000 with the Free Spirit Festival. In 2002, he organized the very first Miss Tibet Pageant. Since then, he has produced many more events, mostly in McLeod Ganj. He even produced a film festival in Hawaii. He often uses money from his photojournalism work to fund his events.
A big moment in his career was when he produced a show for Prince Charles in October 2003. Besides his main work, Lobsang is also a dancer, a graphics designer, and a website producer.
Capturing Stories with His Camera
Lobsang has been a photojournalist since 1994. He learned photography and journalism mostly by himself. Friends and visitors in McLeod Ganj taught him about photography. He then made news photography his main job. Many of his photos have appeared in stories for Agence France-Presse.
His pictures are also in books like Little Lhasa: Reflections on Exiled Tibet and Tibet in Exile. You can also see his photography on his website, LobsangWangyal.com Photography, and in news stories on TibetSun.com.
Organizing Cultural Shows
Lobsang Wangyal started his company, Lobsang Wangyal Productions, in 2000. His first event was the Free Spirit Festival. This festival celebrated modern Tibetan arts and culture.
His longest-running event began in 2002: the Miss Tibet Pageant. This event gives young Tibetan women a chance to show their talents and dreams. It has been held every year since it started.
Lobsang also came up with the idea for the Miss Himalaya Pageant in 2010. The first event took place in October 2012.
Other events he has produced include the Tibetan Music Awards (held every two years) and the Free Spirit Film Festival. In 2003, he started the Free Spirit Award. This award honors artists and people who support the Tibetan cause, world peace, and environmental issues.
He has also produced special events, like a film festival in Hawaii in January 2007. In October 2003, he organized a show for Prince Charles in Delhi. One of his biggest projects was the Tibetan Olympics 2008 in Dharamshala, India.
His events have grown to include places around the world. For example, "Sing for Tibet" was first held in McLeod Ganj, Brussels, and New York in 2010. It has been held in different cities every year since. He is also planning a Tibet Fashion Week in Paris.
Lobsang mostly funds all these productions himself through his own work.
Other Activities and Appearances
Writing and Reporting
Lobsang Wangyal has written articles on important topics. One example is an article about choosing the next Dalai Lama. He has also written many opinion pieces, features, and interviews for TibetSun.com.
Appearing in Films
Lobsang Wangyal has appeared in several movies:
- He played the "Love Guru" in the movie Richard Gere is My Hero (2007).
- He was a "long-haired sweater-seller" in Dreaming Lhasa (2005).
- He appeared as himself in Tibetan Warrior (2015), a film about Loten Namling.
- He also appeared as himself in Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile (2014).
Interviews and Citations
Lobsang has interviewed many important people connected to Tibet. These include Samdhong Rinpoche and Vijay Kranti. Many of these interviews are on TibetSun.com. He has also been interviewed and featured several times on Voice of America.
His work has been mentioned in books. He is cited in Tibet on Fire (2016) and throughout Little Lhasa: Reflections on Exile Tibet (2006).
Helping the Community
Lobsang Wangyal often speaks about environmental and social issues at his events. He also gives out a Free Spirit Award each year to people who work for social and environmental causes.
In 2016, he started a legal case to help Tibetan refugees in India get Indian passports. He wanted the Indian Citizenship Act to be followed for Tibetans born in India. On September 22, 2016, the court agreed. It ordered that all Tibetans who meet the requirements to be Indian citizens by birth should be treated as Indians and given passports if they apply.
