About this project
The World That Was Project - Update
We've passed our funding goal! I'm so grateful to everyone who gave, no matter where you came from or what you contributed, it's all appreciated.
For prospective donors: $1000 was only a rough estimate of expenses. My plane ticket did already cost a little more than I expected, and I'm sure other costs will pop up, but I will probably put extra money to a nicer camera and microphone for recording interviews if people are willing to be partially filmed. Or be able to package the CDs more nicely. Your money will not go to waste! That's for sure.
The World That Was Project - Summary
“All will become nothing. Just like a dream, whatever things I enjoy will become a memory. Whatever is past will not be seen again.” – HH The Dalai Lama
The year 2010 marked 60 years since the invasion of Tibet by the People’s Liberation Army, and 2019 will mark 60 years since the defeat of the final uprising of the Tibetan people and the flight of the Dalai Lama into exile. Needless to say, those who remember the insular and secluded world of Tibet as it was for hundreds of years are dying off. Now is a crucial time in history when we have living witnesses to a lost world whose stories remain untold.
The World That Was Project, in conjunction with The Tibetan Nuns Project, and the Lha Social Work Organization, is my personal effort to interview and record the stories of as many people as I can interview in Dharamsala, India.
What Makes You Qualified to Do This?
First I am a writer and author of eight published books, six of them historical fiction, so I know how to bring a text together. I also have extensive contacts in publishing that may help the material eventually turn into a book, though that is not an immediate goal of this project.
Second, I’m a Jew with Holocaust survivors in my family, and if there’s anything Jews know how to do, it’s memorialize the past. I grew up on a steady diet of books about Jewish life in Europe and listening to speakers tell their stories not just of unbelievable evil but of their lives before that. How may Holocaust Museums have I been to? All of them. If there’s anything for the Tibetan community that I can really do, it’s probably this.
Are you doing this blindly?
Goodness, no. I’ve visited Dharamsala before, been involved with the Tibetan Nuns Project for years, and have a general familiarity with Tibetan history and life in exile. While I do not speak Tibetan or Chinese, I know a lot of people who can translate for me.
When are you intending to do this?
February-March 2012.
Will you be updating us on your Indian adventures?
Yes. Not only on this site but on my general travel blog that keeps my family from freaking out about me when I’m abroad.
What’s Your Budget?
$150 – Travel to India (I have a coupon from Continental for the rest of it)
$250 – Travel to Dharamsala
$300 – Rent in Dharamsala
$200 – food/local expenses
$100 – Hiring of translator for project
= $1000 to raise
FAQ
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I've picked out some things that for the most part are made by the refugee community and sold by them, usually with funds going directly to different organizations. Also, I chose stuff that's for the most part non-denominational, which is actually pretty hard to find. While some are obvious, here's more information on a few: (ignore the overseas prices)
The Bracelet: http://www.tnp.org/store/product/type/Freedom_Bracelets/
The Music CD: Not sure yet. I do listen to a lot of Tibetan music, but it'll come down to what's being sold of the things I like and by whom. Some of the locally-produced music is really good and some of it's, you know, not so good.
The Dolls: I had to put a limit on these because of assumed stock, but they're totally awesome. http://www.tnp.org/store/product/type/Dolls/
The Thangka: It will be in a brocade frame. Since they're all individually made I can't actually show you what you'll be getting way ahead of time, but it will be something like this: http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/brocade/ti72b.jpg. For demoninational reasons I will be sending a geometric mandala pattern. You can also request one without the brocade frame. These thangkas are far more expensive in the States (at least five times more) so keep that in mind if you're considering pledging $300 or more. I will try to buy a thangka that was actually made by refugees, but some sellers are dishonest and the thangkas are made in Nepalese workshops. On the other hand, a traditional Nepalese aritist is not the worst person to buy from. They need work too.
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
26
Backers
$1,753
pledged of $1,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on January 18.
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PDF of Interviews + My eternal gratitude
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CD of Interviews + Personalized Thanks in Video
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CD of Interviews + Letter of Thanks with Your Name Written in Tibetan Calligraphy
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CD + Letter + Handmade Tibetan Freedom Bracelet Made by Tibetan Nuns at Dorma Ling Monastery
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CD + Audio CD of Traditional Tibetan Music (the good stuff I promise)
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CD + Letter + Lama Doll (monk or nun) handicraft made by Tibetan Nuns at Dorma Ling Monastery
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CD + Letter + Matching Monk and Nun Dolls made by Tibetan Nuns at Dorma Ling Monastery
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CD + Letter + Handpainted Tibetan Mandala Thankga (Wall Scroll)
Project By
Connected as Marsha Morman (264 friends)
Marsha Morman is a published author of historical and young adult fiction. She has a BA in History from Brown University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the City College of New York. She is a supporter of the Tibetan Nuns Project and paints thangkas in her spare time. I'm not sure why anyone would need to know this, but she's read the Mishnah 31 times.
