Harvard grad honored at Miss Tibet pageant

Associated Press Associated Press (AP)

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http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041011/APN/410110609
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL, US
Dateline Alabama, AL, US
Worcester Telegram, MA, US
Boston Channel.com, MA, US

by Ashwini Bhatia, Associated Press Writer

DHARMSALA, India, 11 October 2004 (AP) – Hundreds of exiled Tibetans cheered among the firecracker bursts and flowing ribbons when Tashi Yangchen, who works for an information technology firm, received the Miss Tibet 2004 crown from last year's winner, Tsering Kyi.

The 24-year-old from the Indian state of Sikkim, on the border with China, had never been in a beauty contest before and has no modeling experience. But she also bagged the Miss Photogenic title at the pageant, which drew large crowds of Tibetans and tourists in its fifth year, despite criticism from the exile government concerned that such events are not part of Tibetan culture.

"First thing I will do when I reach home is kiss my mom and dad, without whose support it would not have been possible," said jubilant Yangchen, after receiving a check for $2,175 as the pageant ended near midnight Sunday.

The beauty pageant is the most glittering event of the festival, which also included Tibetan film awards and the presentation of a Free Spirit Award.

This year's award went to Meghan Howard, 22, a Harvard University graduate, who unfurled the Tibetan flag during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's address at Harvard Business School in December 2003.

Howard had smuggled the flag inside the auditorium in her pantyhose and shouted, "Free Tibet!" as Wen started to speak.

"It's flattering to be receiving this award. I am a shy person, but this award has made me a minor celebrity in Dharmsala," Howard said.

She received the award from Palden Gyatso, a respected monk and an ex-political prisoner who spent more than 30 years in Chinese jails before escaping to India. Hollywood actor Richard Gere won last year's award for his support of the cause of Tibetans.

Yangchen was one of five contestants, including Kalsang Dickey, 24, who traveled secretly from Tibet, narrowly escaping capture by Chinese border guards, to participate in the event. Dickey was temporarily hospitalized for severe dehydration and exhaustion upon her arrival in Dharmsala last month.

Chinese Communist troops occupied Tibet in 1951, and the Dalai Lama, the chief Tibetan Buddhist leader, fled to northern India eight years later amid a failed revolt. More than 100,000 Tibetans have followed him and settled in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala.

The pageant's grand finale, held at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharmsala, drew a large crowd, who danced until early Monday morning, despite posters around town urging people to boycott the event.

"The swimsuit competition was closed to the public because we want to respect the sentiments of a section of our community, which thinks such competition corrupts our culture," said Lobsang Wangyal, director of the annual Free Spirit Festival.

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