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Towards the last two months of my last visit to India in the spring of 2012, I encountered the Tibetan community in exile in India experiencing painful news of their people self-immolating in fire one after another in China-occupied Tibet. My experiences in the past visits in India (drawing a cremation site in Varanasi, documenting fire pits, cremation alters, and contemplating on life and death around fire) synchronized with this particular movement, an extreme way of ‘offering’ their bodies to ‘fire’ for asking freedom and peace.I could not help drawing large and small drawings as emotional response and with a sense of mourning.

After coming back to Vancouver, the self-immolation kept happening and I felt that my personal and professional task is not finished.

I have come back to India to continue to document and draw under the same theme. tomoyoihaya@hotmail.com

20 January 2015

Story of Water and Fire


This place on the high plateau of the Himalayas is known for its healing water from glaciers and streams, white sacred mountains and ever rolling green pastures.  
It is called the roof of the world where its people have lived with the earthy nature and vibrant inner life. 

It has been for a while now that its land fell in the hands of the greed and inhuman
Many sacred mountains are dug
Water has been poisoned
Pastures are fenced
Its people have lost freedom of living as they and their ancestors had lived over a thousand of years

Snow Lions shed tears whenever they witness another human in flame standing on their lands screaming for justice,  violences and pains in dark concrete cells, and lifeless eyes of their people.

However people do not give up, they stand, pray and live for those who sacrificed.  Light butter lamps.