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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

28 November 2019

For Yonten November 26 2019


For Yonten, 24 years old, who died in self immolation on November 26 2019 in Ngaba, Amdo, Tibet.
He was a monk at Kirti monastery however disrobed to help his family in their nomadic livelihood.  
He passed away on site after carrying out his protest around 4 pm. 

This marks the 165th Tibetan to self immolate in occupied Tibet and in exile since 2008.

_________
The sad news arrived on the cold winter day.  Cold wind was blowing in the grey sky.
If it is cold here, his hometown must have been much colder there. 

I thought of his passing alone on the far away high plateau.
Hundreds of small streams,green pasture land and mountains are controlled, exploited and divided into pieces just as to the people who belong there. 

I thought of his fellow brothers and sisters who sacrificed their lives for dignity and freedom.

I pray for his fellow brothers and sisters who are standing up for dignity and freedom at this moment 
in Tibet and in the world.   Although one knows praying is not enough.