Beauty pageant turns ugly

2005-10-04 14:51

New Delhi - As beauty pageants go, the Miss Tibet competition in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala - home to the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama - would seem a non-event.

But despite having just one entrant and no swimsuit section, the contest has caused a bitter split among Tibetan refugees in the hill station regarded as sacred by Tibetans due to the presence of the Dalai Lama.

Traditionalists say it brings the town into disrepute, while a local women's group argues the pageant will advance the cause of freedom for Tibet from Chinese rule.

"We feel that holding such pageants here is not appropriate because in the minds of Tibetans and people across the world, Dharamsala is home to his highness," said Thupten Samphel, secretary in the exiled Tibetan government which is headquartered in Dharamsala.

A sacred place

"Dharamsala is a sacred place and is deeply revered by our people. It is no place for the celebration of the human body. It is against Buddhism," he said.

Others however feel the contest is step forward for the closed and conservative society of Tibetan exiles and could help publicise their cause.

Eight of the nine contestants have withdrawn from the pageant for unspecified reasons, offering a walkover to the winner who will be crowned Miss Tibet on October 8, said event spokesperson Ngawang Samdup.

"It may seem bizarre with just one contestant but for a closed society it is a bold step," Samdup said, as younger Tibetans argued the event would help publicise the decades-old drive for an end to Chinese rule in their homeland.

Samdup said the winner's identity would be revealed at the gala planned for Saturday when she would receive 100 000 rupees ($2 325) as prize money.

Second unopposed victory

This year marks the second time the controversial pageant is feting a solitary contestant.

In 2003, Tsering Kyi became the unopposed Miss Tibet but last year Tashi Yangchen became Miss Tibet in a five-way contest held despite opposition from the Tibetan leadership.

The Tibetan women's association, an anti-Chinese lobby of 3 000 members worldwide, however, supported the event, saying it helped their cause for a free Tibet.

"We support this pageant as we feel this is an extra platform for Tibetan issues and culture," said association president B. Thering.

"But we are not going to campaign for it or fund pageants as we have more urgent things to do but we think girls selected for the contest have always focussed on Tibetan issues, creating awareness among international bodies," she said.

Pageant in accordance with international norms

Event organisers said the show would be conducted in accordance with international norms.

The event was originally planned to be held from September 29 with a weeklong training session but this was curtailed after opposition from the Tibetan government-in-exile.

- AFP