His head covered with a hood, dressed in a sweatshirt and branded jeans, 13-year-old Tenzin Sonam tucks his hands inside the pocket to pull out his iPod. He runs his fingers down the screen, shuffling between heavy metal hit Mettalica and Aerosmith’s hard rock. “They are my favourite bands and I listen to them all day,” he says. “The earphones are always on when I am at home in Massachusetts.”

Almost a world away, in the land of the little Lhasa in Himachal at present, this Tibetan with a US passport isn’t so sure if he will be able to tap to his choice of music as often. “I think we will be listening to more traditional Tibetan compositions. I don’t like them as much,” he states, turning for support from others in the the group of 20-odd, 7 to 20-year-olds who have assembled at the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV), an educational institute atop Mcleodganj.

They have come from across the world — US to Canada, Hong Kong, Japan and France — to participate in a 40-day-long camp that will acquaint them with Tibetan history, politics, culture and the lifestyle.

At a time when Tibet is a hot-button issue given the recent Chinese crackdown and the Beijing Olympics next month, this unusual workshop is more than summer school. For these children, Tibet’s exiled and globalised Generation Next, it’s also an opportunity to tread the places where their roots are meant to be.

“The aim is to make them more aware of where they come from,” says Thupten Dorjee, general secretary of the institution, who conceptualised the camp six years ago. Its coursework includes lessons in Tibetan folk tales, history, language, and subjects like music, theatre and dance that provide opportunity for greater interaction. “The fieldwork will complement the theoretical lectures and vice versa,” chips in Tsewang Youdon, coordinator for the camp.

... contd.