Tibet as Utopia: A reading of tibetan refugeeism from the select poems of Tenzin Tsundue

Art always serves certain purpose and has the prowess to change the entire world. Tenzin Tsundue is a new poetic voice to transform the life conditions of Tibetan refugees. He is a reputed Tibetan activist and poet who stand strong for the welfare of Tibetan refugees who are torn apart from the core of their Lhasa (motherland). He becomes the voice of the voiceless to secure an identity of their own. He addresses the issues of rootlessness and the pervading agony in an alien country is a burning issue even now. Tsundue holds his mighty quill to erase the identity crisis and restore the lost homeland. The pathetic plight of the Tibetans in India and other countries prick the conscience of the humanity. The realistic portrayal of the life of Tibetans, their longing to reach their own land and the perplexed existence without a valid citizenship should be addressed and solved. This paper attempts to pinpoint the state of Tibetan refugees through the poems of Tsundue and how Tibet remains as a dreamland for them. His poems “Refugees”, “My Tibetanness”, and “Exile House” stand testimony to his exilic existence.