A DEDICATED INITIATOR OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE: THARCHIN’S INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION OF KNOWLEDGE BETWEEN THE TIBETAN AND WESTERN WORLDS

Abstract

Gergan Dorje Tharchin (1890–1976), was an exceptional personality. As an intermediary between the two worlds Tharchin developed a variety of methods and means, most important of which was his primary medium, The Tibet Mirror: Its aim was to familiarize Tibetans with the world outside Tibet and to provide information on Buddhist topics. After China’s invasion in Tibet, however, Tharchin shifted the focus of his reporting and strove to supply both Tibet and the Western world with information on current events in Tibet and to open their eyes to the situation there; A further key area of focus for Tharchin was the preservation and dissemination of the Tibetan culture and language. In addition to publishing many secular Tibetan books at his Kalimpong Tibet Mirror Press, he thus also wrote textbooks and grammar books on the Tibetan language. In 1950 Tharchin even issued a Tibetan language course on the new medium of gramophone record. To meet the needs of Tibetan refugees, Tharchin published Hindi-Tibetan Self-Taught and The English-Tibetan-Hindi Pocket Dictionary. For decades he worked on what is probably the most comprehensive monolingual Tibetan dictionary. In public life in Kalimpong, Tharchin was frequently sought after as a translator for various occasions and as a mediator in conflicts and had a wide-ranging correspondence with Tibetologists and scholars from all over the world. Tharchin’s multi-faceted and innovative activities, thus, played an important role in transforming Kalimpong into a center of transcultural encounters.