Dharamshala: The opening of nominations has been announced Thursday (24 March) at a press conference in Dharamshala, India, for the competitions of 'Mr. Tibet' and 'Tibet Idol' 2011, both of which will be held on June 7 at the TIPA in McLeod Ganj. The competitions are presented by Aman Gandhi Film Productions and World Tibet Congress, and aim for the 'Promoting of World Peace & Non-Violence Struggle for Free Tibet'.
The event has received the endorsement of both the Central Tibetan Administration and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and is being organised by Dr. Mahesh Yadav 'Aman Gandhi', an activist for Tibet for the past 15 years, with Thinley Jampa and the 2009 recipient of the Miss Tibet crown, Tenzin Choezom, as the event's coordinators.
Nominees for 'Mr. Tibet' are required to meet a height requirement of 5"8 f (1.72m) and be between 18 and 30 years old. As for his character, Miss Choezom has said the future Mr. Tibet must have a good heart and be ready to help spread awareness of the situation in Tibet to Tibetan youth, and have a good knowledge of cultural dance and traditional music.
Nominees for 'Tibet Idol' (also open to women) must be between 18-35 years old, and all competitors in both competitions must be in possession of a Green Book identifying them as Tibetan. She added that the organisation is expecting a large turnout and that she hopes "many young boys will be excited to participate" in Mr. Tibet and spread awareness of harassment and human rights violations within the region.
The winners of both titles will receive a gold medal, cash prize and certificate, and be given "the chance to become something unique and represent their own country", gaining advantages as role models whose job will be to highlight the situation in Tibet and Tibetan culture to the younger generation of Tibetans.
Dr. Manesh Yadav has said that the inspiration for 'Mr. Tibet' came from Lobsang Wangyal's 'Miss Tibet' and that he would like to thank Lobsang and invite him to join the judges' panel. Miss Choezom added that World Tibet Congress is currently seeking sponsorship and hoping to expand its number of members.
Nominations can be submitted to:
