Impressions of 65th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, October 31 – November 2, 2018 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

Happy faces of the team on this 65th Wellbeing Camp, Sonam, Lekshey, Sanju, Yeshi. 

Lekshey Choetso is the assistant doctor of Dr. Dorjee for this camp and she is the first time part of the team at the Sylviander House.

Sanju is a regular volunteer, who has come many times to help with translations and with coordinating the patients’ consultations.

Very rarely Eldtho can manage to join the Wellbeing Camp, but this time he could. He is a very important campaigner for Friends of Tibet and his work for each Wellbeing Camp is irreplaceable, since he is preparing all the logistic work of the time scheduling for the patients’ consultations.  

Of course he takes the chance to get his pulse checked by Dr. Dorjee with some good advices and medicines. 

As often, Suresh and Sethu are busy with briefings in my stitching room, which then during the camp turns into Sethu’s office room. 

Sometimes Dr. Dorjee will join for a chat after the short tea breaks …

… and when there is a gap in the schedule who ever has time will just relax, sit together and have a talk!

Nobody told men should have lunch separate from women! 

It just happened! And it seems, everybody is enjoying it! 

While the two foreign women – from Canada and Germany – enjoy there time on the verandah, the team goes back to there duty …

Suresh gives briefings to interested patients about holistic healing in my stitching room …

… and in the entrance hall Sethu helps a patient with some advices, Sonam is doing the bills, Lekshey sometimes has to replace or add a medicine in a patient’s book, Yeshi puts the ordered pills together … 

One evening, Suresh and Sethu sit together with Dr. Dorjee, who will be interviewed by Suresh about Tibetan Medicine for the report. 

Suresh writes pages over pages …

… and he has too many questions, which Dr. Dorjee answers patiently … 

The report of the 65th Wellbeing Camp (October/November 2018) is in progress – please see: 

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/

– Photographs by Sylvie Bantle and Sethu Das –

The 66th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp organised jointly by ‘Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing’ and ‘Men-Tsee-Khang’, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be held in January 2018 (Wed-Fri). The venue for the medical camp is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander Land, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India.

- Registration by SMS/WhatsApp: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

• Google Map Directions to CSPA: http://goo.gl/dnraot

Impressions of 64th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, September 5 – 7, 2018 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

After a heavy monsoon with floods all around Kerala, finally the sun appeared to dry the roads and the muddy land. Life came back to quite normal to make it possible for the patients to attending the 64th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp at the Sylviander House. 

With Dr. Dorjee Rapten had come the accompanying doctor Dr. Yangchen Dolkar, who once was asked to listen to the doctor’s pulse.

The stuff members Tenzin Yeshi and Tenzin Gesar were busy with writing the bills and distributing the medicines. 

Often friends who don’t know Tibetan medicine ask me about it, how it looks, how to take, how it tastes …? 

Beside different powders which is to put in warm water and then to drink, most of the medicines are small balls in various sizes and colors of all tones from brown to black, which have to be crashed, then to drink with warm water. 

The taste of these pills vary, some are bitter, some less – this is difficult to describe.

Thanks to the sunny weather it was pleasant for the patients to wait, sitting on the terrace with the view to the garden with the pond and the biotope behind … 

As always our sister in law came for consultation, but that day she had a big surprise …

Her husband – Alexander’s eldest brother – accompanied her, who is not interested in taking Tibetan medicine, but wanted to have read the pulse that day …

While the consultations went on smoothly, Suresh Babu was coordinating the patients, answering their questions, giving briefing to them if wished so, translating for patients who not speak english … 

And as always the head of the Wellbeing Camp Sethu Das was sitting concentrated at his laptop to make sure, that the whole event takes place without any delays. 

Since Suresh Babu was asked to write the report for Friends of Tibet, he spontaneously decided to make an interview with me …

Please see the 64th Wellbeing Camp Report | (September 2018)

Healing Influence of Tibetan Holistic Medicine 

(Alappuzha, Kerala | Sept 2018 | Report: Suresh Babu | Editing: Bina Nayak)

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_sept_2018.html

– Photographs by Sylvie Bantle and Sethu Das –

The 65th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp organised jointly by ‘Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing’ and ‘Men-Tsee-Khang’, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be held end on October 31 - November 2, 2018 (Wed-Fri). The venue for the medical camp is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander Land, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India.

- Registration by SMS/WhatsApp: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

• Google Map Directions to CSPA: http://goo.gl/dnraot

Impressions of 63rd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, July 11 – 13, 2018 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

My highlight on this camp was a long talk with my friend Mrinalini on the verandah, who had come for volunteering as so many times before. We met some years ago, when the Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp was held in Ashir Bhavan at Ernakulam. From the first moment we felt very close …

See the report for Friendsoftibet with Mrinalini Rajgopal: 

Conversations on Healing and Wellbeing 

(Alappuzha, Kerala | July 2018 | Report: Sylvie Bantle | Editing: Dr Aparna Rao)

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_july_2018.html

For patients who not speak English, she translates during the consultations …

… otherwise she will sit in the entrance hall to instruct the patients and to help them filling the forms. 

As mostly our European friends had come to consult Dr. Dorjee and as always we had a good talk afterwards. 

Dr. Dorjee was reading the pulse of the patients with the help of his assistants then beside the medicines giving advices for a supporting diet and lifestyle … 

… while my stitching room turned into Sethu’s office and Suresh's briefing room as always during the camp. 

Look at these four flours! 

It is really not easy to take a picture, always one is not posing in the right way!!!

One morning we had an interesting visitor, a young blogger, who lives nearby. 

She made some interviews with patients and got good informations from Dr. Dorjee. 

For sometimes our youngest cat boy Leo was watching the scenes in front of Dr. Dorjee’s room – or was he waiting for a consultation to having a pulse diagnose? 

It was raining a lot …

… the path to Sylviander House was slightly flooded. 

The Tibetan team took some of our garden tools and tried to solve the problem. 

They really worked hard to dig some small channels along the path … 

… so the stagnant water could drain off. 

At that moment it was fun, nobody could anticipate what would happen only one month later … Luckily the coastal area and Chettikad were spared from the big flood, which devastated many regions in Kerala. 

After a long time again we all decided to take a group photograph before Dr. Dorjee and his team left for the railway station in the Rikscha of our good Rikscha driver Elias … 

Tibetan team: Dr. Dorjee Rapten, Dr. Tulku, Dr. Rabgey, Yeshi Chodon, Sonam Wangmo

– Photographs by Sylvie Bantle and Sethu Das –

The 64th Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp organised jointly by ‘Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing’ and ‘Men-Tsee-Khang’, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be held from September 5 - 7, 2018 (Wed-Fri). The venue for the medical camp is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander Land, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India.

- Registration by SMS/WhatsApp: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

• Google Map Directions to CSPA: http://goo.gl/dnraot

Impressions of 62nd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, May 9 – 11, 2018 at Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA) at Sylviander House

The 62nd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp was the 20st at our Sylviander House, where our 1st Wellbeing Camp happened in February 2015. 

This time we had a special guest, Artist Francisca Carvalho from Lisbon, Portugal, who also was one of the Volunteers for the 62nd edition of Alappuzha Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp. 

In my stitching room, which turns into an office during the camp, Sethu Das discusses with Yazin T Azad about the theme of this time Wellbeing report, which will be about Artist Francisca Carvalho … 

… while the consultation goes on at Dr. Dorjee’s room, on his side as always an assistant doctor, who has a good chance to amplify his studies. 

After lunch Yazin T Azad has a conversation with the Portuguese artist Francisca Carvalho on the morning tea verandah at the 1st floor.

Francisca Carvalho was in Kerala recently to hold 'Nila', an exhibition of her water colour drawings hosted by Design & People in association with Kerala Museum, Edappally from May 7 – 8, 2018. 

While tea time or during lunch I had very interesting talks with Francisca, who enjoyes to work with her hands too like me, especially as I did during my past time as a fashion artist and a fabric designer. 

Please read the fascinating conversation which Francisca had with Yazin: 

62nd Wellbeing Camp Report by Yazin T Azad | (May 2018)

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/reports/wellbeing_may_2018.html(Foto_1)

Since I had to leave to airport in the night for my flight to Germany I could witness and take pictures on the 1st day of the Wellbeing Camp only. 

Even for a month only being away it is hard to say good-bye as always. My cat girl Moojoo as she sensed my soon departure did’nt want to move from my suitcase …

The 63rd Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp organised jointly by ‘Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing’ and ‘Men-Tsee-Khang’, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be held from July 11-13, 2018 (Wed-Fri). The venue for the medical camp is Centre for Social & Political Art (CSPA), Sylviander Land, Chettikad Beach Road, Alappuzha, Kerala, India.

- Registration by SMS/WhatsApp: 9400354354, 9061354354

- Registration by Email: wellbeing@friendsoftibet.org 

- Registration Online: www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing/

- Google Map Directions to CSPA: http://goo.gl/dnraot