Dharamshala + McLeod Ganj: Tibet News and a Library

dharamshalafan

I discovered a couple gems in Dharamshala (McLeod Ganj) that deserve recognition...maybe even worthy of mention in a guidebook:

TIBETAN COMMUNITY NEWS: Good source for up-to-date online newspaper about the Tibetan community in exile, with a special focus on the goings-on of the exiled Government of Tibet and the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, where the service is based. www.TibetPost.net is run by a Tibetan refugee who relies on volunteers from around the world to write, research, translate, and also to maintain the site. The editor has a keen critical eye and writes many unique pieces that are borrowed(stolen) by other news organizations. Happily accepts volunteers(funding comes largely from the editor's own pocket), and is willing to share his high-speed connection, modern computers, equipment, coffee, and spare time. Surely accepts donations, but currently does not ask for any. Trilingual: versions of the page available in English, Tibetan, and Mandarin.

Press of Tibet(Tibet Post International), 1st Floor, Dolkhang House, Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala...

LIBRARY: I found a wicked little free library that has a small but decent selection of English books next to a larger selection of Tibetan books. More excitingly, he owner, a Tibetan refugee named Dakpa, has subscriptions to The Economist, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and a few of other English-language periodicals. There is a small SW-facing verandah that catches the afternoon sun where you can sit and read for as long as you want. Again, it's free. I do not know where Dakpa got his funding to start the library, but with no usage or membership fees, I am sure he could use some help. Long-term goals include expanding the selection, bringing in a tea and coffee station, and increasing traffic so Tibetans, Indians, and tourists can use the space for discussion and debate. Rather than leave your books in your hotels to be used as kindling, drop them off at the library, just a stone's throw away from the Dalai Lama's residence at:

Dharamsala Community Library, 2nd Floor, above the Coffee Talk Cafe.
Temple Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, India.