Gu-Chu- Sum marks ‘Day of the Imprisoned Writer’ with poetry night
DHARAMSALA, 15 Nov: Gu-Chu- Sum Movement of Tibet, an organisation of former political prisoners of Tibet, marked ‘Day of the Imprisoned Writer’ with a poetry night yesterday.
On the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, Dharamsala-based Tibetan NGO formed by former Tibetan political prisoners held its poetry night event on the terrace of the organisation’s terrace due to restrictions in place owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gu -Chu-Sum’s poetry night is an annual event that is being held to support and express solidarity with the writers imprisoned by China, particularly Tibetan writers who were jailed for expressing their opinions, a fundamental human rights and those from China, Hong Kong, Southern Mongolia and East Turkistan.
The attendees were treated to a multilingual variety of poems written by imprisoned Tibetan writers, original poems by attendees that expressed the longing for freedom, home, human rights and reunification among others.
As the event witnessed winter’s first rain and the mercury dipped, all the attendees were also served hot tea and then-thuk apart from the bonfire to comfort them.
This is Gu-Chu- Sum Movement of Tibet’s fifth poetry night. It was initially started in 2016 to honour imprisoned Tibetan writers and prisoners of conscience, the ambit has since expanded to all those suppressed, oppressed and repressed by the Chinese Communist regime.
Usually held in the pine woods of upper Dharamsala in Dharamkot, the event that attracts a large crowd of Tibetans, Indians and foreigners alike, the event saw a low turnaround this year because of the pandemic.
Started by PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee in 1981, 15 Nov is annually observed as the Day of the Imprisoned Writer to honour, recognize and support the imprisoned writers who resisted repression of basic human rights, freedom of expression and stood up to attacks made against their right to impart information.
