A Conversation with Tsering Namgyal Khortsa 

Priyanka Chakraborty

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa is a Tibetan writer and journalist. He has published widely in some of the leading publications in Asia and around the world, including The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Religious Despatches, Asia Sentinel, South China Morning Post, India Today and the Hindustan Times. Born and brought up in India, Tsering was educated at the National Taiwan University (Taipei), the University of Minnesota, and the University of Iowa, where he earned an MA in journalism and also studied creative writing (fiction and literary non-fiction).  In 2007, he was awarded the Dorothy Mueller Writing Scholarship from the University of Iowa. His short stories have appeared in Yellow Medicine Review: The Journal of Indigenous Literature, Arts and Culture (Southwest Minnesota State University), Asia Literary Review (formerly Dimsum, Hong Kong), and Himal SouthAsia. One of his short stories was anthologized in Old Demon, New Deities: 21 Short Stories from Tibet, edited by Tenzin Dickie (OR Books, 2017). His first book, a collection of essays, Little Lhasa: Reflections on Exiled Tibet, was published in 2006 (Indus Source, Mumbai). His biography of the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee was released in India on May 20, 2013 (Hay House, India). And his novel, The Tibetan Suitcase, was published in 2019 (Blackneck Books).  He currently lives in Dehradun, India.

Priyanka Chakraborty: Congratulations on signing the publishing contract for the Hungarian language rights of the book His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee: A Biography, originally published in 2013. How do you feel about the renewed interest in the book?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from a Hungarian publisher, who expressed interest in translating my book into Hungarian. It’s heartening to know that the book still resonates with some readers, especially Buddhist readers in the West. After putting in a lot of hard work into the book, it’s rewarding to see that my efforts are paying off, even after such a long time.  Furthermore, a friend I met in Dharamshala recently spotted my book prominently displayed among spiritual classics in a well-known café in Bandra, Bombay. After reading the book, she was so inspired that she decided to alter her plans and return to Dharamshala and the Himalayas to deepen her connection with Tibetan spirituality!

Priyanka Chakraborty: How will you describe your journey as an author? What surprising/interesting things did you learn while writing your books?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: My writing journey has been a lengthy one, starting during my time as a young reporter in Taipei in the early 1990s. Although I initially pursued journalism, I soon found its form too confining for my creative ambitions. As a result, I began exploring other avenues such as short stories and literary non-fiction before ultimately delving into long-form fiction, culminating in the writing of my novel. I published my first book, Little Lhasa: Reflections on Exiled Tibet, a collection of essays on Dharamshala and Tibetans in India in 2006, after which I experimented with fiction writing. I wrote wherever my life took me – India, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. In 2007, I seized the opportunity to study at the University of Iowa, renowned for its excellence in creative writing. Even though I was officially enrolled in a journalism school, I discreetly took a few classes in creative writing there, clandestinely honing my creative writing skills. Throughout my writing journey, I’ve learned many lessons, but above all, it has been a profound process of self-discovery. The contemplative act of writing has enabled me to unearth insights about myself and my culture, fostering a deep and enriching understanding.

Priyanka Chakraborty: What inspired you to become a writer, and how did your Tibetan heritage influence your literary pursuits?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: In the book “Letters to a Young Poet,” poet Rainier Maria Rilke advises 19-year-old Franz Kappus: “Ask yourself, in your night’s quietest moment, Do I have to write? Dig deep down into yourself for the answer.” For me, it was the nostalgia for bygone days and the desire to evoke it in my writings that has been a major source of inspiration, especially the memory of growing up as a child of Tibetan refugees in the Indian Himalayas of the 1970s and 1980s. As a Tibetan, I realized that there are so few of us and we need more writing about us, especially in the English language. When I was growing up, there was a dearth of reading material about Tibetans, especially our contemporary life, so I decided to write it myself. I also find great joy in writing and the challenges of the creative process and story-telling.

Priyanka Chakraborty: How do you balance your Tibetan cultural identity with the broader literary landscape in India?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: As someone said India is our surrogate mother, while Tibet is our biological mother. The two are different yet connected. We as writers are lucky because both India and Tibet have their great respective literary traditions. Increasingly, Tibetan writers are being published in India, which means they are becoming a part of the larger Indian literary landscape, which is a very welcome development. 

Priyanka Chakraborty: Arguably Tibetan English writings touch on various post-colonial and post-modern themes, yet they are considered marginal. As a writer, where do you see Tibetan English writings on the map of world literature?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: We are a small community of six million people (which is slightly larger than the population of Singapore), and out of that, only 100,000 people live outside Tibet in the diaspora. So it is marginal by definition but the influence of Tibetan writing will grow as more writers emerge in the diaspora. Tibetan Buddhist literature and writings in the Tibetan language remain hugely influential in academic circles and are considered one of the world’s great literary traditions. There is a need for a new renaissance of Tibetan literature through contemporary Tibetan writing in English. 

Priyanka Chakraborty: How has the experience of being a Tibetan in exile shaped your creative expression and writing themes? Are there specific Indian elements that find their way into your work? You have lived in various countries—how do you think these multi-cultural experiences shaped your writings?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: It is part of my Tibetan exilic identity, and hence, it shapes my thoughts and my writings. But I try not to be too conscious about that. I go wherever my imagination takes me. As a writer, I have to stay true to my imagination, and thus, I am not an overtly political writer but politics is embedded in my writing. Having been born in India, it is inevitable that certain Indian elements would make their way into my writings. Meanwhile, my peripatetic background, especially my multi-cultural and multi-lingual experiences, hopefully, makes my book less parochial and more well-rounded, which is good since we live in such a globalized world. One reviewer, for instance, called my novel The Tibetan Suitcase, “a global novel from a Tibetan perspective.” 

Priyanka Chakraborty: Do you believe that your writings contribute towards preserving Tibetan culture and identity, and also popularising them? If so, in what ways?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I can only say that telling the truth about our lives will help bring more awareness to our real exilic condition. I hope when people read it, it will allow them to understand the trials and tribulations of life in exile, how challenging it was growing up in India post-exodus from Tibet, and how we are currently negotiating the legacy of our traditions with the challenges of modernity and globalization.

Priyanka Chakraborty: How do you feel about writing in English and who do you consider your target audience? How do you aim to connect with both Tibetan and non-Tibetan readers?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: English has been my working language since I was young, and more officially as I began my career as a journalist. I don’t have a specific target audience in mind when I write; instead, I aim to reach out to whoever reads a newspaper. Due to my background in journalism, I strive to write as simply as possible. I pay heed to Orwell’s advice: “Never use a long word where a short one will do.” I hope my books will appeal to both Tibetan and non-Tibetan audiences.

Priyanka Chakraborty: What was the inspiration for your novel The Tibetan Suitcase? Did you base your story on one or multiple real-life events and characters with your magic of creativity? Or is the entire fiction your brainchild?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I began writing the novel quite haphazardly, in sporadic bursts and fragments. Since I had to maintain a job, I could not dedicate my time to writing alone. Thus, the novel travelled with me wherever I went, gradually expanding over time. However, upon arriving in the US, I discerned a pattern in my writing and found that there was a cohesive storyline emerging. Many of the events are based on real-life incidents, making it partly autobiographical. However, the sections set in Tibet are entirely imagined or passed down from my parents, relatives, and friends.

Priyanka Chakraborty: Could you share some insights into your writing style? Tell us about any major shift from your non-fiction Little Lhasa and His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorge: A Biography to your fictional The Tibetan suitcase?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I’ve experimented with various styles and forms. For instance, Little Lhasa falls into the category of ‘literary non-fiction,’ comprising essays on Dharamshala where I, as the author, would interject with commentary, insight, and context. His Holiness’ book is a mixture of spiritual biography, translation, and above all, a travelogue – a narrative of pilgrimage. The Tibetan Suitcase, on the other hand, is a novel narrated from first-person and third-person points of view. It’s a mosaic of letters, journal entries and magazine stories, embodying what one might call an epistolary novel or a novel in letters. The great thing I realized about the novel as a form is its flexibility. In a way, The Tibetan Suitcase endeavours to reinvent the novel as a form, pushing its boundaries.

Priyanka Chakraborty: In The Tibetan Suitcase, you have presented an interesting interplay between you as a character and also as an author—a  businessman and an artist. This concept of layered duality can be seen throughout the novel. How do you conceive this duality? And how do you approach balancing historical accuracy with creative storytelling?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I believe that a good novel has to be historically grounded in facts before allowing the imagination to take over. My novel is set in the early 1990s and unfolds in various locations around the world. My novel evokes, in particular, the romance and the unhurried pace of life before the advent of electronic mail and the Internet when letters were written and sent by post.  The Tibetan Suitcase is peripatetic, guiding readers from India to the US to Tibet to Nepal to France, England, and Hong Kong. But intricate details and insights root the narrative in each respective locale. Ironically, as one reviewer said, it is a 21^st-century global novel, cosmopolitan and multicultural, but also centered around one of the most landlocked, mysterious, and remote regions of the world.

Priyanka Chakraborty: Would you tell our readers about your upcoming literary projects or books? Do share a sneak peek with us.

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I am currently working on a collection of short stories and a novel. I am also thinking of reissuing Little Lhasa because it has aged very well and I think now is the time to bring it back and to find new readers. I was pleasantly surprised to see the owner of The English Book Depot in Dehradun reading Little Lhasa when I visited the store a few years ago. It was a surreal experience and perhaps a sign that I should republish it. The manager of Tibet Bookstore in McLeod Gunj also recently asked me about the book. He told me that Indian readers really like it. Of course, I am looking for an international publisher for The Tibetan Suitcase.

Priyanka Chakraborty: Could you highlight some of the challenges you’ve faced as a Tibetan author in India? How have you overcome them? What do you feel is the most rewarding aspect of being a published author?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: Being a writer is a difficult and often lonely career, given the minimal institutional support available. The publication of at least three novels by Tibetan authors posthumously highlights the nascent state of Tibetan literature in English. Being a Tibetan writer is arguably even more challenging, which may explain the scarcity of Tibetan voices in literature. However, this seems to be changing as more Tibetans, employed in Western universities or supported by grants, are beginning to publish their works. Despite the challenges, there is immense joy in seeing your book in print. Holding something you’ve created purely from your imagination, yet imbued with meaning, brings boundless joy to the creator. Moreover, the feedback from readers can be deeply gratifying.

Priyanka Chakraborty: Lastly, what advice would you offer to young Tibetans or individuals from marginalized communities who aspire to become writers?

Tsering Namgyal Khortsa: I cannot give better advice to any aspiring writer than James Baldwin, who said: “Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance.” I believe writing, especially fiction writing, is an endurance exercise.

Dr. Priyanka Chakraborty is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata. She worked as a Fulbright Fellow at Fries Centre for Global Studies, Wesleyan University, from 2022-2023 and was awarded a doctoral degree in 2023 from Banaras Hindu University. Her Ph.D. thesis is based on Tibetan narratives. She is currently working on Tibetan translation of a children’s book.