TCHRD has translated two poems composed by the versatile young Tibetan writer Tsultrim Gyaltsen aka Shogdril who was detained late last week in the middle of night from his home at Tengkhar Village in Shamchu Township in Diru (Ch: Biru) County, Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region.
Tsultrim Gyaltsen, 27, and his friend, Yugyal, 26, continue to remain in secret detention since 12 October 2013. [For more information, please click here]
Both the poems, Ugly Lhasa and God Must Die were published in October 2012 on www.tibetcul.com, a website run by Tibetans inside Tibet. It seems the author had meant to complete the first poem Ugly Lhasa as it is still appended with a “To be continued”. Unsurprisingly, the second poem generated much criticism for its seemingly blasphemous views against religious belief. In fact, Shogdril castigates religious dogma and prevailing fatalism among believers, so his compatriots could wake up from their slumber of resignation and face life’s challenges on its own terms. It is a poem filled with existential angst, reminiscent of Nietzsche and Lu Xun. In God Must Die, twice Shogdril quotes Lu Xun.