A Lepcha Altar
“I chose the topic of the altar of the Lepchas, as I feel connected to it and it feels sacred to me. It was my first ever experience feeling this way, so I had to do it.” Susong Palmu Lepcha
Knowledge keeper behind the expression
“My mother and my cousin.”
“I had no idea what feeling sacred or feeling connected meant. Hence, I did not know what I was supposed to do either. This was the main obstacle, as me not being aware about what I was actually supposed to do, stopped the smooth path I was going through. Finally, I decided to paint a random holy lake. Even if the painting was a success, I was not satisfied with it at all. I felt as though I was doing it just for the sake of doing it and that did not stick right with me. So I took some advice from my mentor, Dr Reep Pandi and she cleared almost all my doubts and problems. After that I talked to my mother and told her about what I felt about the painting, how I wasn’t satisfied. She understood what I meant and gave me the idea of sketching a Lepcha Altar. When I thought about it, I figured it out that the altar really felt sacred to me. Honestly speaking, it wasn’t a new feeling. I had felt it before when I attended rituals, I just didn’t take note of it or gave any attention to it. I learnt the feeling of sacredness which made me really proud because I had managed to overcome an obstacle, which may not have been too big but troubling enough. However, I am still confused about feeling connected to my topic. Does it mean being proud of it? Or does it mean something else, something deeper? I do not know and I hope I figure it out sooner or later but that was all for this time, which was just a camp to the rest of my unfolded journey.” Susong Palmu Lepcha
Drawing by Susong Palmu Lepcha
Mentored by Reep Pandi Lepcha