A busy street in Dharamsala in India Photo: Lin Meilian/GT

On the surface, the Miss Tibet pageant held in Dharamsala, India, isn't much different from other beauty contests: Bikini-clad babes sing, dance and give set answers to the usual banal questions. But in Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and 13,000 other ethnic Tibetans, beauty has turned into politics.

Tenzin Yangkyi, the 19-year-old Swiss-Tibetan Miss Tibet 2011, has learned that heavy is the head that wears the crown. Even at beauty pageants.

After winning the Miss Tibet title, Yangkyi, who speaks Tibetan, German, and English, said in an e-mail interview with the Global Times that she has been modeling for Tibetan fashion designers in the US and pin-up calendars in India. She also got offers to perform in Tibetan films and music videos.

She said she hopes to draw the attention of the international community toward the Tibetan question. But her contentious identity has caused problems. She described her first international pageant, the scandal-ridden Miss Asia Pacific World 2011 beauty pageant in South Korea, as a "big mess."

At the event, she met Miss China. They took pictures together, but the organizers later asked her to change her sash, which declared her "Miss Tibet," into "Miss Swiss-Tibet" as she is a Swiss citizen.

Against Tibetan tradition

The man behind the Miss Tibet Pageant is 42-year-old Lobsang Wangyal, who was born in a small Tibetan village in Orissa, East India. He is the founder, organizer, producer and director of the pageant. It's a one-man-and-many-girls show.

The first Miss Tibet Pageant was held in 2002. Only four women participated. In the 2003 and 2005 editions, the pageant had only one participant who was crowned without having to compete. In more recent years there have been between four to six girls every year.

Technically any Tibetan woman between 17 and 25 years old, taller than 165 centimeters, unmarried and has never given birth can apply. Few people in Tibet know about the event, and those living in exile are taken aback when they hear there is a swimsuit competition.

"Tibetan society is conservative, so it's not easy for the girls to just come up and be part of something that's not common here," Wangyal told the Global Times in an e-mail interview.

The beauty pageant, which Wangyal says is intended to empower Tibetan women, has drawn controversy both from the Chinese government which has criticized it as a politicized event, and from ethnic Tibetans who eschew its depiction of women.

Norah Shapiro, an American filmmaker, documented the beauty pageant in her film Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile in 2006 to show a "beauty pageant with a difference."

In the documentary, the deputy spokesperson of the Tibetan "parliament-in-exile," Gyari Dolma, said it is good to see Miss China and Miss Tibet standing together on the stage.

"I don't know in the future whether we will have a Tibet separate from China or not. So for now, it is good to see there is a Miss Tibet and Miss China who are representing two countries. That is a very strong message," she said, echoing the  Dalai Lama's long-held goal of separation, which China vehemently opposes.

Rigzin Losel, director of Contemporary Studies at China Tibetology Research Center, complained the event is politically motivated.

"Many events held in Dharamsala have a very strong political bent," he told the Global Times. "By doing so, they might get funding and support."

"Generally speaking, society in Dharamsala is less open and democratic than in Tibet," he claimed. "There is no soil for real democracy over there."

No willing sponsors

This year's Miss Tibet pageant is supposed to be held between June 8-10. The deadline for applications is the end of March. But organizer Wangyal said he is in no mood to celebrate.

A series of protests in the form of self-immolation have been reported in China's Tibetan-populated regions since last year. Officials said investigations have found that the victims were instigated by separatists to create chaos.

"The Dalai Lama clique and overseas separatist forces are leading Tibetan Buddhism onto the track of extremism. By touting self-immolators as heroes and performing religious rituals to expiate the sins of the dead, they support and inspire self-immolations," Wu Zegang, chief of the Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, told the Xinhua News Agency.

Another thing that contributed to his low mood is the universal problem: money. Since the pageant has failed to attract sponsors for the past decade, save for one year when Spice, an Indian telecom company, provided some support, Wangyal has nearly gone bankrupt keeping it running.

"I have no idea why so few people are interested in sponsoring this event. Maybe I am not doing it in the way they want," he said.

Wangyal has been working as a photojournalist since 1994 and he is a freelance photographer based in Mcleod Ganj, India. He opened a studio in 2007 which has grown into a multimedia and Web development business.

All the money for Miss Tibet comes from Wangyal's pocket, including the cash prizes of around 200,000 rupee ($3,880), split between the top three places.

Even if the contest continues this year, Wangyal said he has cut down the prize money and the number of days from 12 to 7 due to the lack of money. He has also canceled the week of training in fitness, make-up and catwalks before the competition.

He added that there are plans already to hold the Miss Tibet pageant in other parts of the world, such as Europe and North America, but this will depend on getting sponsors.

The Tibetan community in Dharamsala still appears divided over the ethics of measuring women's worth by displaying their beauty. Samdhong Rinpoche, former prime minister of the Tibetan "government-in-exile," said the pageant was "un-Tibetan" and "against Buddhist principles." As a result, some participants pulled out at the last minute due to family and social pressures.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Miss Tibet 2006, Wangyal explained the reasons for using a Western idea to showcase modern young Tibetan women. "I agree that it is a controversial event. I always say Tibetan youngsters should embrace new platforms to move our world forward.

"However, many Tibetans think that Miss Tibet is something that is against our culture. Do we really know what our culture is?" he asked.

But it was the Dalai Lama who finally calmed the situation: "If there is a Miss Tibet, why not a Mr Tibet? He could be handsome. Then it would be more equal."

Two women, different priorities

There is no Miss Tibet in Tibet. But there is a Miss Tibet of Tourism. These two women had never heard of each other, but they both dreamed about becoming Tibetan stars.

Miss Tibet Tourism is Yingdrup Lhamo, 23, who works for a film and media company in Lhasa and was crowned last year.

Yingdrup says Tibet's beauty contest allows competitors to maintian their modesty.

"Young Tibetan women like participating in beauty pageants, but we are shy to even wear below-the-knee skirts, let alone a swimsuit," she said.

Growing up in a farm family, Yingdrup came to Lhasa to work as a dancer after graduating from high school. She was surprised by her win but will try her best to promote Tibetan tourism.

"I want to model for some Tibetan magazines and dance for tourists in the summer," she said.

Miss Tibet in Dharamsala also wants to become a model and actress, but she also has an obvious political agenda: an independent Tibet.

Director Losel thinks only girls like Yingdrup Lhamo can truly represent Tibet and make contributions to the region, not a politicized Miss Tibet.

"These two ladies are both winners of beauty pageants, but you can see that they speak totally differently. One is talking about contributions, another about politics," he said.

"After all, how could a Miss Tibet selected from three or four women really represent Tibet?"  he questioned.