Tenzin Norlha, 28, dons her lab attire to check herbal products for microbial contamination at the Tibetan Medical and Astrolgical Institute in Dharamshala. Norlha, who did her masters in microbiology in South Korea, was born to refugee parents in India.
Gyamtso, 35, a graphic designer at the Amnye Machen Institute in Dharamshala, sits at his desk with his design on the monitor. Born in Darjeeling, India, Gyamtso loves designing posters and t-shirts spreading messages for Tibet's independence. Gyamtso was trained as a graphic designer at the institute which is for advance Tibetan studies and which produces well-researched books, periodicals and maps.
Tenzin Dhargyal, a Tibetan exile runs a successful business selling Tibetan jewelery and handicrafts in Dharamshala, India.
Tsering Topgyal, 21, is an aspiring photographer who is studying at the Symbiosis College in Pune, India. A former member of the photography club at the Tibetan Children's Village School in Dharamshala, Topgyal's photographs have appeared in local exhibitions and online galleries. Topgyal wants to go to the US to study photography after his graduation. Since his escape from Tibet in 1993, he has been looked after and educated at the school in Dharamshala.
Thirty-three-year-old Lobsang Dhoyou makes a living making traditional masks and motifs for various monasteries in India. A former monk, Dhoyou was trained at the Sera monastery in Tibet before escaping to India to seek religious freedom. He is now married with an 8-year-old son and lives among a thriving Tibetan refugee community in Dharamshala.
Dr Yeshi Dhondhen, a well-known Tibetan physician checks a patient in his small clinic in Dharamshala. Following the ancient Tibetan medical practice he examines the patient's urine and diagnoses the ailment without asking any questions.
Wangdue Tsewang, sits in front of a framed poster declaring 'The world meets Tibet at the Green Hotel' at the popular Green Hotel in Dharamshala. A successful entrepreneur, Tsewang thinks that a dialogue with China could be a slow process, but is the only viable option for Tibetans.
Phurbu Tashi, 39, makes his living as a Thanka (traditional Tibetan style of painting involving religious figures) painter in Dharamshala. Tashi trained under a senior teacher for five years in exile after escaping in 1987 from the Tibetan capital Lhasa. He keeps alive the tradition of painting with natural dyes, usually made from stones and minerals. The work is hard with each thanka taking as many as 180, 8-hour days.
Dr Passang Dolma sees a TB patient at the Delek hospital in Dharamshala, India. A graduate of the Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Dolma wants to be a gynaecologist. "I feel satisfied serving my own people," says Dolma. The hospital, which treats mainly Tibetan refugees who largely suffer from TB and Hepatitis B- related complications, is an autonomous body under the health department of the exile government.
Kalden makes Tibetan musical instruments in Dharamshala. Surviving by selling 'Damiyan', a Tibetan guitar, Kalden hopes to return to Tibet one day.
Tenzing Sangpo, a Fulbright scholar holding a masters in English education from the University of Virginia, has been serving the Tibetan Children's Village School (TCV) in Dharamshala for the past 33 years. In his current post as the Education Director, he is responsible for looking after all TCV schools, which house and educate refugee Tibetan children, situated in different Tibetan refugee settlements all over India.
Lobsang Kunga, 37, heads the audio-visual lab working to preserve the digital archives of the teachings of the Dalai Lama, at the Namgyal monastery in Dharamshala. Born in Lhasa, Kunga came to Dharamshala in 1985. The archive with a staff of six has produced 8 DVDs of the teachings which it sells in the market to get funds for future projects. "We owe it to the future generations," says Kunga, who lives in the monastery.
Yangdrol Tsekyi, 27, works as a barista at the popular Moonpeak Espresso coffee shop in Dharamshala. Arriving in India in 2001, Tsekyi left her five siblings and mother in Ximing in Amdo province after finishing high school. She went to a special school set up by the Tibetan exile government in Dharamshala for new arrivals and learnt English, Tibetan and basic computer skills for five years. "I would like to go back to my family in Tibet, but right now it's too dangerous to go," says Tsekyi.
A refugee Tibetan makes and sells caps with Free Tibet woven into them at a makeshift stall in Dharamshala, India.