Shop Tibet invites you into a marketplace featuring a diversity of jewelry, arts and crafts located at 835 Westfield Boulevard that is co-owned by Tenzin Namgyal and his wife, Dolma.

"We sell mainly different kinds of clothes, scarves, jewelry, books, bags, gloves and incense. We also sell wall hangings and lampshades that are imported from India and Nepal. Some items are made by Indian and Nepalese residents while other items are made by Tibetan refugees," Namgyal explained. "During the spring and summer months, we will add mostly women's dresses, t-shirts and jewelry," he mentioned.

Gloves, mittens, scarves, shawls, socks and wool jackets have been big sellers during one of Central Indiana's mildest winters in recent memory. Shop Tibet's books have mostly Buddhist meditation and spirituality themes that offer further insight into the religion. Tibetan wall hangings (Thangka paintings) feature images of spiritual leaders dating back from 1000 B.C. to the seventh and eighth centuries.

Namgyal displayed a prayer flag containing mantras of different Buddhists where five colors represent five elements: blue (space), white (air), red (fire), green (water) and yellow (earth). Shop Tibet also sells rings made of pure silver, brass and copper with different kinds of precious stones.

He described his background and travels. "I am Tibetan born in Bhutan. It's a small Buddhist nation between India and Tibet. The primary industry there is mainly farming. I immigrated to the U.S. in 1998," he said. Dolma immigrated later. His parents are from Tibet, but left the country in the early 1960s after Chinese occupation of Tibet and now live in India.

Formally a constitutional monarchy, Bhutan held regional elections in 2007 and is now a democracy. A member of the United Nations, Bhutan is also part of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC); it hosted the sixteenth SAARC summit in April of 2010.

After he earned a bachelor's degree in International Human Rights Law from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, Namgyal moved to Tibetan Cultural Center (TCC) in Bloomington where he worked as language translator for Buddhist teachings and office manager before heading to the Crossroads of America. TCC is now called Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (TMBCC) and was founded by the eldest brother of the Dalai Lama to preserve, promote and educate Tibetan culture, language and tradition.

An Indianapolis resident for almost 10 years, he finds the Broad Ripple area a diverse, very friendly environment that became the ideal setting for Shop Tibet, which has been open for almost two years. "I thought this was most suitable for the items that we sell," Namgyal said.

Shop Tibet store hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. They can be found on facebook at: Shop Tibet and contacted at 257-5285.

Nawang Khechog is a Grammy nominated Tibetan musician who mainly plays the flute, long horns and trumpets of different sizes featuring tranquil, meditative melodies. Many of his CDs are available in the store, which include collaborations with American pianist Peter Kater on Dance of Innocents and with American Native Indian R. Carlos Nakao on Winds of Devotion and Music as Medicine. Born in Tibet, Khechog now calls Colorado home.

Namgyal wants to raise awareness of Tibet's human rights issues through education, organizing events, writing petitions to governments and international organizations. He is also the president of Indiana Tibetan Association based in Indianapolis.

He is also involved in the local Indiana Buddhist Center that "educates interested individuals about Buddhism and serves the needs of persons in Central Indiana through various neighborhood outreach programs." He gives talks on Tibetan culture and language in addition to doing translations for Geshe Jinpa Sonam, a Tibetan Buddhist Monk who serves as IBC's Spiritual Director. More can be learned about IBC at www.IndianaBuddhist.org and by visiting their location at 9260 East 10th Street or calling 225-5499.

Through their outreach program, they visit Plainfield's correctional facility, different churches, schools and are involved in interfaith services in the community. They unite individuals through faith and culture.

Namgyal has also been a board member of the International Tibet Independence Movement (www.rangzen.org) for almost 10 years. Located in Fishers, Indiana, they were co-founded by Taktser Rinpoche (the oldest brother of His Holiness The Dalai Lama) and Professor Larry Gerstein on March 18, 1995. Their mission is to obtain Tibet's independence through non-violent methods.

Your local Far Eastern journey begins at Shop Tibet, located at 835 Westfield Boulevard in Broad Ripple Village.