Dechen Shak-Dagsay

Dechen Shak-Dagsay is a contemporary singer of traditional Tibetan Buddhist mantras. She is the daughter of the Dagsay Tulku. Born in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1959, Dechen and her family moved to Switzerland in 1963, where she has resided ever since.

Strongly committed to "preserving Tibetan culture in the West," Dechen studied and performed traditional Tibetan music and dance throughout her childhood and adolescence. However, she considers herself to be truly a product of Eastern and Western culture. As an adult, she pursued a successful career as a marketing executive in Zurich.

In 2001, Dechen recorded and released Dewa Che: The Universal Healing Power of Tibetan Mantras. Although the album was intended as singular creative side-project, its success far surpassed the artist's expectations. In 2002, Dechen was signed to PolyglobeMusic Austria and signed an additional contract with the US-based label New Earth Records in 2004, thus affording her music access to North American markets.

In 2005, Dechen left her job to pursue her career in music full-time. 2006 saw the release of Shi De: A Call For World Peace. The artist describes the album as "A collection of powerful Tibetan peace songs that calls on all people to participate in the healing of the world."

“I hope I can reach out as far as possible with these songs of peace—they are a strong statement about community-in-action and about working together toward a common goal. Together, we can make a difference. Together we can make our world a better place.”

In May, 2006, Dechen was accompanied by Swiss National Television on a trip to Tibet to follow-up her social projects including a central clinic and orphanage schools.In year 2010 she visited Tibet to launch a new tailoring school where many young poor uneducated people can learn the tailoring skill to earn their living in their villages. They are sewing local traditional cloths for grown ups and children,school uniforms,monastery decoration pieces and local summer tents.Besides the existing central clinic has a new room for midwifery. In the year 2012, she wishes to introduce in the clinic a new important section for child nutrition care. This introduction of child nutrition care is very important for healthy development of children under 15 years.

In June 2009 she has released an Album with American singer Tina Turner and Regula Curti, called Beyond. In the year 2010, her new CD Jewel is released under the label Universal Music.

In the year 2010 Dechen Shak started a tailoring school giving chance to those youths from poor family incomers for learning to start their own business for moderate living. The sewing machines SINGER are bought in Chengdu and a good experienced tailoring teacher hired to give teaching for 14 youths for 3 months. During these 3 months they learn to make local dresses,monastery decos, school uniforms,festival tents etc.

In 2011, Swiss Bernina Sewing machine company sponsored another 12 Bernina machines. From these 5 machines are shipped to Chokri-Tehor and the rest are sent to Tailoring School TCV in Dharamasala, India through the kind guidance of HH Dalai Lama`s sister Jetsun Pema-la. All the machines have reached Dharamsala and Swiss Bernina Delhi Branch is giving now the required know-how training at Dharamsala.

In the year 2011 Dechen also managed to start this time another snowballing rolling effect project for the talented young Tibetan youths in the field of mechanical profession. From the selection of 5 motivated young talented tibetan youths from Chokri-Tehor regions now got the chance of one year's intensive cars, trucks, tractors and motor-bikes repair training in renowned Chengdu Machine Technological Institute. Their one year's total expenses are sponsored by Dechen's Dewache Stiftung. As in their agreement contract, after finishing the training successfully they are obliged on their own initiative to train further any young interested Tibetans in future on the bases of "Snowball Rolling Effect Concept".

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