Doma

01 Aug Doma

We would like to share the sad news of the passing of Doma, a former parent and a beloved local hillside resident.

Doma was well-loved and a well-known figure within the community. She came to India in the 1930s and moved to Mussoorie in the 1940s. Doma is fondly remembered for selling Tibetan artifacts and antiques, many of which are still proudly possessed by families who were friends with her. She was also instrumental in the local Tibetan community.

Here are a few words from the family:

“Our beloved Doma, known in her community as Tshomo, left us peacefully on the morning of August 1st, 2024. She was lovingly called Ewi, which means grandmother, by her three grandsons and two great-grandchildren.

She was born on March 1st, 1926.

She is survived by her son, Tenzing, known as Momo, his wife, Tsering, also known as Shanti, grandsons Tashi, Gautam, and Siddharth, their wives, Tanya, Pushpanjali, and Maitreyi, and her great-grandchildren, Tashya, Taro, and Malaila.”

Thank you to Paul Hamilton ’69 for sharing his thoughts on Doma. Read below:

My first memory of Doma is from the summer of 1965, when I was an 8th grader at Woodstock. I have a vivid memory of seeing Doma spread an impressive array of goods on the verandah of Rosebank Cottage for my mother’s consideration. This amazing woman from Tibet has been part of my life ever since.

By the time my wife Lynn and I began working at Woodstock in 1981, Doma had established her shop in the Landour Bazaar. We became frequent visitors and customers. Our home in Canada is adorned by many treasures we bought from Doma in the 1980’s. I recall chuckling a bit when Doma warned me that one piece I was buying was “not really old.” She thought this beautiful old copper pot from Dhaka was “only” about 150 years old.

We renewed our acquaintance with Doma in 2013, when we began visiting India again on a regular basis. It was at this point, I am honored to be able to say, that we became friends. Whenever passing through Delhi, we delighted in spending time with Doma in her Janpath shop. There were many cups of chai from the beautiful hand of our gracious host.

After Doma’s 2018 stroke, which left her right side immobilized, her son Tenzing moved her from Delhi into his Landour home. Beginning then, Lynn and I tried to visit Doma once a week whenever we were staying in Mussoorie. We marvelled at Doma’s tenacity in doing as much as she could possibly do without help.

On our visits, we were touched by stories of Doma’s childhood in Shigatse. She liked to recount how her mother would get her to feed the dogs in the street. We heard of the long walk from Tibet, and of her early years in India. Doma was quite sure that she had first arrived in Mussoorie before the arrival there of the Dalai Lama in April of 1959.

As a skilled business woman, Doma loved the trade she adopted. She had a keen eye for beauty, and she enjoyed passing along some of this beauty in the objects she sold to her customers. Countless lives, like ours, have been thus enriched.

Doma was much more than a business woman. She epitomized courage and strength. There was an endearing toughness to her character. Her moral compass was also strong.

We have enjoyed knowing Doma as a friend, and we have admired her as a truly remarkable woman. We will miss seeing Doma, but she will live on in a myriad of special memories that have now been spread over nearly 60 years.

– Paul Hamilton, Class of 1969