MY SON TENZIN

A monk from Tibet arrives in Oakland in California on an unlikely mission: to meet his son after more than ten years of separation. The son, Tenzin, however, is untraceable. Alone and helpless, a stranger in a strange land, the monk, Rabga, finds rescue in another Tenzin, a Tibetan taxi driver, who offers help in locating his son. The two embark on a journey – chasing clues, connecting dots, putting together pieces – and, along the way, discover things about themselves and each other that put in sharp relief the inescapable realities of their common fate: as a people of imperiled identity and vanishing culture. The story of loss and longing is infused with pathos and, at times, humor, arising from the clashing worlds of Buddhist heritage, Yellow Cab business, and Oakland’s Homelessness, among others.