Fantasy of free Tibet and truth of being refugee in India, as seen by Tenzin Tsundue

By Sounak Bhadra*
Tenzin Tsundue, a 42-year-old Tibetan artist, essayist and Rangzen (freedom) activist, first grabbed the eye of the worldwide media in 2002 for enrolling a surprising type of dissent against the Chinese control of Tibet. During Chinese leader Zhu Rongji's visit to Mumbai, Tsundue climbed the platform outside the lodging at which Rongji was staying and spread out a 20-foot pennant that read "Free Tibet: China, Get Out.”
His poems and different compositions uncover forthcoming attention to the Tibetan circumstance and are set apart by an accentuation on growing up estranged abroad. Presently situated in Dharamshala, Tsundue has devoted his life to the cause for Tibetan freedom, as represented by the red kerchief that he has pledged to take off just when Rangzen has been accomplished.
Tenzin was brought into the world in the Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh, where his folks were functioning as street development workers at that point. Before long, in 1975, they were restored to an exile camp in Kollegal, Karnataka. He grew up there before being received by a little school in the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh that housed around 300 Tibetan youngsters. After seventh grade, he completed his studies in Dharamshala.
At that point, he moved to Madras for a Bachelor of Arts degree and to Bombay for a Master of Arts. He lived in Bombay for a very long time and finished a twofold major in writing and reasoning. When Tenzin was 22 years of age, he went to Tibet illegally. The thought was to go there, battle for the opportunity, and maybe kick the bucket. In any case, he got captured. He was blindfolded, beaten, and investigated in prison for a quarter of a year before being tossed out of Tibet. That was a sort of resurrection for Tenzin.
Being an outcast and battling for freedom came early in Tenzin’s life. He was born in India, yet the possibility of Tibet came to him through the melodies and stories his grandmother would describe to him in the displaced person camp in Karnataka. He found out about snow-mountains, yaks, sheep, and the life of travelers and ranchers.
Additionally, there were customary games and food. In this way, he grew up envisioning Tibet through these. At that point, in school, his instructors informed him regarding how Tibet is under Chinese occupation. They revealed to him that he should re-visit his nation one day; that opportunity won't come for anything or by killing the Chinese; and that it can't be purchased, however, will be conceivable just when we enable ourselves with instruction and reason.
After the games and stories, this was his first genuine schooling about Tibet. His teachers revealed to him that the world doesn't think about Tibet and that to illuminate them, he would have to learn English. When he was in fifth grade, Tenzin made a promise to be a political dissident when he grew up and educate the world regarding Tibet through his writings.
Tenzin believes that India needs Tibet to be free later on, however right now, if India can bring in cash out of China, it wouldn't fret saying that Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) is important for the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Yet, over the long haul, it would be extravagant. Indeed, even now, India is burning through the large number of crores on the Himalayan outskirt considering the Chinese military on the opposite side. If Tibet is recovered as a free nation, quite a bit of that cost, alongside the peril, won't be there.

Tibetans have transformed their lamas into divine beings, which has added to the degeneration of a normal, balanced religion

Also, the Tibetans and the Indian populace in the Himalayas have consistently had conjugal, exchange, and social ties. Indeed, individuals across the Himalayas share more for all intents and purposes with the Tibetans than with the standard Indian culture found in the fields.
A significant part of the Tibetan culture is faith-driven. Curiously, however, faith here isn't faith in a divine being, because in Buddhism there is no god. It is an agnostic religion. Be that as it may, the Tibetans have transformed their lamas into divine beings, which Tenzin feels adds up to the degeneration of a normal, balanced, and important religion with a bad situation for blind faith.
In the Tibetan people group, individuals will not think strategically. They state that the Dalai Lama is aware of the past, present, and future. Whatever he decides for Tibet is likewise their decision. At the point when somebody like him attempts to contend for freedom opposite self-governance, he is asked, "For what reason do you superfluously acquire your explanation in front of the insight of the Dalai Lama?"
The Dalai Lama is their chief, and he has high regard for his astuteness. And yet, there are various components to consider: conceivable outcomes of progress inside China, or in worldwide exchange and legislative issues, for example.
His Holiness isn't settling on choices for Tibet, and it isn't his longing or wishes to do so all things considered. He has supported the vote-based system for as long as 56 years. In 2011, he surrendered his political expert to fortify and enable a real arrangement of the Tibetan government.
To unite everyone of these components for Tibet, the Tibetans need to work. The People of Tibet, whoever they are -- priests, monks, sweater-merchants, individuals in the military, journalists, educated people, or craftsmen -- have tasks to carry out in helpfully uniting the Tibetan conscience. They can't rely upon His Holiness for eternity. Something else, when he bites the dust, that will be the finish of everything, adding to the calamity of Tibetan freedom.
According to Tenzin, the life of a refugee is rousing as it makes one humble as well as sensitive to different causes. Be that as it may, its a daily routine experienced between the fantasy and the truth: the fantasy of a free Tibet and the truth of being a refugee in India. It resembles the Tibetan idea of bardo, or the irregular time among life and demise, wherein one exists before entering the following life.
---
*Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad | PGP 2019-21

Comments

The curious case of multiple entries of a female voter of Maharashtra: What ECI's online voter records reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak* Cyberspace is agog with data, names and documents which question the reliability of the electoral rolls prepared by the electoral bureaucracy in Maharashtra prior to the General Elections conducted in 2024. One such example of deep dive probing has brought to the surface, the name of one female voter in the 132-Nalasopara (Gen) Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra. Nalasopara is part of the Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha constituency. This media report claims that this individual's name figures multiple times in the voter list of the same constituency.

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

How AMU student politics prioritises Islamist ideologies rather than addressing campus-specific concerns

By Yanis Iqbal* In his recent piece titled "Unmasking the Power Struggles of Soqme Teachers Behind the AMU Students’ Agitation," Mohammad Sajjad, professor of modern and contemporary Indian history at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has has approached the recent protests against fee increases at AMU with a skeptical eye. He portrays them not as a pure, student-led reaction to financial burdens, but as possibly intertwined with deeper institutional rivalries. While recognizing that the university administration faces ongoing demands from the government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to boost self-generated revenue via fee adjustments, he highlights a key shortfall: neither the administration nor the protesters have shared clear, comparative data on fee structures or their rationale.

Govt of India "tarnishing" NGO reputation, dossier leaked selectively: Amnesty

Counterview Desk Amnesty International India has said that a deliberate attempt is being made to tarnish its reputation by leaking a dossier, supposedly made by investigating agencies, to media without giving it access to any such information. The high profile NGO’s claim follows a Times Now report about proceedings launched by investigative agencies, including Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the rights body for “violations” of rules pertaining to overseas donations.

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

Search This Blog