Self Immolation in Tibet, the 2008 Uprising and Our Plan of Action

It is not a pleasant experience to see almost every other day, the news about a fellow Tibetan setting oneself up for that ultimate sacrifice of one's existence, so that he may be recognized as being different, so that he may be recognized to have an identity that defines a nation, a free spirit and a resilient human being.

(For those who are unaware of the current situation in Tibet see Self Immolation in Tibet)

The recent surge of self-immolation in Tibet and its continuity jolts the very core of the moral dilemma the global community and government's face. It is not my intention to berate about how the international community fails to do anything about it, and how everyone is so helpless or unwilling to take any form of tangible action pertaining to Tibet. The purpose of this blog entry is to analyse and self-critique, the role we Tibetans ourselves play, in either the failure or the success of our efforts throughout such events, including the 2008 Tibetan Uprising.

It has only been a couple of years since the "2008 Uprising in Tibet" occurred and our reactions of protest marches, well intentioned cries for freedom and democracy in Tibet etc. have slowly faded in the discussions about global economy, the Arab Spring , the american elections and everything else. Yes, we did react as we should and we did put an effort in making the world aware about whats happening in Tibet. I am sure, the awareness about Tibet is at an all time high, owing to the events that followed the 2008 uprising. But what else has changed. Has the perception about an ever growing China, its economy and its ever increasing geo-political significance in Asia overshadowed by its continuing actions in Tibet? Has there been the birth of an important global political coalition that has the will and the resources to influence policies concerning Tibet within China? Have Tibetans been able to achieve long lasting and sustainable goals when it comes to dealing with China?

I know these questions are hard and I know these goals are hard to achieve. The point is, amidst all the emotion and the anger we feel when something in Tibet happens, we lose sight of things that we can do, that are achievable, sustainable and things that could have a longer lasting impact in our struggle for a "Free Tibet". I am not asking anyone to stop protesting or carrying a Tibetan flag with pride and the will to do anything to uphold it, or from screaming out our grievances to the global community, to the point where we get a sore throat. But one thing that I ask is, could there be something more than that, that we could do.

Are there actions that we could take, everyday as a Tibetan, that could have a lasting impact? Is there a commitment we could make, that makes our chest thumping on March 10 (commemorated as Tibetan Uprising Day of 1959) , more meaningful and purposeful, than just an outburst of occasional emotions and angst, with an annual cycle.

The lessons post 2008 Tibetan uprising, do not lie in realizing that our brethrens in Tibet are not happy under Chinese oppressive regime but more so in what we have done so far, to one day, alleviate them of their suffering in Tibet and our own sufferings of being in exile.

The emotions, the rage, the anger and the helplessness we felt during the 2008 uprising in Tibet and now the recent self-immolation drive in Tibet, can be and should be channeled into both short term and a long term plan of action. A plan of action that does not merely ask you to come to a protest march, or the distribution of pamphlets but goes beyond that, and asks for commitment and for sacrifice. But this does not underscore the importance of letting the world know what is happening through our usual means of action (protests, demonstrations, marches etc.)

There are many things we as Tibetans could do, in these moments of solidarity. Despite hundreds dying in the 2008 uprising and many recently, what have we done to take care of their families and children. Have we thought of finding an organised way of helping our brethrens and their family's economical woes after one of the major income earner sacrifices his life for his country? I know sporadic actions have occurred, but nothing tangible. The challenges to do it effectively are great, but have we even tried yet. I know organisations like "Gu-Chu-Sum" help in facilitating helping the families of deceased in Tibet, but really at a small scale. Even then, have you donated to such organisations?

There are a couple of foreign organisations working on various projects in Tibet. How many of us know about it and how many of us have done something to help these organisations? I know sometimes direct involvement in such organisations is not desired but there are means to aid their efforts.

Then there is a whole range of things we could do in exile from the education of the youth, to their employment, health of the former political prisoners, welfare of the recent arrivals from Tibet and so on. Yes, the Tibetan Administration in exile is doing its best. But what are we doing at an individual and personal level. Do you even donate 50 dollars for a social cause listed above?

Only a strong and successful social structure in exile, both in terms of cultural identity as well as economic success, would ensure that the voice of those in Tibet will be carried out for as long as it takes. And this would need, the involvement of everyone outside Tibet, especially our economically (relatively) well off brethren in the US, Europe etc.

I am sure, many Tibetan communities have already gathered or are gathering to discuss and evaluate our options at this juncture. I hope they consider, this point of sustainability and long lasting efforts, with respect to whatever plan of action they come up with.

With every sad incident in Tibet, comes an opportunity for Tibetans outside. The opportunity does not just entail the funeral of a fellow countrymen, on whose grave, you are to cry, wail and be angry as a devoted widow/er. But more so, in the realisation, that this surge of energy, this surge of enthusiasm, this outburst of nationalism could be channeled into achieving long lasting goals and sustaining perennial efforts, where we live everyday and every breath, as an active Tibetan.

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New York Trip

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Here's a slideshow of our visit to Times Square, Broadway, Madame tussaud's etc etc..actually of the entire trip. We loved being the tourist this time around.

Times Square as usual was super crowded, the place seems to be a little less crowded only when it rains or perhaps 4 in the morning, although I am not sure about the latter. Still its a fun place, too many people, bright lights etc etc...had a good time.

We watched our first broadway show "Spiderman: Turn of the Dark" or something, I know, I know, the critics had crushed it in their reviews, we were just super curious to see the acrobatics than anything else. But I must admit, being our first broadway show, it was not that bad...!!

Madame Tussaud's was quite expensive, but our new york pass was quite good in getting us a reasonable deal, if you intend to see as much as possible, and have no issues walking or riding a cab here and there, New York Pass is the way to go. Google it!!!

Musuem of Natural History was just too huge to be completed in one day. Great Dinosaurs!!

Museum of Sex was fun, although I didn't post much of the pictures here. NY public library had a good architecture, forgot my wide angle lens and couldn't capture the complete grandeur of the grand central.

One of the interesting visits was the Highline, a train track that was long abandoned was transformed into this nice long walk amidst flowers etc..beautiful, wall street was crowded, the bull was too crowded to take a picture.

The ride on the "Beast", one of circle line cruises faster offerings was fun, right across it was the Intrepid museum (a naval museum) and the museum of modern art though not completely breathtaking was good enough for novice art lovers like us. Installation arts, picasso, matisse etc were on display..I guess one of the classes I took for gen eds, intro to visual arts did pay some returns here.

Did go to "The daily show" studio couldn't get a standby ticket but it was great to see it finally, Jackson heights was fun with the yummiest aaloo paranthas I ever ate in my life. We visited the corona park for a bit, saw the citi field, US open field...and all the meanwhile we also came across Miss Tibet one evening.

Great Trip!!!

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New York, New York!!!!

I can't help but sound cliche, when I quote the first few lines of Frank Sinatra's New York New York........and yet the urge to do so is just too great...

"Start spreading the news, I am leaving today
I want to be a part of it - new york, new york
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - new york, new york"

We (me and my wife) are leaving for New York for a week or so, hoping to take in as much of the city as we can, within the time we have. I am hoping to do a travelogue (sort of) of this trip, just some short bits of pieces with pictures of the places we visited, some tips, info etc.

So, keep checking this blog, while we stroll through New York streets, Museums, Broadway, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island....yes we do intend to cover it all..hopefully :).

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Photography: A Beginner's Encounter

It's an interesting hobby, I must accept. Surprisingly, never quite grabbed my attention a few years back, as much as it has now. Photography, and to be specific, digital photography has become much cheaper than it used to be, still owning a digital SLR comes at quite a price. I guess having a little more cash in my pockets compared to a few years back, I now have the freedom to indulge in this creative art or perhaps get to be a little extravagant. Non-digital photography is still expensive and arduous, what with all the roll of films and hassles of printing, although I gather that it still gives better results, if you know what your are doing.

The lines of shiny DSLRs in the local store, did attract me over several occasions, what with their big zoom lenses, sophisticated looking buttons, a contraption that looked far rugged to be the creator of beautiful art. And yet, all my engineering intuitions forewarned me of the lack of any elementary knowledge I had about this device and the art associated with it ( this of course excludes, the usual point and shoot pictures we take).

At first, more than the art, the science of the device (DSLR Camera) attracted me towards it. And most probably, that would remain to be the reason that I might never become an artistic photographer, but probably become, a technical one. But well, who knows what this hobby turns into later. Isn't art all about the culmination of perfect technique, and experience?

Thus begun my tedious journey of looking through online contents, books, tutorials etc about photography. Checking camera reviews, randomly skimming through photo forums etc etc and etc. I hate to enter a shop with an open surprised look, especially while buying an electronic product. I always need to know as much as I can before I start scraping the sales person's head. I chose a camera, did my research in spare time, thought over it for quite a few months and then finally decided to plunge into this hobby with a sizable investement, at least to my economic conditions.

Buying the camera is the first part, then comes getting used to all the controls and features of it, how many of us even on rare occasions fiddle with all the features of our point and shoot, probably not many. But a DSLR is different, and comes with a sense of guilt, if you are not able to exploit all its capabilities. Mostly, i guess due to its price tag.

Once you get used to all the controls and are familiar with what each of the dials, the knobs, the buttons etc do, you get a little comfortable. May be you might capture some great shots with the auto modes, notice the clarity, the sharpness, the depth of field effect that looks so awesome for a beginner. But then, comes the part where you jump into the manual and semi-manual modes (Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program mode). This starts your never ending drive to understand the dance of "Exposure" which the Aperture, Shutter speed and ISO play.

Terms like f-stops, Exposure compensation, metering etc look formidable in the beginning. And believe me, the manual that comes with the camera is just not enough to grasp a hold over all of it. I found internet to be a good resource of resolving most of my questions and doubts about all of the above. But still, it takes considerable time and involvement to actually get it right. If you have a photographer friend, or an amateur enthusiast who is your friend, that of course makes things easier.

In any case, this is just something I wanted to share about photography as I experienced it in the very beginning. I would soon be writing accounts of how I either didn't understand or misunderstood many of the concepts related with photography, and what i did to finally get more clearer understanding.

For now I am mostly struggling with being able to effectively use metering in proper situations, reading about the Zone System, Ansal Adams and his great works, using lightroom, adobe camera raw etc etc.

Side-note: Even if you shoot in auto, it would be wise to look up "Rule of thirds", its a composition rule, that on more than many occasions helps you get a better composed picture, but of course its not an ultimate rule. The idea is to imagine your frame with two equally spaced vertical lines and two equally spaced horizontal lines intersecting each other, the rule asks you to put your main subject at any of the intersections. ( google online to find more)

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A Missed Opportunity For My Rangzen Brethrens

I have been away for quite a little while, having to deal with a lot of school work etc (that's just to sound busy), but mostly because of the lack of any idiotic views thrown around me to stimulate a few paragraphs in response. But at last, that seems to have changed. The recent change of the Tibetan government in exile's name, the ensuing barrage of apocalyptic views from the usual self-acclaimed writers and monopolizers of "Rangzen", have sparked my interest and brought me back to pen a few comments. I also thank my lovely wife and a friend to inspire me to write this short note. However, the following piece would diverge a little bit away from the aforementioned issues, which i will address in another piece at some other time.

But here, I would like to bring to my readers attention, a perspective, that even the usual advocates of Rangzen have seemingly failed to take notice of, or perhaps ignored in fear of embarrassment.

The 2011 katri elections, apart from its various implications on the Tibetan movement, was also an opportunity for the Rangzen advocates to voice their opinion in a forceful manner upon a really tangible platform, gifted to us by His Holiness. On the contrary, what I noticed was the lack of any real practical action that reflected any of the usual rhetoric thrown around by supposed rangzen advocates like Jamyang Norbu la.

Why wasn't there any Rangzen candidate to give a fight to the other three middle way candidates? Why wasn't the 2011 katri elections viewed by organisations like SFT, TYC etc as an opportunity to place a candidate of their own for one of the top most positions of the TGIE? Why did rangzen advocates like Jamyang Norbu la, Lhadon Tethong la etc support a clearly and obviously middle way proponent in the form of Tenzin Namgyal la? Did the principals of Rangzen, they so often defend vociferously failed to supercede feelings of family interests? Why didn't SFT, TYC etc pull its muscles to support and present a rangzen candidate? These are questions worth thinking about, if I may say so.

Now many would argue that there wasn't any specific leader that the rangzen advocates could have presented. I for one disagree with that. There is Jamyang Norbu la, who else could be a better candidate than him to represent the cause of rangzen. Then, there is former SFT president Lhadon Tethong la, a young, energetic persona, a true believer in the cause of Rangzen. There is also Tenzin Tsundue la, a man who has dedicated his entire life in the cause of Rangzen. Then perhaps there is Kelsang Phuntsok la, whom I don't agree much with, but he still is an open and energetic Rangzen advocate to the core. Why all these leaders did not even come to the forefront of the 2011 elections?

A lot could be said about planning and perhaps the will to actually present a truly Rangzen candidate that represented the aspirations of many of those who actually truly believe in the cause. I saw a lack of both the planning and the will to actually find such a candidate from the Rangzen camp. Now can we attribute this to the fact that Jamyang Norbu la's own family member was running in the race, that led to his toning down of his usual candor when it comes to the cause of Rangzen? He even praised a middle way candidate (Tenzin Namgyal la) to be a little better than the other two candidates in one of his early articles over the course of the elections. This is not only ironic, but hypocritical, coming from my former idol (JN la), who in the wake of the 2011 katri elections, sold out on his principles developed over the years.

However, seemingly impossible, the victory of a rangzen candidate on a katri election platform seems. One cannot deny and fail to notice, the sheer lack of initiative and the desire to even try from the usual group of people, who so often bicker and banter over how Tibetan's are enthused with their God-king, and how many average tibetans are incapable of rational thinking and objective perception. While all the way through, these same people fail to take advantage of a platform gifted by our God-king (meant as a pun), for an opportunity to equal representation.

As a side note, as time passes by, I seem to notice and realise, that perhaps its not as bad an idea to follow our God-King His Holiness blindly, who for more than one occasion seems to get it right every time. Rather than listening to and even contemplating on ideas of people, who compromise on their principles, as it suits their self-interests.

Anyhow, just a little cue to my fellow Rangzen brethrens (excluding the JN entourage), be ready for the 2015 or is it the 2016 election. Build a momentum to garner support right from now, if you truly believe that Rangzen as a cause would bring a swifter solution to our issue. Prepare a true leader to represent and voice the cause of rangzen, develop a consensus, work on it. Unless all this is done, I do not see, why there won't be another missed opportunity for my rangzen brethrens when the time comes.

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Thoughts and Observations on the Election, 2011

(This is an article by Pema Dorjee la from California)

The election is over, and those of us who were deeply and emotionally involved are now somewhat relieved. Overall I’d say the election was a success for Tibetan democracy, although if we compare ourselves with many developed countries, we are a little bit behind. However, in order to save our precious religion and culture for the sake of our future generation, it’s never too late for good political reform.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts and observations during the campaign process as a Dr. Lobsang Sangay supporter. I became an LS supporter because I was convinced that if anyone could make a difference in Tibetan politics, Dr. Sangay had the potential do so. This young man is charismatic, energetic, hard working, and he has lots of courage. Above all, he is truly patriotic and very intelligent. If you add his academic achievement to his credentials, he represents a world-class political candidate, and I was very proud that we had a young man like him. When I looked into his life, there were signs of leadership from the time he was very young, even as a student in Tibetan refugee schools in Darjeeling. He was known to have defeated his opponents in high schools debates who came from prestigious private schools. Whatever he was involved in, he never failed. I must say I was equally proud of our other two candidates; they too are world-class and both are good men. But I didn’t see them as representative of fresh new ideas and change. Furthermore I believed this young man to be a rare breed, a revolutionary type. Our other two candidates were not revolutionary types; they were the kinds of leaders you have in peace time.

Unfortunately others had different observations, and their thoughts and opinions were broadcast loud and clear during the campaign from all the articles and board messages on websites like Tibetan Political Review and Phayul. Supporters of Tenzin Namgyal Tetong-la would like to think and believe that their candidate is a superior, incorruptible man of great principles and integrity, with an upper class background, etc. They view LS as low class, coming from a poor family, corruptible; and they maintain the attitude that we definitely cannot trust him. Here I would like to tell you something about human beings. Unless a person is truly an enlightened bodhisattva, no one exists who is incorruptible. In ordinary samsaric reality, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Unfortunately the entire situation of this world of ours falls within this reference point. Some people are more sophisticated or cunning than others in terms of hiding their true character, and some are less disciplined and less careful. In general I do believe there are some who behave more ethically than others, but it’s only a degree of morality, not an absolute morality. As I said, there are no ordinary people who are perfect and incorruptible, and we know this to be true from world history. The good news is we are moving towards a society based on the institution of democracy where there are checks and balances of power, so nobody needs to worry too much about one particular person.

Although most of the messages posted on English websites are primarily from Tibetans living in North America, and are therefore from people who should have a better understanding of democratic principles, surprisingly there seems to be a great lack of understanding of constitutional rights such as individual and human rights, equality, etc. I could quote from many sources, but to give just one example, there were the so-called ten questions to LS by his opponents which were posted in TPR and also circulated by the supporters of TNT. The last question was, “Why do you want to be PM?” To me this is questioning LS's fundamental constitutional right to run for higher office. Before posting such a question, the person who is asking it needs to first prove that LS has no constitutional right as a Tibetan to run for office. My dear friends, in a democratic society the government does not belong to a small elite group. Government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. In such a system everyone has the right to run for higher office, including stupid people like me and you. When one understands democratic ideals, one must support others' rights even if one disagrees with them, because if others' fundamental rights are in jeopardy, so are ours.

By the way, as to Rebuttal Question ten posted by LS supporters, the answer to the last question (“Why do you want to be PM?”) was not very convincing because TNT said that actually there should not have been an election to chose the PM; he should have been appointed by H.H. As much as one pretends to be loyal and devoted to H.H, this is a sign of preferring the privileged system and old ways of governing over love for Tibet’s future and its democracy.

Actually, opponents of LS resembled the right wing group (US Republican Party) with their extreme energy and views. They appeared to be very self centered like the tea-party people who do not care about the greater issues, doing whatever is necessary to get their narrow minded wish. I came to this conclusion based on all the negative attack articles and messages by supporters of TNT. You guys did everything you could to disrespect and bring LS's candidacy down, regardless of Tibet's image in the International community.

Opponents of LS made a very big deal out of the “Overseas Chinese National travel document,” on which LS travels to China. They put a copy of the document on the TPR website with the intention of undermining and humiliating him. (By the way, Tenzin Dolma and Dawa Lokyitsang , whoever you are, I have a question for you: I would like to know why the two of you have this document in your possession?) If traveling to China on an OCN document is a basis for disqualification, then the Tibetan Government Election Commission would have disqualified LS from running for office. Since the Government Election Committee did not deem him disqualified, it is clearly not an issue. TNT and his supporters know this very well, but they want to make it an issue so that they can cheaply capitalize on it, regardless of whether it is right or wrong.

Here is my analysis of this matter. At first it seemed that LS made a major mistake in accepting the OCN document in order to travel to Beijing. But if you analyze further you can see that our struggle against Communist China is according to H.H. Dalai Lama; we small numbers of people in exile keep saying that we are fighting mainly for our six million brothers and sisters in Tibet. Currently our six million fellow Tibetans are all Chinese citizens, and they have Chinese ID cards and carry a Chinese passport when they travel. If acceptance of a Chinese government-issued document is lost as a Tibetan national right, then there is no basis on which to fight for all our brothers and sisters, because they have all accepted Chinese citizenship. Clearly this is not the determining factor or the main issue. It would be interesting to know what kind of documentation Indians had to carry when traveling during British rule. I do know for a fact that Hong Kong residents all had British ID and passports while under British rule. These are temporary, circumstantial situations and do not apply to the bigger territorial question; otherwise we are finished, because all of our brothers and sisters are Chinese citizens right now. Our rights actually come from historic statutes of Tibet, not from current circumstances and situations.

The other point is that when he (LS) did accept the OCN, he did it as one individual person, not on behalf of the government and all Tibetan people symbolizing surrender to Chinese rule. Those of you making a big deal out of this, let me ask a question: are you guys going to deny all six million Tibetans in Tibet who accepted Chinese citizenship their Tibethood, or call them traitors? If so, on what basis are you going to tell the Chinese about our right to self determination or freedom? If it is not for the six million Tibetans inside Tibet, do you guys seriously think a small number of defectors outside Tibet have the sole right to demand everything from China? Liston guys, this position is ridicules, because it would mean stripping all the Tibetans in Tibet and newcomers (sarjor) of their right to run for higher office in the exile government. In other words, 90% of Tibetans would not be qualified to run for any government position in Dharamsala. DaSa based Tibetan government is only for the elite few like TNT and the like. Is this really your position? Be serious, this is not a joke.

And, in case you guys didn’t know why LS went to Beijing, he went for the greater cause of Tibet. It was not for leisure or personal business, and he did not have the luxury of Chinese government officials picking him up in HK as did TNT. Don’t forget the fact that he made a request to the government in Dharamsala to go to Beijing for the conference. Didn’t you all hear the Prime-minister Zamdong Rinpoche himself regarding this matter? (By the way, to the person who questioned PM Rinpoche, shame on you for not having any better questions to ask.)

Supporters of TNT keep boosting his experience and some of his accomplishments over LS’s inexperience. This is not a fair comparison, primarily because of the age factor. It would only be fair if both of the candidates were the same age and one had accomplished a lot and the other nothing. I believe by the time LS is 62 years of age he will have achieved many things in life. One could also question, if TNT and LS had been on an equal footing all the way back to childhood, such as from the same refugee schools to their current prime-minister candidate status, could TNT have managed all the success in his life? If he had had to work from the bottom up like LS, would he have made it to where he is right now? These are fair questions to ask.

Regarding (Tenpa Dhargyal Gashi), who wrote a nice article and made several good points; I agree with him on the issue of regional sentiment, Khampa verses Utsang. It is absolutely no good for Tibet and should be condemned. The importance of unity is also number one on LS's campaign agenda, as you all know. However, in his writing TDG mentions that he was joking to his friends that LS had inspired half of the Tibetans and the other half were terrified that he might actually win the election. I would like to ask him to explain to us what it is that terrifies him and others like him, if the sentiment is not that of LS not being Utsang, or that he does not come from good Kudak family pedigree? Can he give us examples of past misdeeds or character traits that would make him and others think it’s really a terrifying danger for Tibetans to elect LS as our prime-minister?

Then there is the guy from Boston (Dhondup Phunkhang) who threw a cheap shot. He tried to put the final nail in the coffin by joining the bandwagon in bashing LS. He pretended to take no side with the suggestion that LS did not and would not come to Boston to talk, implying something was wrong and maybe Bostonians ought to think twice before voting. According to his logic, the criterion for choosing a PM is based on whether a candidate comes to your community or not. Sorry, that is not a correct method to assess candidates, and people are not stupid. Everyone knows where you coming from, DP.

I heard from one of my Minnesota friends that most Tibetans in Minnesota are from central and west Tibet, and they are very much pro TNT. They invited TNT to come there, but would not invite LS. A few eastern Tibetans who reside there demanded that their community invite LS too. Under pressure, they had to invite him. During the visit supporters from both sides asked hard questions to the candidates. Minnesotans have put all the recorded videos of people asking tough question to LS on YouTube, but you won't see recordings of difficult questions being posed to TNT. They try to hide them from the public. I would ask, if you believe your candidate is superior, don’t you want everyone to see how he handles difficult situations? It’s counterproductive to hide them as well because there are very few YouTube videos about TNT, therefore he gets a lot less public exposure.

I must also mention something about Jamyang Norbu La. Right after the preliminary vote he questioned LS and gave his support to his cousin, TNT. Some Tibetans give a great deal of credence to JN, and would think that his questioning of LS indicates there must be something really wrong with him. Analyzing JN, I do have some opinions about this, but I prefer not to mention them at this point because there is no nice way of putting it. I will say that, with all due respect, I seriously doubt that any of JN’s opinions had anything to do with a legitimate concern for our nation and its future. If JN really cares about Tibet, he owes LS an apology, because by now he should know it was wrong of him to question LS.

When one of the Tashi Wangdu-la supporters said something negative about TNT, someone jumped right in and said that TW has to take responsibility for the action. If this logic is correct, then TNT has to take complete responsibility for all the very disrespectful attacks made by his supporters on LS ; there can be no double standard.

I knew people had already made up their minds way before Election Day, whether their reason to vote was based on 1000 green cards or whatever, and that all the negative publicity would not work; but they kept posting all kinds of negative publicity up to the last minute. Luckily, in a democratic institution the common people get to decide who is fit for leadership roles. The fact is, if the candidate himself does not have real merit, he will not be able to fool everyone.

There was an accusation that LS made an issue of Kudak (Aristocrat) verses commoner. Personally I do not know if he did or not, however judging from all the articles written by supporters of TNT, it’s clear that they think their candidate is better because he comes from a superior background. Therefore you cannot accuse LS or his supporters of raising the issue. You guys are the ones who started it.

In the end, if Lobsang Sangay wins the election, it’s to his credit; he worked very hard for it. His victory would mean Tibetan people responded to his genuine wish to serve. He deserves a place in modern Tibetan history. However I feel for him, because in reality there is very little he or anybody else can do to make a big difference in Tibetan politics. Our opponent is gigantic and we have very few bargaining chips. My own hope is things will get better, and I do feel some change of karmic force in the air. Anyway, if there is an opportunity to improve the lives of Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet, I believe LS will try his best to do so. For those who did not vote for him, perhaps he will be able to win your hearts in the future. If not, hopefully five years from now there will be a candidate according to your wishes and everyone will have the opportunity to vote again.

I am sorry for being very blunt. If I don’t express myself in this way, some people just don’t get it.

May Tibet be free from tyrannical rule, and may our precious spiritual tradition and culture last forever.

Bho-Gyal-lo

Pema Dorje California

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Film Cinematics and “The Shining”

Apart from the sheer thrill of suspense, drama, fear and entertainment delivered by this movie, its none the less a classic example of one of those standalone movies, where film cinematics are displayed in their best of forms. Whether it’s the sound, the lights, the narrative, the dialogues, the acting, the editing or the sets, the Mis-en-scene of “The Shining” plays a perfect synchrony of both form and function.

In the following paragraphs, we will touch many of the facets of film cinematics in “The Shining” and evaluate how each played the role, it’s supposed to.

Nothing would be better than to begin with the opening sequence of the movie, which in a way sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The score for the opening scene creates a strange, grotesque and disconnected feeling about the movie. The screams or noises we hear towards the end of the opening score create a sudden distraction. This somehow brings us back to the same feeling of disconnection, all the while we were still trying to familiarize ourselves with the location, setting and general tone of the movie. The ominous and eerie music gives us a sense of imminent danger. We can clearly observe some match cuts during this opening sequence, signaling continuity of the film. The framing of the shots are mostly in a bird’s eye view fashion, allowing us to observe the surroundings, while we still follow the car, intrigued, and wondering, where it is going, what is going to happen, who is driving the car etc.

One of the most prominent scenes in the movie shows Danny riding his tricycle across the hallways of the Hotel “Overlook”. This is a repeated scene over a few times throughout the movie. In the first few scenes we see a tracking shot, of Danny riding his tricycle, turning at every corner. I think a Steadicam is used to achieve it. One of the things I noticed was the sound effect, of the wheels of tricycle hitting the wood floor and then the carpet, consecutively over and over again. This in itself, created a tension in the atmosphere of the scene, without the use of any background sound. Remember this is one of the earlier scenes, before he saw the two twin girls.

In another scene where Danny finally sees the apparition of two twin girls, calling his name and giving him the fright of his life, I noticed how the tracking camera following Danny’s tricycle adjusts its distance in between from Danny. With every turn, the camera lags behind Danny more than before, as if we are anticipating something to show up at the corner. The background sound also plays a key role in creating this suspense and makes us scared. Finally Danny sees the two girls standing across the hallway. This is shown in an extreme long shot, allowing the audience to absorb the shock from Danny’s point of view. The music at this point starts to get faster, suggesting something horrific is going to happen soon. We see a close up shot of Danny, to show us his reaction, he is terrified and yet he doesn’t do anything, as if he is wants to know who they are and what they are doing here. Reverse shots are used that go back and forth between Danny and the girls, who even ask him to play with him. Then, there is a jump cut, showing the two girls killed and lying in a pool of blood on the floor, suggesting they are ghosts and have been killed in the past. The editing then on, is fast paced, to create confusion, terror and thrill among the viewers.

Lap dissolve is used at several time points in the movie. An example would be the scene where Wendy(Shelly Duvall) brings Jack (Jack Nicholson) his first breakfast at the hotel, which later lap dissolves into a scene with the close up shot of a typewriter, zooming out to Jack playing with a tennis ball, this again lap dissolves into Wendy and Danny, going into the maze, then again lap dissolves back to Jack in the hotel looking at the maze design prop. Lap dissolves here shows a change of setting, while continuing to carry the story forward, in a way replacing parallel editing, to show what both Jack, and Wendy were doing at the time.

Another most powerful scene is the one when Wendy discovers what Jack has been typing over the days. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, typed over and over and over again. The close up shot and the reverse shot that moves between the pages of paper and Wendy looking down, in those few moments, convey Jack’s complete dip into insanity. As the scene progresses, we see Jack as a dark shadow on the right, looking at Wendy, in a long, wide angle shot. Building the tension up, what follows next is the effective use of shadows, Jack with the lights reflected behind his back, projecting him in darker shades, while we can see clear expressions of fear on Wendy’s face. We can see a lot of action reaction in this scene, going back and forth between each one of them.

Somewhere in the middle we see parallel editing being done to show what Danny is doing and seeing during that time. A few jump cuts with Jack’s voice at the background show, a hallway flooded with blood. The scene is in constant motion with both Jack and Wendy moving, while they are talking about Danny. Once again the dialogues effectively give us an impression of disorientation, disconnection and Jack’s insanity. Eye line matches or the 180-degree system is used a couple of times in the beginning and end of the scene, to show the point of view of the subject, mostly Wendy.

Another great element of film cinematics displayed at its best are the dialogues in this film. The dialogues delivered by Jack are in perfect sync with the mis-en-scene of the movie, projecting the remoteness of the location and the confining aspects of Jack’s situation. His dialogues in the movie, portray an unsettling nature, while continually mirroring his unnerving and desperate situation, as well as picturing his final slip into madness. Jack’s expression of Deja vu with the place, and Wendy’s expression of initial fear with the place, at the first breakfast scene, gives us more hints to the plotline, as well as creates a sense of suspense as to what might happen. This movie is the best example of precise and concise dialogues. The amount of dialogues is sparse and yet a few carefully chosen ones effectively add to the overall feelings of fear, danger and the loss of control.

“The Shining” not only captures in perfect essence, the genius, methodical perfectionist in Stanley Kubrick but also gives a perfect lesson in film cinematics for any first year amateur student in the art of film making. Films become more than just a medium of telling a story in a movie like this. This movie also champions and proves the value of technique over simply being recognized as a brush stroke of a genius.

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The Karmapa media buzz, and the failure of Tibet campaign in India

The Indian media frenzy, over the past couple of weeks, mostly centered around the "Karmapa-spy Theory", allegations, speculations and everything else that a 24-hr news channel culture, Ted Turner(CNN founder) brought to TV years back, could regurgitate was shown. At some point, I think it was even harder for the Egyptian protesters to take the center-stage in the Indian media. But nevertheless, the founding principles of fast paced media servings, ultimately has taken its toll and the story is finally relapsing into the every growing exabytes of archives of the mundane.

The reaction of the Tibetan community was of course that of , disdainful awe and surprise. Karmapa is a highly revered spiritual leader, and in fact symbolizes major part of Tibetan heritage, both in exile and in Tibet. Of course, Tibetans are offended and for good reasons too. Now I would not go into the details of how this was all false, a misunderstanding, mismanagement etc etc. I leave that to the experts. The matter after all, will resolve itself with passing time, as more and more facts come to light.

What concerns me here, is the sheer ignorance of the Indian media, about Tibet and its various aspects. I had thought, the 2008 protests in Tibet had served as the "workshop on Tibet" for many Indian journalists. But alas, that does not seems to be the case. Now, who is to blame for that?

To me, Tibetans are also as much responsible, as the Indian media, in this whole fiasco. Now by this, i do not mean to offend anyone's devotion to Gyalwa Karmapa, but I rather suggest that, we have miserably failed in many aspects, when it comes to a "Tibet Campaign" in India.

I understand the strategic hurdles, every growing chinese might has put on the possibilities of a successful Tibet campaign in India as anywhere else, but I don't see, why the awareness about Tibet as an issue, is still so limited, in the very country where we have spent the last more than 50 or so years.

The very fact that, many in India still don't know what Tibet is, except recognising a picture of HH The Dalai Lama or mistaking every Tibetan to be a monk, exhibits our failure in achieving the same level of global awareness about Tibet, we have been able to gain elsewhere.

The relationship between Indians and Tibetans, is exactly as distant and as cold, as it sounds when Jamyang Norbu la reminisces of historic relations between India and Tibet in some of his older articles mentioning how our culture and religion is deeply rooted into the Nalanda traditions of the back then prehistoric India.

What is the Indian-Tibetan equation in contemporary terms, from individual to individual, from a Tibetan settlement-to its neighbouring Indian village, between a Tibetan student in college-and his Indian classmate, between the politicians in Dharamsala-to their counterparts in Delhi, between the bureaucrats in TGIE- and their counterparts in Indian offices? What is that equation? Does it exist at all? If not, where have we failed?

This recent buzz about Karmapa being a chinese spy, should be a lesson for all Tibetans, in realising that we need to work harder and more effectively in improving relations with the Indians and creating more awareness about Tibet and its culture in India, rather than just focusing on doing things abroad.

One of the simplest and most beautifullest (sic) of the things I saw in Dharamsala, was how a simple monk helps poor Indians, beggars, shoemakers etc. Please visit this website to see what he does http://www.tong-len.org/.

Its time we get off both foreign aid, as well as sympathy, and build realtionships, where it matters most. After all, we are as much Indian in heart, as much as we are Tibetan. What with our growing up on, bollywood, rice, dal, parantha,pakora ...and what not?

Let's remember that its Indian salt, we have grown up on, and its India where still majority of exile Tibetans live. Unless we believe in that supposedly archetypal story, wherein, His Holiness has given 70 or so mules of golden treasure from Tibet to Pandit Nehru, for giving us asylum.

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International Media attention and Katri Elections

With each passing week, month,the excitement and the enthusiasm surrounding the coming Katri elections is only getting stronger and stronger. Momentum in terms of grass root campaigning, informative debates, discussions etc have almost reached its peak and still getting stronger. What is the one thing that anyone notices to be lacking?

Unlike anything related to Tibet, our usual protests, demonstrations etc, the Katri election has generated very little International media attention. Perhaps it could be because of the nature or the significance of the issue or its relevance for consumption in todays 24 hr news bites. But more than that, I feel its because of the lack of any debates in english, press conferences in english etc by the respective candidates. Of course a few articles here and there have come up in some of the international media, but nothing more than that.

Although to many, the issue of Katri elections might not be as lucrative compared to other simmering topics of current affairs. However, one cannot deny that,given enough number of english discourses, whether it is speeches, debates or discussions by the respective candidates, I am sure someone will come up with a small piece for a news segment on some International media outlet.

For many youths, especially in americas, europe etc and in fact even in India, watching VOA or listening to RFA is more than a hastle than a choice for information on Katri elections, given its sophisticated language bearings. But, I don't see that a debate in english would harm anyone, but would in fact generate more interest and more fervour among our youths for the coming elections.

I wish someone can organise such an event. It will be a wonderful experience. What do you guys say??

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Emergence of Partisan Media in Tibetan Politics

Apart from the many firsts surrounding our coming Katri elections, the emergence of partisan media in Tibetan politics is yet another development one must not overlook. Now I would not go on a wikipedia search rampage here, by providing my blog visitors with some long historical and archaic background concerning "Partisan Media", but a brief description in plain simple English should suffice.

I can surely provide you with some high worded, scholarly sounding definitions of the matter in question, but that has never been my style. "Partisan Media" basically means a media organisation or outlet of any form, that supports and purports (spreads), the objectives of either an individual or a group of individual,in most cases a political party.

In case of the US politics, news media groups like FOX News, MSNBC, etc each has its core interest group. While Fox news supports and spreads Republican ( a political party in US) agenda, MSNBC is known to lean more towards the Democratic (another pol. party) agenda. To give some Indian examples, Aaj Tak is more or less a trumpet for BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) agenda, while NDTV, IBN etc more or less lean towards the supposedly more liberal Congress Party.

All this is well known and forgive me, If in any way I sound patronizing towards any of my reader's intelligence.

TPR(Tibetan Political Review) can definitely be crowned as the first partisan website/pseudo politico-journal that has emerged as the result of this election. Is that a positive development? Definitely yes!! We surely need such partisan groups to define and represent the aspirations of different groups.

So, what is the problem here?

One of the biggest problems that many fail to see, is the fact that, most of the partisan media groups are well known in their respective countries or spheres of influence, as to who they represent. My examples of Fox News, MSNBC, etc were meant to reflect that.

With Tibetan Political arena, the problem lies in the ambiguity of such organisations and their affiliation. Without the clarity of information that allows innocent web goers to determine whose side the media group is, it creates an atmosphere of ambiguity and distrust. Under such circumstances, the media can effectively manipulate and channel the fear of public, under the garbs of a neutral "Entity".

Only a regular reader of TPR ( Tibetan Political Review) would be able to gauge the organisation's partisan nature. This runs the risk of creating confusion among occasional web goers who stumble upon the website and deem it as a reliable source of information. Personally, some how I always end up thinking of "Glenn Beck" ( a big time, crazed politico partisan with republican leanings), whenever I read any commentaries by TPR. However, I do believe they are not as crazed up.

Though I commend TPR for its efforts in creating awareness about the coming elections. I sincerely believe that the partisan nature of its establishment, should and must become open to public, just like any other such media groups. And this is the purpose of this blog entry.

Now bloggers differ in many ways, not only they make clear that the views are completely personal, but agree to the opinionated nature of its content. Which in turn results in unprecedented transparency.This is completely absent in TPR's hefty goals of unbiased public service.

TPR's initiative in creating the first partisan media outlet, has paved the way for many such future establishments. However, bloggers like us will make sure that the partisan nature of their agendas is revealed to the public.

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Tibetan misconceptions about intellect and intellectualism!!

Forgive me for always sounding cynical, for I am but a creature of habit nonetheless. Dribbling through differentials, cellular pathways, physiological modelling,electrical circuits of all sorts and all the fuss of technical education this semester, sometimes I cannot help, when the most abstract of ideas come looming right in front of my eyes, while once again, I am tempted to scribble off my caffeine driven insinuations on this blog.

Once again, as always, I am forced to bring forth, one of the many hypocrisies, we Tibetans so incurably suffer from. Of course, this includes me too.

Somehow, a major portion of our "Inglish" reading, writing and speaking community of brethrens, have equated intellectualism to a mere fanciful prose writing, and complicated stylistic variations in a paragraph, with some quotations of a then writer or a historian, a few bombastic words here and there, some current affair observations, and here you go, "Intellect" packaged and ready to serve. While such packages make good for a pop-reading, but intellectualism, is a far cry than that.

Saying a simple sentence, with a thousand embellishments, does not make for either an average intellect nor does it bears any features of genuine intellectualism. Some have even followed the shortcut to being mistakenly recognised as an intellectual, by criticizing His Holiness for his supposed policy failures, while not at all presenting an alternative. Many youths, fall victim to this scenario, and somehow think, that if someone opposes His Holiness, his intellectual worth is any better.

So who are the true contemporary intellectuals of the Tibetan diaspora? And what does entail being an intellectual or having any intellect at all.

His Holiness for one, is a true intellectual and the intellect of the highest order, Tibetans will ever see,at least for now.

More than merely the knowledge and the articulation, we so mistakenly associate with intellect, he lives the life of an intellectual, true to its core. I would even go to the extent of reminding our generation of the many higher lamas we have, who live what they preach. That is intellectualism at its finest.

Many of us fail to realise, what monastic institutions have gifted us for centuries. Fueled with misinformation and agenda of their own, some individuals have even resorted to referring to our monastic institutions as abhorrent and dispensable. This is completely wrong.

The whole intellectual worth of our monastic traditions, far outweighs, the cumulative intellect of our contemporary pseudo-intellectuals.

Now, I do not have any pretenses or misconceptions about the worth of my own intellect. I am after all, just a naive youth, who sometimes likes to banter, for the entertainment of his blog visitors.

Enjoy!!!








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Investigating TPR and Jamyang Norbu’s article on “Obama of China”

Throughout this interesting journey of the Kalon Tripa Elections, I am enamored by the energy, enthusiasm and the interest general Tibetan population has started to take in it. I think this is an achievement all Tibetans must relish and be proud of. What we are seeing is the evolution of a modern democracy, though small in extent, but significant in essence. This makes a Tibetan Youth like me, more and more motivated to engage in this exciting process. However, seeing some recent developments, it also makes me concerned, considering the direction a few players in this election have chosen to take.


With the evolution of modern politics and democratic trends within our society, one must also have certain checkpoints, which curtail and minimize any negative elements of modern politics creeping into our society. We must maintain, the Tibetanness [sic], when it comes to the moral high ground, we as Tibetans have always claimed, specifically because of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Without which, I don’t think we can claim to be truly Tibetan or even the followers of His Holiness.

After having watched the original video of the “Woodrow Wilson Center” event, (the link to which I provide here), The depth and eloquence of Dr.Lobsang Sangay with respect to all aspects of the Tibetan issue, is more than evident here, especially when you watch the complete video. I recommend it to all readers of this piece.

I am none the less far more motivated to be a tiny part of that checkpoint, which prevents these negative elements of modern politics from creeping in and tarnishing this wonderful evolutionary process of Katri elections occurring in our society. Call me an idealistic, naïve youth if you like.


To our observant readers, I would suggest you to watch the video on the “Woodrow Wilson center for Scholars website”. I have provided the link above.

Being a critical and a well informed youth, I am aware of the power of misinformation in our society, whether historically it was the imprisonment of Gendhun Choephel, or more recently, the exodus of the late Professor Dawa Norbu from Dharamsala, who was a friend of Jamyang Norbu la. Of course things have changed now; Tibetans are more educated and far better informed than ever before. However such methods are still quite powerful.



As a strong and vocal supporter of Dr.Lobsang Sangay la, I considered it necessary to dig deeper into this “OBAMA OF CHINA” quote reported initially by Jamyang Norbu la. Considering, me and my fellow friends had initiated and are running a campaign website to support Dr.Lobsang Sangay la, I consider it my moral obligation to our supporters to present a clear and honest perspective on the matter. We requested Dr.Lobsang Sangay la to give us access to the talk at “Woodrow Wilson Center” and it was finally possible to have the center upload the complete video of the event on its website. The readers can access the video through the above link.



What was surprising, though expected, was the fact that Dr.Lobsang Sangay never actually said what was being QUOTED by Jamyang Norbu la as “Obama of China” comment. The non-existence of this quote and subsequently the context of the whole presentation was completely different than what Jamyang Norbu la interpreted as a desire to be a Chinese and TPR’s strange analyses as “Tibetan Integration into China”. I would not go into details of the whole presentation at Woodrow Wilson Center, however the only thing prominent in the presentation and the talk by Dr. Lobsang Sangay, was his unraveling of Chinese policies of I QUOTE “CULTURAL ASSIMILATION, POLITICAL REPRESSION, ECONOMIC MARGINALISATION IN Tibet.” I request perceptive readers to please watch the video provided in the above link.



What ails me most, is witnessing the weakening of the professional integrity of Jamyang Norbu la, as a popular Tibetan writer. His writings, his views, his stand had often formed the core of my value system as a young Tibetan kid in a Tibetan school. Further more, while at college, being in the “Tibetan World Magazine” team of writers, I jumped at the opportunity of interviewing Jamyang la. But youthful admiration of a persona is bound to shatter, when maturity, exposure and experience tells you otherwise. Any avid reader of Jamyang la’s writings would agree that in his past writings, he has more than often played the devil’s advocate, mostly in a passionate and insightful manner. Many of us even related to his anguish, apparent in many of his pieces, his complains, his frustrations, and in fact, all of that inspired youths like me. But now, in recent times, what I have witnessed is the metamorphosis of an honest and struggling Tibetan writer to a strange distraught persona.



His critique on Samdhong Rinpoche’s quote (another quote unquote diabolique) was intriguing at first, then I watched the complete video, uploaded by TGIE(Tibetan government in Exile) website, and surprisingly, Jamyang La’s interpretation of that quote was far from accurate. Still as a long time fan, I brushed aside any critique of Jamyang la, however honest it was. But then, with his “OBAMA OF CHINA” piece, I was completely awestruck, especially after reading a continuation of the first article, where he praises every other candidate, and especially glorifies his own cousin Tenzin Tethong la, and the wrath falls of only on Dr.Lobsang Sangay. Does a man, referred to as a self taught Tibetan writer, read by many Tibetan people, changes his stand simply because the timing suits it.



Now I am not as much troubled by his support for his cousin, but more so by the factual inaccuracies in that write up. That is rather sad and comes as a disheartening revelation to a long time fan like me. Misinformation is a very dangerous thing and we should try our best to avoid it to make this election as clear and respectable as possible. Jamyang la himself is well aware of the consequences of misinformation, he was a close friend of late Prof. Dawa Norbu la who was also a victim of the same methods of misinformation circulating around.



Jamyang Norbu la is a popular writer, admired by many Tibetans, especially the youth, his past experience puts him in a position of a person, who understands the dynamics of everything abhorrent that was in past Tibetan politics and in fact was witness to many such events. Despite all that, he employs the same tactics either intentionally or unintentionally by spreading inaccurate reporting to his readership in particular and the Tibetan populace in general. That is a very sad thing to a naïve, idealistic youth like me. I hope that Jamyang Norbu la renders his apology to Dr.Lobsang Sangay la for reporting an inaccurate detail of a comment, that was actually not given, and the context of the whole talk was different as apparent in the video. By the way, on further enquiries, I came to know that Jamyang Norbu la himself was not present in that talk.



TPR(Tibetan Political Review) takes it one notch above than simply speculating over a fictional quote. It not only re-emphasizes the validity of the quote and in fact delves on to coming to conclusions that almost label Dr.Lobsang Sangay “as a communist Chinese sympathiser”. This was an effort to try and undermine the popular image of Dr.Lobsang Sangay as a freedom fighter with true passion for TIbet and Tibetan people.




TPR has definitely failed to walk that fine line of balance in reporting and upholding Tibetan ethics, when it comes to claiming being an unbiased platform. Tragically, article after article, the purpose, the intent and the goal of this website seems questionable. . I do not say it as a Dr.Lobsang Sangay supporter, but by simply looking at the lack of any genuine article questioning Tenzin Tethong la’s policy and views, or even providing critical analysis of contradictory comments comments he gave in the Dharamsala and the Bylakuppee debates, one can easily see what is happening. I only wish that such a good initiative by my fellow youths, should also try to put an effort in balancing their act or come out in open backing whoever they support or believe in.



Very objectionable and prejudiced questions were asked to Dr.Lobsang Sangay, from the ethnicity of his wife, to his green book payments, to his full bright scholarship, HIS JOB AT HARVARD, to his travel to China on a scholarly meeting in 2005 etc etc and the list goes on. ALL OF THESE ARE ADDDRESSED WITH OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND By the way, the travel to China on a scholarly meet SPONSORED BY HARVARD, was vouched UNEQUIVOCALLY/clearly by KALON TRIPA Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche himself in his recent address at Minnesota IN FACT SAMDHONG RINPOCHE WENT FURTHER AND ACKNOWLEDGED DR. LOBSANG SANGAY’S CONTRIBUTION IN REACHING OUT TO CHINESE SCHOLARS AS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE TIBETAN GOVERNMENT GRANTED HIM WAIVER TO CONTINUE HIS POSITION AT HARVARD (The team of Kalon Tripa for Tibet will PROVIDE ALL THE DOCUMENTS AND also be publishing the video where Rinpoche speaks about it).



Some people have even resorted to identity theft by creating fake facebook accounts in Dr.Lobsang Sangay’s name. Despite of Dr.Lobsang Sangay’s clear cut policy approaches apparent in almost all the debates, especially the Dharamsala and the Bylakuppee debates, he was still blamed as being not clear on his policy strategies. Common now, anyone who watched the debate can easily see who is not clear and succinct on policy issues.



Why doesn’t TPR write about how Dr.Lobsang Sangay’s views on election reform were far from naïve but in fact visionary? He was the one who first suggested mail-in and proxy ballots. Considering what has happened in Nepal and Bhutan recently, is it not the sign of political foresight and sophistication, that Dr.Lobsang Sangay la anticipated such events. Had the parliament adopted the mail-in-ballots, tibetans in nepal and bhutan could have participated in the election unimpeded. Even our brethren from Tibet could have mailed their votes fro Kalon Tripa thereby legitimizing our government and snubbing the Chinesegovernment.



Many have questioned his academic credibility. Come now, if a scholarly position at Harvard and a PhD is not impressive, I don’t know what world we are living in. A letter from Harvard (uploaded on NDPT website) even speaks of his impeccable record both as a scholar and a person. What should actually be under the scanner, is the nature of the position held by Tenzin Tethong la at Stanford. But I won’t question that, because I am proud of any Tibetan doing good, and not jealous of it. Still a clear job title would be a good description of his position at Stanford.



Personally, it’s not the PhD that inspires me more, but the hope and the interest Dr.Lobsang Sangay la has generated in Tibetan politics. Of course, I do not believe that just one person could turn the tides in Tibet’s favour, but I do believe in the sense and reason of his well educated, balanced and experienced voice. So definitely, a degree from Harvard is not the selling point as many would believe. But it’s definitely attractive and a plus point.



Contrary to some observer and commentators, including Jamyang Norbu la, who have so patronizingly brushed aside the preliminary lead of 22,000 and plus votes by Dr.Lobsang Sangay la, as a result of ignorance of the common Tibetan people. I am sure; we common Tibetans are not as ignorant and foolish as some of these observers have concluded.



In one of the write ups, TPR takes another remark from Dr.Lobsang la about the desire to see the Tibetan National Flag on Potala and somehow again twists it as inconsistent to his policy stands. Why doesn’t TPR realize that having an aspiration to raise the Tibetan National Flag on Potala does not necessarily stray from the middle way policy? 10 months in US have made me know that many states here even have their own flags. Every Tibetan wants Rangzen in his heart, but suggesting that those who support His Holiness’ Middle way approach are Chinese Sympathisers, is a very disrespectful allegation.



Regarding political gaffes, I cannot but laugh at the Sarah Palin analogy in their recent piece. Tenzin Samdup’s article here http://samtsul.blogspot.com/ clearly clarified that. I hope TPR is not playing the role of Glenn Beck of Fox news, who to a new comer to US like me, seems pretty amusing. As Samdup la mentions, a dose of “The Daily Show” is enough to expose Fox News’ antics. Now efforts at writing a sophisticated and pretentiously objective analytical piece, is by all means fine by me. Why not also have some semblance of balance and genuineness? Does not take me a degree, either in law or political science to see through it?




How about TPR ask hard hitting questions to Tenzin Tethong la or is he above questioning by simple and naïve youths like us? For example, How Tenzin Tethong la’s metamorphosis of stand from I AM FOR RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION TO “I will follow everything according to His Holiness” UNCONDITIONALLY ENDORSING MIDDLE WAY POLICY to that of “ PERSONALLY I am up for Rangzen” not a sign of political dilly dallying. I can specifically pick a dozen such other quotes from the debates, twist it, and sensationalize it. But as an idealist youth by habit, I won’t do it. Can TPR ask Tenzin Tethong la, whether he has an IC or an American Citizenship?



This is critical compared to Dr.Lobsang Sangay who still travels on his IC and is not an American citizen. Technically it might not be important, but does it not show the desire to return to serve his country. Despite of living for over 15 years in America, he still carries an IC. I would request him to provide a copy of his IC, and put it on Kalon Tripa for Tibet website.Despite having a degree from Harvard law school he did not practice and earn thousands of dollars bur rather remained committed to our cause. It does say something about his Integrity.



There are a few objectionable questions similar to the ones raised towards Dr.Lobsang Sangay la, however, I won’t stoop to that level and ask those uncomfortable and irrelevant questions here. I have no personal grievance against Tethong la, I believe he is a decent gentlemen and a fellow Tibetan with good intentions in heart, just as Dr.Lobsang Sangay, who has taken the brunt of false, inaccurate and unfair criticism. However I think Tenzin Namgyal Tethong la should discourage any negative campaign tactics by his supporters.



TPR and Jamyang Norbu la, have put every effort into reducing the popular image of Dr.Lobsang Sangay as an emerging Tibetan leader, with genuine Tibetan aspirations, to one that of a CPC(Communist Party of China) sympathizer. However, all of Dr.Lobsang Sangay’s work, talks and presentation on Tibet, point otherwise. It is not my intention to convert the converted, neither to preach the preachers, nor do I think that it will serve any purpose, however, my simple, naïve and idealistic request to everyone, is to keep this election clean and respectable. We can also expect more of such maneuvers in the coming days, so be informed and be wise. Of course, with the grace of His Holiness, the education we have received will make us well equipped to see through all such tactics by a few patronizing individuals.



Regarding my affiliation, let me tell you this, I am affiliated to those thousands of Tibetan youths who have grown eating Tingmo at a Tibetan school, I am affiliated to thousands of Tibetans who still sell sweater in India, my affiliation is to those Tibetan farmers who still plant corn and wheat on a small piece of land, my affiliation is to those monks who sacrifice their whole life for the preservation of Tibetan Buddhism, my affiliation is to those hundreds of unemployed Tibetan youths scattered across India who have no idea of what to do, my affiliation is to former political prisoners like Palden Gyaltso la and others who have actually sacrificed their life for serving their country, and those in Tibet who are still striving hard, and the list goes on, and finally I am affiliated to those tech savvy, resourceful and innovative tribe of youths, who would stop at nothing when challenging hypocrisy and unfairness. The education achieved with the grace of His Holiness and his schools, its high time for youths like us to speak up and stand steadfast to patronizing views and comments.



Recent personal attacks on me by TPR, are more than welcome. I am nothing more than an inspired youth and have no personal relationship with Dr.Lobsang Sangay, neither do I stand in a position to gain anything from his loss or win, except if he wins, I will be proud to be able to be a part of a movement, that sees true aspirations and needs of common Tibetan people and Tibetan youths. A personal attack on me in fact hardens my resolute faith in putting more time and effort into this campaign. At least, my views have a face, a voice and an openness, unlike TPR, many don’t even know who the editors actually are, what is their relationship with their patron, what is the background of editors running TPR.



Anyone can criticize me and I welcome all views, except of course of those of TPR, who are obviously misinforming the general populace. I request Tenzin Tethong la to disavow TPR and the tactics employed by them. It will be a truly remarkable act, showing genuine concern for moral uprightness in this election, and a dislike for subtle tactics of manipulation through misinformation. I am sure Tenzin Tethong la, would not associate himself with these elite sophisticated bullying tactics proponents, but would rather be proud of common Tibetan youths like me, who are finally giving up worth the “Tingmo” they ate in Tibetan schools. But I do commend TPR on finally doing something openly by attacking a simple Tibetan Youth.



It does not give me pleasure to divert hours from my engineering studies to writing long social commentaries, however, the responsibility is so great and overwhelming, its emotionally draining and If I don’t say my piece, I would rather not be a Tibetan then. As Tenzin Samdup (University of Edinburgh) clearly says in his piece here http://samtsul.blogspot.com/ on the subject, “Silence may be golden but speech, in matters of national importance, is platinum.”



Note: I commend genuine supporters of Tenzin Namyal Tethong la, only those who focus more on campaigning on his positive points and for them I have my utmost respect and regards.






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Elitist Relics Target Dr.Lobsang Sangay

Despite of my high hopes for a clean, dignified and objective oriented course of the Kalon Tripa election process (including campaign, debates, etc), one can hardly ignore, the amount of negativity being spewed around, at least in the web world. The major target of this negative campaigning is mostly focussed on Dr.Lobsang Sangay, someone who has come out to be counted as one of the favorites for the post. This is not surprising, as Dr.Lobsang la brings a new burst of energy and interest in the current elections. What surprises me, is the fact that majority of Tibetans are OK with this Change. Thunderous noise of applaud, every time Dr.Lobsang la enters a debate or a lecture, is evidence enough to prove that. So whatever critique surrounds him, is mostly from a small group of people I would like to call "Elitist Relics".

Criticism of a public figure is the right of every individual living in a democracy. I am in fact a very critical person myself. On many occasions, I encourage my fellow young Tibetans to imbibe this value, rather than accepting everything anyone puts into ones mouth.

What bothers me most, is how some individuals, group of individuals or an organisation, tries to influence and in some cases steer public opinion, by spreading information completely off the radar of actual facts, at least by a margin of, lets say, INSANITY. This is something I am not okay with, and towards these people, I have the least respect, whether they like it or not.

I know its a common practice of corruption( of ideas) being followed across the globe in most democratic nations. But aren't we supposed to be the followers of His Holiness, of Buddhism, of truth etc etc. Its very idealistic, but obviously I had high hopes. Anyhow, so this wasn't the case to be.

Now coming back to these "Elitist Relics", I distinguish them in groups of 3 categories.

The first one comprises of high headed individuals who got an opportunity for education, exposure etc etc, when parents and grandparents of common Tibetans were digging dirt by making roads across Shimla borders. While a common Tibetan child was getting education in the worst of human conditions possible at a CST back then, these people were getting private education at an English medium school, in some of the best locations across India. Of course then, these would be the people in a better position to work for the Tibetan government in exile. Sometimes, service comes out of inheritance and not achieved through excellence.

These "Elitist Relics" are one of example of them. Obviously, when a person like Dr.Lobsang la, comes out of the herd of thousands of common Tibetans, by virtue of his excellence, things don't sit well with these other individuals and they get uncomfortable to this change.

The second one comprises of a group of individuals, some self-declared intellectuals, some arm chair thinkers and some just toady wannabes. These people somehow have thought of themselves as sole caretakers, or I would rather say, tyrants of the Tibetan intellectual world. Rise of a common Tibetan, not just as a leader, but also as a highly educated intellectual, threatens these people. Jealousy obviously is the result, and then comes groundless banter of negative critique, subtly hidden within smart ass words and sentences. Jamyang Norbu la, becomes a shining example of this category. His recent critique of Dr.Lobsang la, not only lacked substance, but in many ways was malicious and filled with ill intent. I never expected such stooping down from a person of his stature, may be its the effect of age, I guess.

Now, I agree with Jamyang la's unrelenting philosophy "that everything that happens in the Tibetan world must be a debate about Rangzen and Middle way", I do not agree that everything else is seemingly trivial or in fact frivolous, as is clear in his writings on the Kalon Tripa elections.

There is just a few simple sentences I need to say, in response to lengthy articles by Jamyang la, Kalon Tripa might not be a big deal according to your view, however, it is a big deal for thousands of Tibetans in settlements, hundreds of unemployed Tibetan youths, for the sustenance and flourishing of Tibetan community in exile, for the hundreds of Tibetan schools that need a revival and many other problems.

A struggle whether its for Rangzen or Middle way or whatever, would essentially not survive, if the very people who carry that struggle do not flourish, both economically or intellectually as a society. Unless, Jamyang la wishes to live for another 100 years.

The last group mostly contains a small group of Tibetan youths, well educated and groomed overseas. What these youths fail to see, apart from the glamour of riding on the Tibet Inc, is an utmost failure to understand the real grass root problems of exile life in India, where majority of Tibetans live, not all of them have relatives in US or other countries. These group of youths are manipulated and channeled effectively by the above two categories of "Elitist Relics". Thus comes, unsubstantiated and foul critique of Dr.Lobsang la by a few of them, who are obviously influenced by their peers of "Elitist Relics". However, this group is not much to blame, there is not much of a choice when you develop your outlook about Tibet in a completely different environment, than a settlement or a Tibetan school in exile. Their understanding of the conditions of exile is mostly second hand, so they only get a superficial understanding of the problems exile society in India is facing.

My outspoken discomfort might not sit well with anyone associated with the above three groups, similarly, efforts by these groups to tarnish, harm and demean, a healthy democratic process that is leading to the election of the first common Tibetan to a post of Kalon Tripa, does not sit well with me too.

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A Response to Tibetan Political Review's Commentary on Tethong/Sangay Debate

After this response, Tibetan Political review pulled off its commentary and emailed me conveying their apologies for the errors. They have reviewed their piece.


Dear Sir/members of the editorial board,

Creation of “Tibetan Political Review” and its declaration of itself as an independent, fair and informed platform for encouraging political discussion and critique among ordinary Tibetan citizens, at the outset to me, seemed like a wonderful idea. As a youth, I in fact encouraged my friends and other fellow Tibetans to visit the website. However, as I spent more and more time visiting your website, I cannot help but notice, the complete lack of neutrality, the website so boldly boasts of in its introduction. Reading carefully through the website’s commentaries on both Dr.Lobsang Sangay’s “Election Reform article” and the “Tethong/Sangay debate in Zurich”, I cannot help but notice, the website’s clear intent, which is to promote Tenzin Tethong la, as the right candidate for the coming Kalon Tripa elections.

The intent and the decision to support or not support a particular candidate is a matter of choice, which with His Holiness’ grace, we are being blessed with. It would have been in fact a wonderful thing to see “Tibetan Political Review” openly support its candidate Tenzin Tethong la, rather than viciously toying around with the Tibetan sensibilities( which they seemingly have a good sense about) and deceitfully trying to steer public opinion against Dr.Lobsang Sangay la. This however, will not work and youths like me will make sure that it doesn’t.

Now empty words and allegations will obviously not grant justice to the matter. Therefore, attached is my take on the “Tethong/Sangay Zurich debate”, which I do not give as a “self-declared expert but simply as an involved citizen”, in a similar manner of principle just as your website deems itself to follow, but I shall do it with far less deceit and more substance. I hope you shall publish it.


Thank you,
Yours Sincerely,
Rinchen



THE RESPONSE

The analysis done by “Tibetan Political Review” completely ignores significant issue raised and addressed by Dr.Lobsang Sangay la in the Zurich debate, which was craftly avoided by Tenzin Tethong la. It rather, constrains itself with a few tidbits of the debate which it finds suitable to be easily distorted and refurbished with falsehood.

The four key areas under which the editorial board of “The Tibetan Political Review” gives a supposed analysis of the difference between “Dr.Lobsang Sangay la and Tenzin Tethong la”, not only lacks a clear perspective of what the candidates actually spoke in that debate, but rather gives a distorted picture of facts, interpreted in a manner that puts Tenzin Tethong la in a better light. The intent is obviously to campaign for Tenzin Tethong la and tarnish Dr.Lobsang Sangay la’s public image. However, the method adopted, which is to pose as an unbiased platform of discussion, completely reeks of political chicanery, much adrift from the idealism, His Holiness The Dalai Lama has tried so hard to bring into Tibetan Politics.


Tibetan Political Review’s take on the candidates “Attitude towards political power” and the discrepancies within this take:

Tenzin Tethong la’s response to a question from the audience “ In case, I ( meaning the general public) nominate the two of you as the potential candidate for Kalon Tripa, would you or would you not campaign?”, was completely evasive and without a definite clarification.

His evasive maneuvers to avoid saying a definite yes, effectively used the excuse of Karma, family pressure and being forced upon with a responsibility was deliberately sugar coated by “The Tibetan Political Review”, as a traditional approach of leadership as service. While to a discerning audience of the video, it should be a clear sign of lack of initiative and the selfless desire to serve one’s community.

On the other hand, Dr.Lobsang Sangay, never at any instant in the video declared that he is the one for the job and there is no one else. His response to the question entailed an understanding of the utmost patriotic virtue, that if called upon, he will not be the one to shy away from the responsibility. He also added that this responsibility could be anything, and not necessarily the post of Kalon Tripa.

Tibetan Political Reviews’ intentional misplacement of these facts, and a misleading conclusion that “ Dr.Lobsang Sangay’s stand is a western and an open approach of competition” does not do justice to what was actually said in the video.

The remark by Dr.Lobsang Sangay la “I am not running but I am not refusing to run either” was not an attack at Tenzin Tethong la, but more or less was an answer to the question from the audience, who were appalled by the attitude in Dharamsala. It was nothing more than a light satire on the political reality of today’s Tibetan politics.

This however, was taken out of context by “The Tibetan Political Review”, either by their lack of understanding, which I doubt is the reason, since the editorial board seems capable enough to write lengthy analytical pieces on contemporary Tibetan political discourse. Once again, it becomes clear to me that this website is campaigning for Tenzin Tethong la, but refuses to do it in an open and transparent manner.

Tibetan Political Review’s take on “The issue of Experience”: Another example of a misconstrued and deliberately manipulative interpretation of the Zurich debate.

Tenzin Tethong la’s inability to explain his accomplishments as somebody who was a former Kalon Tripa, was once again sugar coated by the Tibetan Political Review as someone who is modest and uncomfortable to enumerate one’s achievements. This attitude is much more naïve to the fact that, maybe there are no concrete accomplishments to enumerate in the first place, except the one’s that comes with having a family name that is “Tethong”.

Dr.Lobsang Sangay la’s response to the question of experience was not a comparison of himself with any of the leaders he mentioned in his answer. It was rather giving a comprehensive picture of reality driven from examples in history and modern politics. To a discerning audience, it should rather show the depth and diversity of intellectual caliber, a person like Dr.Lobsang Sangay possesses, rather than misconstrued deliberately as a “self-aggrandising” individual.

To me, a leader should be a person grounded in reality, a common man, an underdog who achieved glory, not with his family name, but with his “Karma”. To me the new Tibetan kalon Tripa should be someone who has gone to a Tibetan school in exile, ate tingmo, lived in a tibetan settlement, seen its problems, and not someone educated in English medium private schools and who had the privilege of being the uber elites of the Tibetan society.

Tibetan Political Review’s take on the candidate’s “Analytical Style”: Completely lacks the depth and understanding that one needs, to comprehend two individual’s problem solving approaches and once again is very much biased.

Tenzin Tethong la’s view on democracy and specifically the democracy followed in Dharamsala should not be given the credit of being philosophical and all encompassing, as is done by the Tibetan political review. It was in fact derogatory to those currently serving in the Tibetan parliament. Tethong la’s comment “Shetse ghi Netse” “the level of knowledge” of the Tibetan parliamentarians was poor and needs change did not sound to me to be philosophical. It rather sounded as someone who has a superiority complex, over the common lot.

Dr.Lobsang Sangay la’s take on democracy, detailing poor voter participation in Tibetan elections, reflected his view about an all encompassing democracy, and not a democracy for name sake. This was once again misconstrued by the Tibetan Political review to their own purpose.

Tibetan Political Review’s take on “The criteria for Kalon Tripa”: Blatant fabrication of question and using it to prove a point.


Dr.Lobsang Sangay la’s answer to the question “What should be the agenda of the next Kalon Tripa for Tibetan Youths?”, was “knowledge, knowledge, knowledge”. This was not an answer to the supposed question “What should be the criteria of the next Kalon Tripa”?, which I did not hear anywhere in the debate held at Zurich. Both of these questions are completely different and implying that one means the other, does not do justice to the answer by Dr.Lobsang Sangay la. Besides, the only reason why Tibetan Political Review would fabricate such questions is to benefit their campaign for Tenzin Tethong la.

I do not see anything wrong in Dr.Lobsang Sangay la’s real answer that knowledge and education should be the agenda of the next kalon Tripa for the Tibetan youth. His examples about how Armenia, the jewish community etc became successful in both the pursuit and accomplishment of social and political goals, was their effectiveness in churning out well educated capable younger generation. Now how this view is wrong, as detailed by Tibetan political review, I fail to understand.

Note to the readers of Tibetan Political Review:

Kindly view the videos of the Zurich debate on you tube and judge for yourself how much justice the commentary by Tibetan Political Review does to it.

My good words of suggestions to Tibetan Political Review

In order to claim oneself to be an independent group of citizens, one should not have any association of a personal nature with the people one is writing about, unless you are openly campaigning for the candidate.

My understanding is that the editorial board of this website have all been long time proponents of Rangzen and board members of students for a free Tibet. Some of them are infact good friends with “Ms.lhadon Tethong la” a relation of Tenzin Tethong la. Therefore, how could a website run by people who have close association with the Tethong family be unbiased and neutral?

I would very much like the Tibetan Political Review to openly campaign in a fair manner for Tenzin Tethong la and disbandon such covert actions. Or staying true to the disclaimer on their website with draw all biased views from their website. That will in fact make me respect this website once again.

The tone of my response is stern, because I cannot allow myself to pet and pity lies circulated in the name of a good cause. However, its definitely not personal.

Thank you,

Rinchen
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