Renaissance Tibet

New York Trip

2011-08-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

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!!!

New York, New York!!!!

2011-08-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

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 :).

Photography: A Beginner's Encounter

2011-08-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

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)

A Missed Opportunity For My Rangzen Brethrens

2011-06-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Thoughts and Observations on the Election, 2011

2011-05-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

(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

Film Cinematics and “The Shining”

2011-04-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2011-02-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

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.

International Media attention and Katri Elections

2011-01-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

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??

Emergence of Partisan Media in Tibetan Politics

2011-01-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

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.

Tibetan misconceptions about intellect and intellectualism!!

2010-12-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

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!!!

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

2010-11-24T12:55:00.001-08:00

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.

Elitist Relics Target Dr.Lobsang Sangay

2010-10-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-08-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

A Youth Born In Exile

2010-06-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Being an exile is perhaps one of the worst things that can happen to somebody, it could perhaps be one of the best things that might happen when your country is occupied, or it could be a culmination of both. Whatever it is, life in exile, away from one’s country, is an experience filled with complexities and moments when you question your identity, especially when you are born in exile.

Growing up in exile is a hard process, not because of material amenities, rights or physical comfort, but simply because you so long to belong. It is hard when you look around and no one recognizes you. A Tibetan born in exile is perceived mostly as a Nepali, Burmese, Bhutanese, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese or anything but Tibetan. It is hard, when every time you say you are a Tibetan; one has to answer “What does that mean? Isn’t it the same as Chinese? What is the difference and why is it?” Being born in exile for a Tibetan youth is more than being the purveyor of a glamorous cause, it is more than being recognized as the followers of His Holiness The Dalai lama, it is more than being displaced from one’s lands, it is a burden. A burden we are born with, a burden we didn’t choose and a burden that will probably outlast our lives.

Being born in exile is a struggle for every young Tibetan. Most of us are born in India. One tries so hard to be a Tibetan, where it is so hard to be one. You are sent to a Tibetan school, where most of the teachers are Indians, who in fact do a wonderful job. But you end up learning in an environment and are groomed with ideas which are not essentially Tibetan. You pray every morning and every evening in Tibetan, and yet most of us don’t realize what we are actually praying about. It is in exile, that we are striving so hard to keep Tibetan language and script alive, when English and other native languages dominate 3 quarters of our everyday life. We get so exposed to Bollywood, Hollywood and everything that had been alien to us, that our idols end up being icons from other cultures. It is not a bad thing of course, but it surely makes it hard, when you are trying to be a Tibetan, where no one else is. It gets even harder, when your whole existence as a unique and different cultural group is defined by reference to one single figure, His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Tibet and Tibetans have become synonymous with “The Dalai Lama”, not that it’s a bad thing, but surely it makes it even harder to prove one’s identity somewhere, where there is none.

When you are born in a community of exiles, you grow up with this constant struggle between the values that the exile community wants you to have and the values of the country where you are exiled. Amidst all this, what should be and what ultimately become your values, is far from same. For a Tibetan in exile, it then becomes a much harder task to define what a Tibetan truly is or what he/she should have been. This leads to a struggle of perceptions among the younger and the older generation of Tibetans, each trying to dictate “what it truly means to be a Tibetan”? But isn’t that’s what’s happening everywhere, in every culture, the strife between old and young, time and progress.

What makes all this more difficult, is the swiftly decreasing boundaries in the world. Internet and technology has brought the world far closer than it ever was, and it’s ever becoming smaller and smaller. Would identity, at all remain a matter of importance in the times to come? This is a question which cannot be just answered philosophically, but would more or less also depend upon the structure of the future we will live in.

In times when global citizenship is promoted as an idea, even by “The Dalai Lama”, for a Tibetan youth born in exile, it’s a hard strife between truly identifying who you are and where you belong. Personally, I have chosen the middle ground. Cultural identity is of course a very important thing, but I believe that identity should not be the reason in finding out how different you are from others. I believe, it should rather be a reason in finding out, how similar you are to others. A small idea, and yet it makes my day easier, my struggle easier and my life easier, in a land where you could easily choose to be different. It’s not easy to be a youth born in exile but its perhaps the best thing that happened to me.

LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD

2010-04-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

Love the song in this british drama series.

Global Problems Of Today And China

2010-03-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

The course of human civilization has run through many intermittent periods of ups and downs, progressions and regressions. The ultimate victory of humanity against all odds has mostly been because of our ability and intelligence in quickly identifying the roots of a problem and then counteracting it with a solution. Examples abound of such human feats. This era of progress too, has now confronted a stream of problems and issues affecting the pace of human progress towards ultimate perfection. Global Warming, Terrorism, Piracy and Intellectual Property Rights infringements, and Human Rights are a few of these problems, which without a solution threaten the very foundations of this civilization.

With globalization being the word of the century, China has emerged as one of the major players in global politics and economics. Its tremendous growth over the last few decades has placed it right at the top of global power hierarchy. Some might say even above the United States. But has the PRC (People’s Republic of China) realized the responsibility that comes with great power? In the following paragraphs we will analyse the role of China vis-à-vis global problems.

Global warming is an issue that has been able to resound throughout the globe and has generated interest by almost every country of the world. Developed and developing countries sat together at various conclaves, seminars, conferences etc to figure out a plausible solution. One essential thing that came out was the realization that global carbon emissions are one of the major causes for global temperatures to rise. The cut in carbon emissions across the globe would essentially reduce the problem of global warming to a manageable level. According to Netherlands environmental assessment agency, china is now the no.1 carbon dioxide emitter since 2006, surpassing even the US. Despite many efforts at last year’s Copenhagen summit China refused to give in to carbon emission cuts even to a reasonable level. It lobbied many other Asian countries, especially India to counter U.S lead proposal and came up with another proposal that hardly even scratched the surface of the problem. A report on the summit in NYT described the efforts by the Chinese in utilizing its unfair trade pressure advantage in stalling in purposeful or meaningful agreement at the summit. All substantial efforts in reducing Global warming cannot succeed without bringing China into the loop. The growing Chinese economy, a single party communist rule governing China, and vested interests of major business players in China (many of whom are senior Communist party members) are the major reasons behind Chinese incompliance to any reasonable climate treaty.

China’s role in global terrorism is something that might sound too farfetched, yet facts say differently. The September 11 attacks in U.S brought terrorism to the forefront of global stage. Terrorism no longer remained an issue that was restricted by borders or interests. Terrorism today is not just a problem of US, entangled in waging war in Iraq or Afghanistan, but a result of global geopolitics and vested interests of nations as well as individuals. In this losing battle, where US is mostly taking the beating, almost in all aspects, there are inconspicuous winners who are gaining at what we are losing. A direct relationship exists between terrorism, its various facets and “Arms Sale”.

The economics of “Arms Sale” and the native political leverage that comes with it is not hard to fathom. “War” is the market that fuels an economy based on “Arms Sale”. China has become the key player today in supplying arms and various technologies associated with it to various regions of conflict. According to an Amnesty International Report,

China

is fast emerging as one of the world’s biggest, most secretive and irresponsible arms exporters. The report further declares China as the only major arms exporting power that has not signed up to any multilateral agreements with criteria to prevent arms exports likely to be used for damaging purposes. In a report by a US based think tank group called RAND (Research and Development), it is found that China’s arms transfers are not motivated primarily to generate export earnings but by foreign policy considerations. It’s selling of missile technology to nations like Iran is yet another example of its tactic of using arms sale in foreign policy. An analysis piece by Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., former director of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C, in “The Middle East quarterly” states “The foregoing transactions represent but a fraction of the reported instances of PRC involvement in activities that result in the transfer of dangerous technologies into the hands of the Middle East's most worrisome regimes.”

Defeating terrorism would involve far more than fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would require concerted efforts in effectively curtailing Chinese ability to sell arms without any responsibilities and with ulterior motives.

Piracy and Intellectual property rights infringements are issues that are growing in concern and yet lacking in an effective solution. The damages that piracy and intellectual property rights infringements do to economies of various countries run in billions of dollars of revenues. The reason is not the lack of laws safeguarding these rights, but the lack of effective execution by various nations in curbing this menace, that is not only causing loss of revenues but jobs too. Piracy is a market that mostly harms economies, but in the case of China, it has in fact generated an alternate economy.

In an article by Paul Magnusson in “Business Week”, Chinese piracy is causing US software firms an annual loss in revenues of about $6.7 billion dollars. China ranks 25^th when it actually comes to buying licensed software. The lack of stringent measures in place and the ambiguity of the applications of intellectual property rights in china have led to the blossoming of this alternate economy. The failure of executing international piracy and intellectual property rights in china not comes more from its practicality but more so from the Chinese indifference in executing it. This is mostly because of the economic benefits it reaps for china in terms of jobs and social stability. However, Chinese seriousness in effectively curbing piracy and infringement of intellectual property rights might in fact nip the problem right in the bud. This would only be possible, if there is more transparency in their legislative (so called) and bureaucratic set up of the PRC’s administration.

Despite major economic growth the 21^st century has seen, the comparative progress in the preventing human rights violations across the globe has been feeble. Economic concerns and subjective geopolitics among nations has in fact prevented necessary efforts in protecting millions from genocide. The crisis in Darfur still remains looming, while nations like China continue to veto and counteract any international intervention in the matter. The result is a whopping 3 million displaced human beings in refugee camps. The reason for this continued appalling situation comes from the fact that the Chinese have extensive economic and military ties with the region. Mineral deposits to fuel its burgeoning economy and a market for its arms motivate china to veto any international efforts for resolving the situation in Darfur.

The deplorable human rights condition in Myanmar (Burma) is also another direct result of Chinese foreign policy. The extensive economic and military aid by the PRC for the Junta regime effectively arms the regime to continue its extensive human rights violations in the country. The 2007 monks protest in the country clearly displayed the lack of support among the Burmese populace for the Junta regime. The only clear reason as to why the regime continues to rule with power is the vast amount of support it receives from the neighboring China.

Human rights violations within China continue unabashedly. The 2010 report by Human rights watch details the various aspects of violations blatantly and continuously carried out by the PRC during and after the Olymipic. Media rights are continuously marginalized and controlled. The report states “China's journalists, bloggers, and estimated 338 million Internet users are subject to the arbitrary dictates of state censors.”

PRC’s human rights violations in regions of Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia also continues. Chinese government’s involvement in Human rights violations go beyond its boundaries and it’s a direct result of its foreign policy measures across the globe. With growing economic stature, its becoming more and more difficult to bring China to table to engage it in elevating human rights conditions across the globe.

A responsible China can play a major role in solving all these major global problems. All these problems require a sustainable solution without which any quick fixes would only result in the resurgence of these problems. Such a sustainable solution can only be achieved if China truly leads the world with responsibility and empathy.

The current structure of Chinese governance based on communist principles and elitist party member dominance obstructs the true and real will of the Chinese people. Constant persecution of Chinese academicians, intellectuals and human rights activist would only prevent China from attaining the responsibility as a global leader. Fear of instability and national chaos rocks the minds of party member day in and day out. Resulting in the controlled manner in which both information, freedom and intellect is effectively curtailed and censored. What could then change, that could make a difference in the role China now plays globally? What is the solution that would not only lead China towards global leadership but also solve major global problems at the same time?

The answer to these questions is “Tibet”. An effective and viable solution to the issue of Tibet could in fact pave the way for a more transparent and responsible government throughout China. It could in fact serve as the beginning of a chain reaction that will not only enhance China’s global image but also its role in solving major global problems. A step by step scenario of such an eventuality will be presented in my proposal.

For now, it’s essential to see that the world’s problems and China have a very interdependent relationship. Any solution that deals with these problems would have to be something that keeps China in perspective too.

References

1) Netherlands environmental assessment agency “China now no. 1 in CO2 emissions; USA in second position”. Pbl.nl

2) Kanter,James. “At Climate Talks, Trade Pressures Mount” New York Times: Environment Web.Dec 17.2009.

3) Press, Release. "Document - China: Secretive Arms Exports Stoking Conflict and Repression.”Amnesty International. 11 Jun 2006. Amnesty International, Web. 2 Mar 2010.

4) Byman, Daniel, and Roger Cliff. China’s Arms Sales. 1st ed. Santa Monica: RAND Research, 1999. 7-10. Print.

5) Bill Gertz, "China Sold Iran Missile Technology, The Washington Times, Nov. 21, 1996.

6) Gaffney, Frank. "China Arms the Rogues." Middle East Quarterly 7 September 1997: n. pag. Web. 2 Mar 2010.

7) Dixon, Robyn, and Mary Curtius , “Help Will Come Too Late for Western Sudan,” Los Angeles Times , June 28, 2004, p. A5

8) Demick, Barbara, "Protests in Tibet Unnerve an Already Besieged China," Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2008, p. A3

9) Borosage, Robert. "Rogue Nation: How Does the US Deal With China?" Huffington Post (2010): n. pag. Web. 2 Mar 2010.

10) Mydans, Seth. "Monks’ Protest Is Challenging Burmese Junta." New York Times 24 September 2007: n. pag. Web. 5 Mar 2010.

11) China Report. 09 Jul 2009. Human Rights Watch, Web. 2 Mar 2010.

12) Marshall, Patrick G. "Software Piracy." CQ Researcher 3.19 (1993): 433-456. CQ Researcher. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

13) Magnusson, Paul , “Beijing's blatant piracy could slash U.S. trade,” Business Week, April 22, 1991, p. 46

Embarrassment Of Losar

2010-02-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hypocrisy is such an interesting human trait. The very manifestation of this quality among all of us could take many different forms. Sometimes we are clearly hypocritical whether its our stance on issues, causes etc. But sometimes hypocrisy takes its shape in more subtler and hard to notice (at least to those who are generally hypocritical..heheh) forms and shapes. The defining line then becomes extremely vague when you try to tread in that careful balance of not being and being hypocritical.

Such an opening relating to the meaning and kinds of hypocrisy clearly suited the purpose for which I am writing this piece about.

It's about Losar. Yes, the same age old celebration of "New Year" based on a Lunar calender ( which somehow we deny is the exact same adaptation of the chinese calender, even in practical terms).

For many, it was a huge huge "No Losar" last year. Reasons were many, the plight of fellow countrymen in Tibet, the arrests of many, human rights violations and a whole lot of other substantial, reasonably reasonable reasons. Petitions flew around, blogs were written, entertainment shows cancelled, even events brought down, all for the sake of standing besides the brave and courageous people of our country. It was very motivating.

Still I celebrated Losar, just as I always did. Thanked almighty for everything I had, wished the best for all and moved on to the next day. I generally avoid the traditional aspect of Losar, the reasons would run into another long series of a blog if i elaborate..hahaha..

Anyhow, but my question is for the same people who didn't wanted to celebrate Losar last year. What has changed that everyone who was running wild with a "No Losar" placard seems to have either vanished or vanquished by the all powerful force we call "Time".

The reasons still remain, our brethren still suffer and infact there are many recent cases of convictions and prison sentences and everything that was last year, the year before, the year before that and the year before. Has our collective memory gone weaker? I hope not. For still there is a lot to remember. The rule of PRC continues and grows ever stronger, why do we rest?

Doesn't all this make us hypocritical. We don't want to be a nation where heights of hypocrisy bears no bound.

I celebrated losar last year and I will celebrate this year and the year after and the year after that and then on.

Celebrating New year or not celebrating it, doesn't make anyone more or less Tibetan. It's how you live the remainder of the year and what you do.

So for those out there with a new slogan this year " Celebrate Losar beacause we are Tibetan". Here's a long and a very long *#$^ #@#...... You know what I mean.

Height's of Hypocrisy..........hehhehehhe

Indo-Tibetan Friendship: A Relic Of History

2009-12-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

( Picture courtesy: RTYC Delhi website)

A friendship that outlasts time and holds its ground when trouble comes forth, is one that is hard to be witnessed these days. Tales of sacrifice and mortal risks taken for the sake of friendship is now more or less a content for lore.

With nations rising out of the complexities of our era and societies driven with the sole purpose of self-interest, true friendship is a thing of past.

A couple of months back, we commemorated an event "Thank You India", displaying our gratitude for the hospitality of our Indian friends. An event, that in Dharamsala, the center of all that is Tibetan, a place referred by many as "Little Lhasa", turned out to be a no event at all, at least for me. Except one sole local Indian MLA or official of some sort, the usual dignitaries of Dharamsala, meaning the Tibetan MPs and a few Kashag ministers were the main guests. The crowd was all Tibetan and the vagabound foreigners as usual. No sign of any local Indians or the local community of Indians around Dharamsala.

We sang and danced to ourselves, celebrated an event marked to thank India, a bit too much among ourselves. The event was held at "The Temple" close to where His Holiness resides. Outside it, the Indians were as indifferent to it as they are usually to the countless candle light vigils they are so used to witnessing. The subtle displeasure and discomfort between the local Tibetans and Indians appeared no less than it was the previous day. This made me wonder, are we really thanking a country and its people who gave us refuge or we are just doing it for maintaining the usual hollow pleasantry. Since i was in Dharamsala at the time, I didn't see any open invitation flying out to the local Indian community, i didn't recall anyone waving a casual "Thank You India" to a local Indian. What was this all about? What are we missing in the dynamics of Indo- Tibetan Friendship? Has it really turned out to be a relic of history, we are so used to thanking and praying about?

It has been over 50 years when we first entered India. Despite having successfully established monasteries, settlements, schools and a functioning government in exile, we haven't been able to integrate well neither culturally nor economically with the local Indians. Tibetans still fail to take advantage of the economic boom the subcontinent had been having for more than a decade now.

Politically, the support for the cause of Tibet from the Indian government had been taking a downward toll for now many years. It was in fact never strong to begin with since the time of Pandit Nehru, and yet it could never grow in the prevailing geopolitical and economic reality of the time, with China turning into a global power. However, what many, especially Tibetans, fail to acknowledge, is our failure in creating a strong consensus among the Indian populace for supporting the cause of Tibet.

We Tibetans have continually maintained the hereditary affliction of "Isolation" even while we were raising the next Tibetan generation in India. I was born in India, and never have I seen community interaction between Tibetans and Indians, go beyond, sweater selling.

Tibetans never tried to take advantage of the industrial boom in India's services sector, production and manufacturing fields and many more.

Except a few dilly dollying projects by the Tibetan government in exile, I hardly witnessed any initiative that could have made the Tibetan community in India a strong economic faction. Even initiatives of social interaction and integration between Tibetans and Indians carried out by the TGI were either sporadic or rare.

All this, in my opinion has also played a major role in dwindling political support by the Indian government. The bottom line is, we didn't do our part either to be recognised as something important and significant. And all this is not the job of His Holiness, but the job of our elected government, which of course has its limitations but nothing could have barred it from taking aforesaid initiatives.

So the hulla-bullu about an Indian leader recognising Tibet as a part of China is meaningless and trifle. India recognised tibet as a part of china since the 50's. What is more important is to notice that we Tibetans miserably failed in changing that stance of the Indian government. Without having tried the possibilities we cannot judge the outcome of its impact.

Personally, what i would like to see, would be the building of consensus among the general Indian populace for more support for Tibet, and these are not only the people who come so often on television news panels or academic discussion, but the populace that votes. We are in fact foolish to pin all our hopes on the US for political leverage. A strong support from India, will make the Chinese think. These are two nations bordering each other with a lot of issues, disputes and mutual interests at stake. I would even go to an extent of saying that, perhaps the political relationship between India-China is far more balanced than the one sided 700 billion dollar credit relationship between US and China.

Indo-Tibetan friendship could go beyond just becoming "A Relic Of History" and the responsibility to do that mostly lies on us.

Star Wars: Tribal Ewoks offering Tibetan prayer to C3PO

2009-11-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

Being an insufferably die-hard fan of the star wars series, I just felt like putting this on my blog. The ewok praying in Tibetan before they ultimately aid the alliance in defeating the dark empire. Surprisingly, George Lucas was inspired by many of the Buddhist principals while characterizing a Jedi. May the force be with us all.

If You Don't Know Mohammed Rafi, You Don't Know Hindi Music

2009-11-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

MARCH 1959

2009-09-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

( This is a narrative of what happenned during the 1959 uprising in Lhasa Tibet, the characters are fictionalized, however most of the events and incidents leading up to the final episode have truly occurred. Overall, its just my take on things that might have happened during that day)

Every year, Tibetans around the world gather on the day of 10th march. A day marked ‘red’ with the blood of our thousands of innocent countrymen, who were brutally massacred by the imperialist Chinese during the 1959 revolution at Lhasa. Millions died, not for greed, not for money and not for individual interests. They died for their country; they sacrificed their lives for their leader. And it is a pity to see that our enthusiasm and fervour for regaining our Nation’s Independence and for bringing to justice the death of millions of fellow Tibetans, has become nothing more than a one day in a year show of “Preposterous Profanity”. With these words, I dedicate the following story to those forgotten heroes of our forbidden country with some hope that our generation understands the value of this day of 10th march and strives for the ‘just’ in our cause, not for one day, but for each day of our life till we redeem our Independence.

First week of March 1959:

The whole town is in a busy bustle of thousands of pilgrims who had come to celebrate “Losar”(Tibetan New Year) and the Monlam religious celebrations. Bharkhor(The only big market in Lhasa) is a bit more crowded than what it usually remains throughout the year. Everywhere there is singing and dancing, purchasing of things, religious celebrations etc. All in all, the whole town is in gaiety and enjoyment. Nobody ever new at that time, that this is the “New year” which will change the course of Tibetan History to a completely new direction.
But, the scene was completely different in the cabinet house of the ‘Potala Palace’. The Kashag(the cabinet) had just received an invitation from the Chinese, for His Holiness The Dalai Lama to attend a Chinese opera held in the Chinese military compound in Lhasa on the 8th March. With a set condition that none of his 25 strong men ceremonial bodyguards were to accompany him. With growing Chinese interference in Tibet’s sovereignty and a possible threat of an assault on His Holiness, this invitation was viewed more as a sinister plot than mere courtesy. Things started to get hotter, when the rumours about the Chinese intentions started spreading in the town. The whole previous scenario of celebrations and enjoyment, turned into serious discussions about the “ Chinese Invitation to His Holiness”. It was believed that the Chinese were planning to abduct His holiness and take him to China. This belief was further strengthened by the sightings of three planes landing on the Damshang airport in the outskirts of Lhasa. The general public was becoming more and more restless, and anti Chinese slogans and complaints to the kashag was already starting to come up. Nobody knew, what was going to happen and when?

In a small Inn near Bharkhor(the city market)

“ What if the Chinese attack the Potala and abduct His holiness?” said Kunchon Sonam, a stoic and gaunt Khampa landing his fist on the table with a loud noise. “ Well the Chinese are definitely looking suspicious!” remarked Samdup, a fellow young man from Amdo.
“ I think we should start doing some thing than just keep on discussing about all this”. Observed lodoe, a teen from U-tsang. “ yes, definitely and what do u suggest?’’asked Thupten with anxiety in his eyes. All of them were silent for a few minutes, brooding over the complete situation and trying to figure out a way to save their Nation’s leader, whose plight was evidently in danger.

“A Revolution!! A Revolution!!” Said Kunchok arduously. “Yes! Indeed we need a Revolution, a strong Revolution to shake off the Chinese form their belief that they could easily fool us into anything.” Thus the four of them decided to start of a revoution in Lhasa to confront the evil designs of the Communist Chinese. Each one of them decided to spread in different direction of the Lhasa city and gather as much volunteer as possible for protecting His Holiness and his abode “ The Potala palace” and “ The Norbulinka.” They started going around in streets and houses throughout lhasa asking every man form young to old to give them their hands for this noble cause. Of course, not a single Tibetan was unwilling to sacrifice his life for his leader and country.

After the first week of march:

With each passing day, the atmosphere in Lhasa was becoming more and more tensed. His holiness The Dalai Lama’s denial to attend the Opera on 8th but his willing ness to attend on the 10th March had caused much resentment in the Chinese quarters. Besides, the denial by the Kashag to accept the condition of not sending the ceremonial body guards with The Dalai Lama, further estranged the Chinese. Meanwhile, Kunchok and his friends were frequently addressing gatherings and were repudiating the 17 point agreement and the Chinese invitation. Anti Chinese pamphlets were distributed throughout the city of Lhasa and people were requested to gather around “ The Potala” and “ The Norbulinka” to prevent any forceful Chinese intrusion in the “Divine Abode”.
The Chinese too were no more unaware about the general feeling of the public and were threatening “ The Kasahg” of forceful use of violence if they do not comply with the Chinese terms.

10th March 1959:

Kunchok and his friends were able to gather thousands of Tibetans around “ The Potala” and “ The Norbulinka”. By now, the situation was no more in the hands of the Kashag. The general public had surrounded the palace form everywhere and it was impossible that they would allow His Holiness to attend the fixed plot by the Chinese.
With thousands of Tibetan shouting anti Chinese slogans and praying for The Dalai Lama’s safety,the whole Lhasa was reverberating with the roar of Khampas and other Tibetans alike. Kunchok was at the head of the crowd keeping the morale of the public high. The possibility of confrontation with the Chinese troops who were laced with machine guns, mortars and shells was imminent. What Tibetans at that time had as a weapon, was their belief in their country’s freedom and the faith they had in the “just” of their cause. Just like Kunchok and his friends, thousands of Tibetans, men, women, youngsters, elder ones and even children did not hesitate to come forward and stand firm to protect their leader. Things by now have completely gone out of the administration’s hand and what was evidently going to come up was a serious confrontation with the Chinese military and their machines of killing, destruction and wrath.

10th to 17th March:

“ I wonder what the Chinese are planning to do. Their silence for the past few days is making me more worried than their constant angry exchanges with our local leaders”. Said Kunchok. He was moving restlessly to and fro, while his friends Samdup, Thupten and Lodoe came to give him hourly information about what was happening in different parts around “ The Potala” and “ The Norbulinka”.
“ Just this morning a Chinese patrol tried to force its way into “ The Norbulinka”, but peole lied down in front of the military jeeps and didn’t budge slightly form their ground in front of “ The Norbulinka Palace”. The Chinese were about to use arms but they foresaw that they will be easily outnumbered, so they left, cursing and saying that they will come back”. Informed Thupten, assigned for the Norbulinka front.
“ Yes, they tried the same thing form the back of the Potala, but didn’t succeed.” Added samdup.
“ I think, something terrible is going to happen soon. I am wondering what is being planned inside “ the Norbulinka”, for the people are asking what “ The Kashag” has done for His Holiness’ safety. Lodoe said.
“ I am sure, something must be sorted out for evacuating His Holiness form danger’s path, but nevertheless our job is to stop the Chinese form reaching our leader, as long as there is breath in every Tibetan and as long as our heart beats.” Kunchok said grimly.

At around 4 o clock of the 17th march, there was a thundering sound of two mortar shells being shot in air. People throughout the town started moving hither in thither, shouting anti Chinese slogans. It was later confirmed that the shells landedin a pond near “ the norbulinka”, no body was hurt at that time. With this, the Chinese had made their intentions clear and were preparing for a mass onslaught of innocent Tibetan people, who were trying to save their leader with what, but the only weapon of “Peace” and their impregnable soul encased in their brave bodies. Kunchok and his friends came into action and rushed to their self-assigned positions.

In front of a big gathering of thousands of Tibetans, Kunchok said these inspiring words, “ It seems that the time has come, when our nation and our leader is in dire need of our sacrifices. I believe the time has come for all of us to become immortal in the history of our great nation, the day has come when it will be our blood which will write history and our sacrifice which will prevent our nation’s future. On this day of redemption, I ask all my fellow countrymen, to join hands with me and stand firm on one’s ground and not let the Chinese decide the future of our country. To Tibet we belong, for Tibet we die. Bhod Gyalo!!”
Bhod Gyalo!! Bhod Gyalo!!! Was the reply of the inspired crowd and the sound carried itself to the Chinese quarters where preparation for the attack was decided.

Inside the Norbulinka:

Now that the Chinese had made their intentions clear, it was imperative that his holiness must be evacuated and rescued to a safer place. Finally, it was decided that “India” is the safest and the best place at present for refuge. With divine help from the Nechung Oracle, the safest time and route for the exodus was sorted out. It was on the 18th of March, 1959 that this journey, which would take Tibet’s history to a completely different turn, was scheduled.
Dressed in a lay man’s dress, our leader and the heart of our country, The Dalai Lama, safely came out through Norbulinka” and started for his long journey towards the Indian border. The Chinese weren’t yet aware about the exodus, for they would have tried their best, not to loose the only card they had in their hands for completely legalizing the annexation of Tibet.

20th March 1959:

At 2 o clock in the morning, the Chinese opened firing. Shells were being shot everywhere, gun fires, grenades and machine guns were thundering all around, without discriminating their targets. Children, women and hundred of old people became victims.
It all started form “ The Norbulinka”, a huge army unit took its position near the summer palace and without any warnings started to burst out fire form theor weapons of death. Surprisingly, no body was trying to hide or escape. In fact every Tibetan assembled there, started to face death with courage and a sense of duty. Slogans like “ Bhod Gyalo” (Hail Tibet) were reverberating above the sounds of those deadly weapons Chinese were using. Monks, laymen, women, children were falling down, with bullets in front of their bodies and not behind. Many were trying to get up again and stop the Chinese as long as they could.
Thupten and Lodoe, like many other Tibetan heroes died bravely, with the Tibetan national flag in their hands and these final words on their lips “ Bhod Gyalo!!”

The brutal massacre had just started and move to other places too. The Jokhang, Chakpori Medicle school, nearby shol village all became the victims of Chinese outrage. Such was the scene at Lhasa, which only the victims of Nazi killings could understand. All over the city of Lhasa, dead bodies of innocent Tibetans were scattered, as if they meant nothing for the trudging PLA forces marching ahead towards “ The Potala”.

Kunchok was aware of what was happening all around and so did the thousands of Tibetans gathered around the potala knew. Still, they didn’t run away and bring shame to their country. Infact, with Kunchok’s lead people started to sing the “ The Tibetan National Anthem”. The more nearer the Chinese army came and the more fiercer their guns bursted, the louder the National anthem was sung. Monks, nuns, men and women alike started falling down, as if they were mere “ practice Targets” for the Chinese troops. Every last breath added to the ever-growing sound, which our national anthem created.
The Chinese were moving swiftly towards the palace, removing every alive Tibetan with the talent of a butcher. When they reached near kunchok, who was still singing the national anthem with stacks of his dead fellow countrymen around. The Chinese halted a bit, dumbstruck and astonished with the courage they saw in his eyes. The Anthem was complete and with one alst attempt, Kunchok started to run towards the Chinese troops, shouting “ Bhod Gyalo!” Bhod Gyalo!!!!
The general ordered fire, but the fingers of awestruck Chinese troops weren’t able to press the trigger. The sight of one single man, with his Nation’s Flag in his hands and with the Great palace of Potala as the backdrop, was enchanting enough to stop any mortal man form action. Finally, the general took out his own gun and shot at the unarmed and peaceful young Tibetan, with every bullet his gun had. Thus, Kunchok became immortal, like those thousands of Tibetans who sacrificed their everything for their nation, their leader and for the “ JUST” in their cause. I salute them all!!!!! Bhod Gyalo!!!!

Meeting Wang Lixiong

2009-07-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend went superbly well. I had the opportunity of meeting one of the foremost Chinese writer and political commentator on Tibet, Wang Lixiong.

We were able to invite him for a dinner and an informal meeting. It was at Lobsang Wangyal's studio. Lobsang was kind enough to be the host for the gathering. Our goal for the meeting was actually different then many other similar meetings.

The idea was to tell him more about exile then to ask him about China or Tibet. We wanted to make him familiar with the realities in exile.

Lobsang Wangyal was kind enough to present various aspects of exile life through different examples. Wang Lixiong seemed extremely interested in "Miss Tibet Pageant" and "Tibetan Olympics". He expressed his happiness in seeing how different individuals are trying to do new things.

We had earlier heard rumours that some Tibetan guy banged his fist on the table and left the meeting on one such meeting with Wang Lixiong in Dharamsala. I thought it was just a rumour, but we came to know that it actually happened. Whatever, this guy's reasons were, I think, it was not a nice thing to do. His Holiness the Dalai lama has always stressed upon the need for dialogue with common Chinese people. Banging our fists on the table would only harm this cause. It made me sad, as well as embarrassed. Therefore, we made sure that we present to him a positive side of the Tibetan people and its culture. Making sure that we are not in anyway disrespectful or unreasonable.

I had read a bit about his youth. One of the things I read was that he travelled along the Yangtze river during his youth and came across many Tibetan territories. His interest grew in Tibet after this and then he started to take a keen eye on all issues pertaining to Tibet. I asked him, " As a youth, who studied mechanical engineering, how come you took interest in politics, was it because of the period of time you were in, what was teh motivation to travel along Yangtze river?"

" I studied engineering, but it was more of the party's choice then mine. In those days, we didnt choose what to study. Still, the scientific principles of reasoning and logic, proved very useful to me throughout my life."

He continued," In ancient chinese lore, literature, history, mythology; the role of rivers in bringing change, new ideas, civilisations had always been very prominent. Thus, my motivation to travel along Yangtze, to find something new and to find myself. As I travelled along the river, I discovered a totally different culture when i came across tibetan territories. This grabbed my attention and I became more interested".

I further asked him, " Isn't it difficult to write about Tibet in a way much different from the Chinese government's viewpoint? Don't you get into trouble?"

"Yes one does get into trouble if one is not careful. However, it depends upon how you work and what kind of actions you take and in what manner. The fabric of Chinese authority is much more complicated then, merely looking at it as a ruthless, all pervading system. It has its discrepancies, loopholes and issues."

One of my questions was about Mao Zedong. So far I have read only one book about him and that was Jun Chang's "Mao:The Unknown Story".

I asked Wang Lixiong, " What do you think Mao was like? Was he actually the complete ruthless man with no goodness, as Jun Chang puts in her book or was he different?"

"Different people have different views on Mao, but I think there's always two sides of the coin. I think many of the things that happened during that period were also out of his hands. But still I don't deny many of the bad things that he did".Wang Lixiong

While parting after dinner, He added," Tibetans in Tibet and Tibetans in exile, no matter under what circumstances they have grown, they still display many of the same essential Tibetan qualities. I firmly believe that you will feel at home, when you come back to Tibet."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has reiterated many times upon the need for more contacts between the Chinese people and the Tibetans. He had over the years expressed his faith in the Chinese people more then his faith in Chinese government.

Most of us are well aware as to how much Chinese language is important these days. This meeting has further made me understand that it is significant for any Tibetan to learn Chinese, if at all we want to talk to Chinese people. Even with two translators present, I felt if only I could speak Chinese, i would have been more articulate and expressive in what I was trying to say.

I hope the CTA(Central Tibetan administration) realises this and starts teaching Chinese at all the Tibetan schools. I think TCV(Tibetan Children's Village) can take an initiative in this direction since it is an autonomous school with lesser bureaucratic hurdles. There are a few steps being taken in this direction, but i have been hearing about it since 5 years back but so far nothing has come to the fore front. We must hurry.

Whatever his beliefs are? Wang Lixiong seemed to be a reasonable man, with a good understanding of both the Tibetan and the Chinese side of the story. And such meetings should not be affected by what anyone's personal views are. Tibetans must always take a positive role whenever such an opportunity arrives. I gave the man respect, listened to him, expressed my views and we parted cordially.

To read more about Wang Lixiong go here.

To read one of his write ups translated in English, titled, "Road Map of Tibet Independence" go here.

Dalai Lama For Tibetan Youth

2009-07-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

In the history of revolution and struggle for freedom, the role of youth has always been prominent. Youth and change are two words that always go along. Such is the power of youth, of initiative and of the desire to move forward.

Youth movement saw its emergence in various forms throughout history and made enormous changes in how we look at history now.

Movements like Hippies, Punks, SNCC, SDS, American Youth Congress, Communist Youth and even Hitler Youth, played significant roles in the past. You can click on the links to read more about these youth movements.

Having a leader of the stature of the Dalai Lama, with a wisdom beyond doubt and a character above par, is an enormous responsibility.

Movements in history have witnessed how leaders in different periods of time realised the importance the power of youth and channeled it in different ways. It is high time, that His Holiness reaches out to the Tibetan Youth in a more extensive and intensive manner.

A straight one-on-one dialogue with the Dalai lama for the Tibetan youths must be organised where all kinds of views can be put forward and not just some censored questions. It is of utmost importance, that the actual voice of youth and not interpreted or mediated views, reach the Dalai Lama. Of course, his holiness is an extremely busy persona, and yet one cannot deny how significant it is for him to have a straight discussion with the Tibetan Youth. Afterall he is the leader of Tibetan people and the fate of Tibet lies in the hands of the future generation.

As a youth I feel it is the need of the hour that the Tibetan youths get an actual chance of dialogue with His Holiness.

He is a leader and a persona in the Tibetan History unlike ever before. Tibetan youths I am sure will be more than eager to have a dialogue with him. Such a gathering should not end up being a short sermon of religious teachings but rather become a platform of discussion. Many Tibetan youths, including myself, have so much to express, so much to tell, so much to thank him for.

An annual seven day consortium of youth representatives from all Universities with Tibetan students, young Tibetans who are working in various cities as well as the exile government must be held.

Such an enclave might in some ways prove to be much more useful and insightful than the so called "Special Meeting" held last year.

I will write to the office of The Dalai Lama requesting such an event to be organised in any near future.

Tibetan youths want His Holiness and we want him to guide us, to listen to us, to advise us and understand us. We want to have a direct contact with him without the usual censoring of questions and the limitations of traditional etiquette protocols.

Once such an enclave materialises, the Tibetan youths will be in a far more better position not only to convey their support for His Holiness, but also to express their views and grievances.

Jeremy Brett's Portrayal of Sherlock Holmes

2009-07-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

To Sherlock fans Jeremy Brett represented the quintessential representation of a character that has dominated the literature of detective stories. His perfect adoption of the role, from mannerisms to the intensity of Sherlock's character, leaves an unforgettable impression on those who watch him act.

I was a Sherlockian way back from my Junior school. Having read all of Sir Conan Doyle's stories over and over again, Sherlock Holmes is one such character that has seeped into my consciousness to a great extent.

To see Jeremy Brett portray this mammoth of a character was amazing.Its surprising that the image of Holmes I had built in my mind, came all alive when i watched the first episode "A Scandal in Bohemia", of the renowned series run by Granada Television. Then on I have always craved for more of Jeremy Brett playing holmes. What further fascinated me, was how the character of Sherlock Holmes affected the later life of this method actor. How he became obsessed and aloof like Holmes. And finally his sad demise due to manic depression. How a fictional character could affect a living person to such an extent is beyond my imagination.

I pay my tribute to this great actor. His role as Sherlock Holmes will forever remain imbibed in my memory of the legendary sleuth.

The best ever portrayal of Sherlock Holmes by british actor Jeremy Brett. To know more about Sherlock Holmes click here.

To learn more about Jeremy Brett go here.

No Quick Fixes For Tibet

2009-07-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

We Tibetans have been for so long and are still insufferably diseased from a condition of "Extreme Optimism". Not that Optimism to any extent is a bad thing, but in our case, it seems to have become an excuse for passivity and irrational complacency.

Perhaps this optimism in our struggle to return back soon to our homeland is more or less the reflection of the unflinching faith we have in His Holiness the Dalai lama. And yet we fail to see that even his optimism for the fate of Tibet is balanced by actions which are futuristic and visionary. Despite the majority of Tibetan's belief even right after 1959, that we will soon return back, The Dalai Lama had the vision to start working on establishing schools, settlements, monasteries and a functioning government in exile, just in case.

What is sad now, is the fact that majority of the Tibetans in exile are still illusioned with the same idea that we will soon go back to Tibet. What is sadder, is another fact that many of the policies initiated by the exile government, in terms of education, employment, governance etc are all centred around this very idea of temporary stay in India. And this is doing some serious, serious damage.

Any policy followed to resolve the issue of Tibet, must not just be optimistics, promising and pretty at face but should also be balanced by checks that foresee even the worst of the scenarios when it comes to failures.The plain fact I am implying here is that we must have a back up plan.

What must seep into the hearts and minds of our policy makers, is the plain realisation of how China is becoming stronger day by day, how it is accumulating resources all across the globe, how the reaches of its soft power overwhelm even a nation as great as the United states and how it has successfully gained an edge in the the geopolitics of nations. Acceptance of this fact, should be sufficient enough to make them realise that any solution for Tibet if ever happens in the nearby future, will be on the terms of the Chinese. Just as plain and as simple as that. Now, this doesn't mean that we should give up and surrender our efforts in achieving our goals that run almost contrary to what the Chinese want. All it means, is to brace ourseleves for a longer period of struggle ahead, things change with time of course, but things don't change at a pace we Tibetans expect it to.

The smarter thing to do, the wiser thing to do and the most pragmatic thing to do, is to prepare ourselves for the coming future.

At the end of last year's Special Meeting, one of the remarks of His Holiness was the following," The beginning 20 years in exile, we all Tibetans were the same, had the same problems, dwelt and struggled in the same condition and improved our lives. For the last 30 years, i have seen a regression in all aspects of our exile life, there had been a lot of carelessness. If for the coming 20 years we still continue this way, then i don't see any hope for us." These were his clear words, surprisingly edited in many of the Tibetan news media. You can view the video of this remark below (listen carefully to the beginning of the speech).

What is clear here is the fact that even His Holiness is not exactly satisfied with what we have done and we are doing. Therefore, it is imperative that we must have a recourse that not only takes the cause of Tibet ahead but at the same time sustains it.

We have some serious issues on our hands which very few people seem to take notice of.

What after the Dalai lama?

Even though it is considered inauspicious to discuss about the death of the Dalai Lama while he is still present, yet we must break out of these traditional way of thinking that has shackled, otherwise many a great ideas.

I am sure that even His Holiness will want the Tibetans and policy makers to always think in a pragmatic, practical and prudent manner.

The implications of a situation where there is no Dalai Lama is extensive and precariously serious. More so for people who actually understand the mechanics of social fabric in exile. How dependent even the exile government is on His Holiness. How small things as permissions and licenses for all sorts of business TIbetans do will be affected? How the outlook of the Indian government and its current policy on dealing with Tibetan exiles will change when there is no Dalai Lama? All this and many other aspects of exile life will be deeply affected.

Of course then there is the whole bigger question of the issue of Tibet, the dialogue with Chinese and so on. How the interest of the world will change when there is no Dalai Lama? What will such a situation do to all those interested in the fate of Tibet? These are some really serious questions.

My projections might be just that, and yet its something that all my sense of reasoning tells me to be inevitable and imminent.Under such circumstances, why not then there are efforts in preparing the grounds for a future exile that still remains productive and improvises on the premises already established by His Holiness. We must start thinking for ourselves and shoulder many of the responsibilities of The Dalai Lama, it is our solemn duty and we owe it to His Holiness.

The Way Ahead

All I am trying to say here is that it is highly improbable that a solution for Tibet will be achieved in the nearby future. And I hope we have stopped believing in miracles the day Chinese forces started shelling the holy walls of the Potala.

What we must do now, is as simple as an old english proverb which i often repeat. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

Now I must congratulate myself and fellow Tibetans in having deeply imbibed in us the quality of Hope, of Optimism. But now, its also the time to set ourselves ready and well prepared for the coming years in future.

The fate of Tibetans in exile will lie in the hands of the Tibetan government in exile once His Holiness is not there. The future of Tibetans in exile will be decided by the cumulative policies followed and implemented by the Tibetan government in exile. Under such distinct reality, it is of utmost importance that not just the people at the helm of leading the Tibetan government in exile, but also the structure in which it functions, is top notch and with least defects.

The need of a leader who will be able to shoulder the responsibilties of His Holiness in the most efficient manner is significant. You can read about it in my piece "here".

The structural changes, for example, reforms in the current electoral system in exile is a must for a more relevent future. Details of which come across in this piece"here".

It will be only with our resourcefulness and ingenuity of thought and actions, that the community of Tibetans in exile will not just thrive in numbers, but also flourish and become stronger and more effective. Our integration into the global community at every level is a must. Thats how the Jews did it, and I see no reason why Tibetans can't do that.

The only thing that will prompt us into this direction, is the realisation that, there will be "No Quick Fixes For Tibet"

Next Prime Minister For Tibet:2011 Elections

2009-05-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

50 years have passed since Tibetans have been driven out of their own land and 50 years have passed since they have established a life in exile. The current geopolitics of the world clearly show that it will probably be another 50 years or more before they could actually hope to leave this perceived makeshift place of refuge in India.

Over the years, His Holiness the Dalai lama has marvelously shouldered the responsibility of a whole nation. Not only did he sustain and strengthen the cause of a nation, but has also been instrumental in establishing and steering the future course of Tibet in a proper direction.His dedication and efforts in keeping alive the cause of and its people needs no questioning and will always remain above par. However, we must not forget that all his efforts whether its establishing a working government in exile, a template of democratic parliament and the election of a Prime Minister by direct vote of Tibetans in exile has been directed at one supreme goal, and that goal is making the Tibetan Movement "A movement of common Tibetans" and not just an individual.

What becomes essential now, is not only to acknowledge this goal of His Holiness but to actually work towards fulfilling his wishes.

The Kalon Tripa(Prime Minister) elections of 2011 is one such duty, that we need to complete with full responsibility.

This election should not just end up being about electing an administrator to run the day to day activities of the exile government, but should be more about electing a persona who will not only share and shoulder the responsibilites of His Holiness, but who is also able to steer the course of future Tibet on his own too.

What After The Dalai Lama?

Personally, it is my opinion that the election of Kalon Tripa 2011 should also become a center point of discussion about a strategy post the Dalai Lama.The new Kalon Tripa's responsibilities should not just end at overlooking the exile administration. It has to be made sure that whoever is elected as the next Kalon Tripa has the vision as well as the ability to represent the cause of Tibet at the global stage.

What should ideally happen this time, should be the election of a Prime Minister who is able to come out of the shadow of His Holiness. A person who is able to take charge in the absence of The Dalai lama. A prime minister who is endorsed with full vigour and backed with enthusiasm by even His Holiness. Only then, can a new face for the cause of Tibet become tangible.

Breaking the Cycle; A global face:
An amalgam of religion and politics is supposed to form the core ideology behind the Tibetan form of governance. Has it been useful for the cause of Tibet? Yes. Has it been able to realise a solution for the issue of Tibet? No.

Therefore, in times of such rapid globalisation and intertwined structure of geopolitics, Tibetans need more than a religious figure balancing religion and politics. What is need of the hour is a face and a mind that will make the issue of Tibet relevant in the coming years? We don't know how exactly the impending economic crisis will shape the future of the world. Many say, China will emerge far stronger and influential through this current crisis.

If that were to be true then what strategy do Tibetans have, to tackle such an imminent scenario. A shift in the world view, that the cause of Tibet is more about millions of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, rather than just about Buddhism or Peace, is the need of the hour.

Now a common Tibetan, with a modern face, backed and guided by His Holiness, and elected by Tibetan people will surely be able to infuse, a new flow of energy into the whole course of finding a plausible solution for Tibet. Thus, it is most essential that this time around we bring a new face, with a new vision, and an understanding of the realities of today's world at the forefront of running our struggle.

Role of Youth:
This is undenying that the role of youth, like any other country or society, is also of great significance for the future of Tibet.

Therefore, unlike previous occasions when we had fewer choices of leaders to choose, this time around, i believe there will be more names on the nomination list. Thus, it becomes far more important for all youths alike to take an interest and express our mandate in the most lucid manner by casting our ballot for the right candidate.

The American presidential elections saw a surge in participation, when it came to youths ballot this time around. This in many way paved the way for the election of a younger and more dynamic leader for the whole American nation.

It is imperative for the Tibetan youths too, to understand the need for a younger,modern and a dyanamic face for the Tibetan cause than ever before.

We must turn out in good numbers this time around and prevent any conservative and leftist voices in our society to come at the top.

Hearsay(a rumour), that I feel should not materialise:

I have been hearing about talks in a few quarters of the Tibetan assembly members that many are looking for a possibility of an ammendment in the Tibetan charter,so that Prof.Samdhong Rinpoche is able to run for a third term at the office.

If this is true, then such an events will be totally against the wishes of His Holiness, who more than once has indicated that a new and young leadership at helm is what we need right now.

I would even go at lengths to compare it with the referendum that Hugo Chavez(president of Venezuela conducted so that he could run for another term. The difference would be that , such an action would be initiated by the elected representatives at the Tibetan assembly and not Samdhong Rinpoche. Thus, taking us a step back in our movement, no matter what excuse they have on their platters.

A Few Tips To The Tibetan Election Commission:
The coming elections for the Kalon Tripa is significant to an extent that none of us could even think of ignoring the far reaching implications it could bring for Tibetans in exile.

Therefore, the need for an overwhelming number of votes cast is paramount. It is most important that the Tibetans, young and old, express their mandate in an overwhelming manner.

My request to the election commission this time would be to increase the number of polling stations. Especially, as a youth, it is essential that there are polling stations at every major cities where considerable number of Tibetan students reside. And by considerable as per the standards of Tibetan population, I would say even 50 students is quite considerable.

So, whatever are the rules governing the allotment of polling stations. I hope that this time time around there are more places for a young Tibetan to establish his mandate by voting, who otherwise studying at a college, or working at a city, with constraints of time and reach ability, has been on many occasions deprived of access to a nearby polling station.

A change in the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile and its elections:

A serious and drastic change is required in the way our legislative members are elected. Based on a regional electoral system initially formulated to represent the integrity of Tibet, in its three provinces and five religious sects, the current electoral system has run out of its relevance in the context of current challenges facing the exile society as well as the present realities of Tibet under china.

Such a system must now either give way to or accomodate, a more constituency based electoral system where popularity of candidates play a bigger role than technicalities of the current regional based( meaning regions in Tibet) electoral system.

My suggestion would be to start having two houses in the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. One that is based on the current electoral system responsible for matters related with national politics, foreign affairs etc.And another house that solely focuses on the challenges of exile society. Whether its education, health, settlements, employment etc. only leaders from various regions in India where exile communities reside will be in a position to understand and tackle these problems effectively.

Currently there are over 10 legislative members who stand for elections under the current electoral system from just Dharamsala. That is almost 20% of legislative members are from Dharamsala, while the Tibetan population here might even not be 5% of the exile diaspora. Such unbalanced and obsolete design of electoral system must either be abandoned or changed, so that newer challenges are dealt in a more effective manner.

Efficient, effective and evolutionary governance of the exile set up:
It is most critical that the current set up of Tibetan refugees in exile, established after much hardships of the Dalai lama, is maintained and flourished.

The new Kalon Tripa(Prime Minister) must be in touch with today's realities and have the knowledge and the understanding of the modern concepts and breakthoroughs in the science of governance. He should also be aware of the social challenges and problems the community in exile faces.

Whether its education, Health, Planning and International relations, a person who could understand the intricasies and the technicalities of all these aspects, in a modern, up to date and current context of globalisation should be at the helm of leading the Tibetan government in exile.

Traditional thinking and concepts of development must assist the flow of any new strategy of governance, but mostly should remain at the backseat.

Possible nominees for Kalon Tripa 2011:

Lobsang Sangay, Lobsang Nyendak, Tashi Wangdu and Tenzin Namgyal are a few names being thrown here and there these days for nomination to Kalong Tripa 2011 elections. I will be posting their brief biographies soon.

I will be nominating Dr.Lobsang Sangay for Kalon Tripa 2011. I have my reasons, that I will express in my coming posts on this blog. Till then, rise up, its time we do something.

Second Tibetan Demographic Survey!

2009-04-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

My first feelings when I saw the announcement for the second demographic survey was of relief and excitement. Over the years, I had been constantly talking about and nagging around people for the need of such an extensive survey. I tried in many of my write ups, to emphasise on the need for an extensive data on various social variables.

First there was an education survey initiated a couple of months back on the advise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Which I was very happy to hear about but also very critical to those who didn't think of doing it until His Holiness told them to do so. You can read about it here "Give His Holiness a break, for god's sake".

Anyhow, when I saw the forms for this demographic survey, to be honest, I was quite content. It is perhaps the most extensive survey done in Tibetan exile society. Variables like education, literacy, gender etc. etc. all are given well thought in it. I heard the Indian government helped the Tibetan government to plan such a huge survey. The first demographic survey done in exile around 98 or 99 wasn't that extensive.

What disturbed me was the manner in which this important survey was executed. I saw school children knocking at various people's door and getting the forms filled, especially in Dharamsala. The word was also around that there were many mistakes and repetitions in many of the forms filled in dharamsala. It is sad to know that why there was not much investment done on it to be able to hire professionals to do the job, or at least college graduates? Why was it all rushed up?

I just hope the results of this survey are accurate to a good extent and help our Tibetan government in exile in formulating their various plans.

Though I have doubts about how efficiently and effectively the data of this survey's result will be used in a professional manner when it comes to planning all kinds of social and exile strategies.

My finger's are crossed. And I hope the concerned people really don't screw it up and use the results of this survey in drafting there plans and not just keep it in a pile of files.

Dharamsala and Its Different Colors

2009-04-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

With a desire for a new experience and ample time to spare, I came to Dharamsala. Its a small hill station, a little town sprawled across lush green hills and majestic mountains at the back. Many consider It as one of the most popular tourist haunts in Himachal Pradesh (a small state in India).

Apart from its natural beauty and pleasant weather, Dharamsala is known as the seat of His Holiness the Dalai lama, the Tibetan government in exile and most of the organisations working for Tibet are situated here. Its a small town bursting with energy and enthusiasm. Some people have even called it "Little Lhasa",an assortment of all things Tibetan, its culture, religion, people and everything else.

Being an avid critic and a cynic of many of the aspects of life in exile, it was going to be an adventurous experience for me. I came with an open mind, washed away all my prejudiced opinions, decided to approach all that is in Dharamsala with an unbiased and yet critical viewpoint. What followed was an experience that was both sad, heart wrenching and also hopeful and optimistic. You can say it was a mixed experience, with many things learnt and many un-learnt..hahahha.. My expereince is here for anyone who wants to know something about Dharamsala, other than the obvious things one comes to hear about the place. Read on!!!!!

Dharamsala was one place which i viewed with utmost respect and admiration for one thing that it had, and that was His Holiness the Dalai lama.

Surprisingly, it is the one place I also looked with disdain and annoyance when it came to the workings of various bureaucratic institutions and in still being the seat of the older conservative ideology of Tibet.

It was also a place i believed to be the habitat of many afflicted with "The Kudag Syndrome" ( a perceived manner of behaviour much alike the past aristocratic families of Tibet responsible for much of its past and present problems) still holding on to offices of power, and ultimately, to many outsider's disbelief, striving continuously to take Tibetan Society way back to where it was before His Holiness bestowed upon us the gift of democracy.

This place brought me close to many of the realities of Tibetan Society which somehow I was quite out of touch with.

Individuals Change society single-handedly:

Now this might not be agreeable for many and I was never a follower of this idea. But what I saw in Dharamsala myself, surprisingly proved the above theory absolutely and absolutely correct, especially when it came to the dynamics of the Tibetan Society in exile.

One person I knew and probably the whole world knows now is "Lobsang Wangyal". A deceivingly casual, easy going individual, who, in his pink shirts and tight 70s trousers has taken a huge responsibility of stirring up the Tibetan society from passivity to creative action. Other than the well known, "Miss Tibet","Tibetan Olympics" and many more of his initiatives what was noticeable was his fearless committment towards bringing social change in his own ways.

His website http://lobsangwangyal.com/

What was hateful and annoying to me, was the attitude with which many of the old school Tibetans still shied away from recognising this one man's contribution in paving the way for a contemporary, modern and aware Tibetan exile society.

Another individual who has taken a lot on his shoulders, and perhaps too much, is Tenzin Tsundue. But it seems nothing is too much for this Tiger of a man.

From the cause of Free Tibet, to contemporaray literary awakening initiatives, to social reforms in varied aspects, this one man army has proven his metal.

There are many who still talk narrow, and comment on the right of an individual to do something for one's own country or society. There are still many who misinterpret intentionally, the motivation of this man to shake Tibetan society. To those I say, SHUT THE *U*K UP.

And again recognition for this man's effort comes much more from outside then from the Inside of the old Tibetan society. Youths I am sure support him with his ideas.

This man could assemble more crowd, which is essential sometimes, then man organisations combined. Now is that bad for Tibetans, not at all.

A lone monk for compassion:

This was something I missed. I heard from a friend of mine that there is a monk who is working for the betterment of the under privileged Indians in Dharamsala. His name is Jamyang or Guruji as many call him. I heard his organisation is helping children of these people go to school, he is helping them with their clothes and many other things. This is the organisation's website www.tong-len.org

I really wanted to visit this person, who truly follows what His Holiness teaches in terms of Universal Compassion. And not just uses His Holiness name for one's own ends, but didn't get the time to meet him.

Still A Shangrilla For Many:

Sometime back I met a group of students from america, who had come to Dharamsala to study the life in exile, Tibetan culture, religion etc etc.

What followed next was casual gatherings, two parties and some serious talks. Other then what they learn t from us, there were a few things which were actually enlightening to me.

On being asked, what were there expectations about Tibet and Tibetans before they came and what were the surprises you experienced during you whole journey. The answer more or less was more surprises then expectations met.

This clearly brings into picture, how still the majority of the west, how still the hoarding crowds of foreigners behind Free Tibet banners, view Tibet and Tibetans as a pristine product of an untouched civilisation. This is particularly very dangerous for Tibetans. What I believe is needed for all of us Tibetans is to always present a balanced picture of how we Tibetans in exile are.

Taking advantage of the impressions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on foreign countries, to our own individual benefits is not a good thing for us.

And many people who do this, are still the same people suffering from the old school " Kudag Syndrome".

I told them what I had to tell, what was wrong in our society like any other, and what was still good and unique in being a Tibetan.

Towards the end of my stay in Dharamsala:

This young group of people, many of whom were surprisingly so aware, so conscious of all that was wrong and misleading in Tibetan Socoety was one of the very encouraging experiences of my stay in Dharamsala.

I knew a guy from my school and who was also working in Dharamsala. He has initiated a street cum theatre play titled "I want to be Kalon Tripa" ( which means I want to be the prime minister). It was in its initial stages of scripting while I write this blog, but will probably be on show by the end of this month. A very significant effort, in shaking up the Tibetan youth and making the Tibetan society aware about the importance of the coming 2011 elections.

It was during one of these nights when he had invited me during a planery session for the play. The most essential elements of the dicussion came into light, when we talked about the duties of the tibetan youth in exile life and how it was important that we stir up. What also came out into open was the problems and the technicalities of Tibetan politics that essentially makes it improbable for a popular Tibetan youth to become a member of the parliament and ultimately be involved in actual decision making when it came to passing legislations.

This is mostly resultant of the regional electoral system based on three Tibetan provinces of Tibet. But what i feel is mostly needed, is not only keep the current electoral system but why not let independent candidates representing particular settlements, communities, cities where Tibetan youths are concentrated due to college and work get the chance to stand up in election. This i believe will definitely lead to more newer and well educated faces to come up when it comes to our "Assembly of Tibetan Parliamentary Deputies". Thus leading to more informed legislations taking place and as a result betters policies for the CTA to execute.

Such an effort by a group of young Tibetans in the form of play " I want to be the next Kalon Tripa" that too in Dharamsala, really made my day. Now its the time for those ailing from conservatism and older ideology, to quickly recover from their affliction of "The Kudag Syndrome" and ease the way for Tibetan Youths to come into picture.

I am filled with hope and anticipation for future. I leave Dharamsala with a renewed heart and a motivated self. And when I return, it will be with more tools and weapons of change.

When that time comes, I will be back. :)

( Pictures courtesy of Lobsang Wangyal)

Comics,Cartoons and Growing up

2009-04-02T21:36:00.001-07:00

In the course of life, in its bustling crowds and busy schedules, many of us have forgotten the child inside us. Many of us have absorbed ourselves in defining practicality, and in our search for the significant and orderly, we have forsaken the meaningless and the insignificant. Everything has to have a reason now, a purpose, a value, a return of profits etc. As we grow and reach a stage where we call ourselves adults, all that is symbolic of childhood,of youth,of innocence becomes stereotypically trivial and immature. But is that really necessary for being an adult?

I have crossed the line where i could call myself a child or even a teenager but just short of being called an Old man..hahah!! And yet I have always tried to safeguard and nourish those traits of a child, of youth, of innocence, of marvel and surprise at anything new I see, of pleasure at the most simple things in life and the desire to discover.

One thing out of the many other, that still keeps the child inside me alive, Is my love for cartoons and comics. Now believe me am not a total freak fan of comics, but I do like them and they are among one of the many interests I have.

My liking for cartoons started with "He-man", something that caught my attention as a young child. The battles between "Skelator", arch rival of "He-man", the dual personality of He-man where he is an innocent, scared common man and at the same time has the power to become one of the strongest man in the Universe with a sword that could do magical things. It was a magical time for me. Growing up, Jungle book by Rudyard Kipling was televised as a cartoon series on the Indian national channel. It was wonderful, beautiful and every sunday I would and so like other millions of kids would sit in front of the TV and get absorbed in the story of "Mowgli", the hero of the story. His adventures in the Jungle, his dual with "Sher Khan", his escapades and his romance with a human girl from a village all that just fascinated me. Then of course later came Superman,Spiderman,Batman and other superheroes...hahahha!!

Tom and Jerry needs no mention as this is an one everlasting series that no body can just ignore. I still watch it and somehow still end up laughing at the various stints between these two loveable characters. "Ben 10" is quite fun I realised, as I recently tried a couple of episodes.

The interest in comic books first started from Indian comics.I would gorge dozens and dozens of Hindi comic books and would anxiously wait if there is a continued story in the next edition of a comics book.

"Nagraj","Super Commando Dhruv","Parmanu" etc were all creations that completely blew my mind off. Raj comics was the company behind such great characters and to my surprise, these comic characters are still out there, kicking asses of the bad guys.

"Bankelal","Chacha Chaudhary" etc were creations of Diamond comics and were on the humorous side. I had hundreds and hundreds of these comics. My hindi went over the top by the time I was in my 9th grade, and we were not even taught Hindi anymore at Tibetan school, Its a pity such a beautiful language is less exposed in our schools.

Recently, I had a revival of interest in my child hood superheroes especially "Nagraj" and " Super Commando Dhruv". So I set on to find out what these two characters are upto these days. I discovered I have been pretty behind since I haven't read these two characters for almost 10 years now. Now I am reading them again and believe me it is fun in a strangely soothing way.

Cartoons and comics, in some ways have this power to once again put you back the times when you can easily and completely detach yourself from reality and linger in a world of fantasy and magic and mystery. It was enchanting to me when I was young and believe me, it is proving to be more exciting even now. As i slowly slip out of the company of adults, open my laptop and pretend to work, while instead I would be gorging on the new set of stories of "Nagraj" and "Dhruv" in their new adventures, all in a digital format.

Have I grown up?

Not when I am reading a comic or watching a cartoon. :)

Behind Barbed Wires

2009-03-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Picture courtesy of www.tenkalden.com

History is full of stories about persecution,genocide and mass murder of people. The reasons behind such events mostly trickled down to the geopolitics of the era, and in many cases ascribed to communal hatred and ideological differences.Regimes driven with a particular ideology have more then often promoted violence to meet their ends.

But that is history. And yet the memories of the past haunt us even now. Whether its the havoc caused by the Nazis, memories of cultural revolution in China for many, the mass murder at Tiannamen square, it all lingers around. Ironically, violence somehow always tends to leave behind unscathed scars.

Contemporary world, despite all its glamour and niceties, still witnesses these acts of violence with a shy face, helpless to do anything. The crisis at Darfur, the suffering in Gaza, the hunger in North korea, and the genocide in Tibet all remain unresolved. Other then the obvious reasons and the technicalities to explain our failure in these matters, what I see is the failure of Humanity . This realisation was very much thrown at my face, unlike before, while I worked for an organisation of former political prisoners from Tibet.

Apart from the obvious cliches of stories pertaining to suffering and hardships,common to the lives of all prisoner's of conscience.There were a few unique and very individual things I came to learn while working with former political prisoners of Tibet.

During an interview with one of the political prisoners, the answer to one question remains etched in my memory. On being asked whether one feels any guilt about having participated in an action that resulted in their imprisonment, every political prisoner i was able to speak had one unequivocal answer. That answer was "Yes".

What lied behind this acceptance of guilt for an action of conscience, revolved more around the realization of the futility of their action's outcomes rather then disdain for those outside Tibet.

"I have practically become a useless man now", "telling stories about the past seems to be the best thing I could do","my health or my intellect doesn't allow me to be able to do something practical,both for myself as well as my society". These were remarks of one of the political prisoners from Tibet. Of course there would be many who might have been made stronger in both will and wit after this experience. And yet many remain broken and disillusioned.

This is the underlying truth behind the failure of all of us responsible and all of us who have a conscience to answer. Many have lost lives and many more forgotten in the obscurity of prisons.

Whatever our actions might have been and whatever we might have done. Yet it is clear that humanity has failed and bowed down to tyranny and money( what seems to be the new age synonym for power).

Behind Barbed Wires lies the woes and cries of so many. For how long will we be deaf.

Miss Tibet Pageant 2009 from 5-7 June

2009-03-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

courtesy- www.tibetsun.com

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 25 March 2009 — Miss Tibet Pageant 2009 will be held from 5-7 June. The finale will be held on the 7th at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Dharamshala.

There will be seven rounds of competitions to be crowned the title and the cash prize of one lakh (100,000) rupees (2,000 USD approx.) for the winner. The second place will receive 50,000 rupees and the third place will receive 25,000 rupees.
Those young Tibetan women interested to participate in the pageant can apply through the online application. The deadline is approaching soon.
The participants will arrive in Mcleod Ganj on 28 May. A week's training will be provided from 29 May to 4 June that will include yoga, stage craft and dance. Orientation on Tibetan history, culture, language and current affairs will also be a part of the training. The participants will visit the Tibetan government-in-exile, schools and other institutions during the excursions.

Swimsuit round will be on the 5th at Asia Health Resorts. Rounds two and three on the 6th - the Speech and the Talent - will be held at TIPA.

The finale on the 7th evening at TIPA will have four rounds - Introduction, Evening gown, Traditional costume and the Interview.

The funds for the pageant has been coming from the director's own pockets over the years. However, Gyalnor Tsewang, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile and a buniessman from Nepal, contributed 50,000 rupees in the last year's pageant. Anybody would like to sponsor or contribute to the pageant may use the PayPal button or contact us.

Tashi Dele! :)

Lobsang Wangyal
Director

Walk The Talk

2009-03-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

( This is something interesting, so I have posted it for readers.)

An article By Thubten Samdup
March 22, 2009

Dharamsala, March 22 -- Four months ago a website launched to facilitate the nomination process for the next Kalon Tripa generated considerable excitement through out the Tibetan diaspora. Despite this initial enthusiasm, Tibetans have taken little to no concrete action with regards to the actual nomination process; no contributors have stepped forward, no candidate names have been submitted.

It begs the question: why?

For the first time in our history we have a parliamentary system and an evolving democratic structure intended to grant representation and freedoms. A representative political system is a tremendous achievement, but it also implies a responsibility to choose our leaders.

Tibetans in diaspora now have a precious opportunity to participate more directly in the democratic process: to choose worthy candidates from among our people to stand for the highest office in the Tibetan government-in-exile - the Office of the Kalon Tripa.

The announcement of the Kalontripa.org website met with a profusion of phone calls and email messages, all declaring an overwhelming support for the project, yet, to date, not a single nomination paper has been submitted. What are we to make of such a discrepancy between the initial verbal support expressed and the inertia that followed? Is it that there are no qualified individuals to stand as candidates in our communities, or are we just being lax, and passive?

As Tibetans in diaspora, we have 'talked the talk' of the perfecting the democratic process, and building our government-in-exile. We must also, now, 'walk the walk'.

The incumbent Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche?s term ends in August 2011. Why do we fail to exhibit the appropriate motivation or concern to find his successor?

In the last 3 years, we have been sufficiently motivated to hold 14 'long life' prayer services for His Holiness. We all want His Holiness to live long. For this, we must also sensibly see to it that his workload is lightened; affording him some much deserved rest in his later years. The next Kalon Tripa's term in office is likely to prove a crucial transitional period. During this 5-year span, His Holiness will be between 76 and 81 years of age. Mindful of this, let us in addition to offering our most earnest and sincere prayers also apply ourselves to the necessary task that will produce the optimal candidate.

We cannot afford to be lax; nor can we entertain fuzzy beliefs that would leave our democratic development to 'some ill-founded notions of 'fate' intervening for us: hoping unrealistically that ?something good? is going to happen. The next step is clearly that of working as a community to find the Kalon Tripa's successor.

Please treat this matter seriously and discuss it among your friends and in your community meetings. Let us all work together. With some effort we will surely find great candidates to run for the next office of Kalon Tripa; someone to lead us forward after Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche leaves office in 2011.

Nothing good is going to happen unless we make it happen.

For more info, go to www.kalontripa.org

I Wonder How It Happens

2009-03-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Rain falls
And rivulets flow
Every morning i see
small leaves glow
Mighty clouds cry
And the earth smiles
It's all miracle
I wonder, how it happens!!

Happiness comes
And everything is gay
Lucky people, always get them
Their wishes, when they pray
But for others, its all worse
When their lives, move astray
Yet, it's all Truth
Still, i wonder, How it happens!

A Thousand hands are raised
But God blesses one
Why this injustice
And this cruel fun
Oh! I won't see this line
On one side, it's all jovial
On the other, it's all glum
So, strange it all seems
I wonder, how it happens!

A rich man feels pleasure
But for the poor
There's no leisure
Dreams he visions
Yet none fulfilled
A heart he prays for
But no one's thrilled
Alas! I am still stunned
I wonder, how it happens

Lions for Lambs

2009-03-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

There are some movies that connect to you at a personal level, even if the movie had been a box office blunder and forgotten in a critic’s trash pile. Still sometimes, one finds these few movies that connect with a select few, spread across the moviegoers fraternity. “Lions for Lambs” was one such flick I saw a year back.

This is an intertwined story about a Senator, a journalist, two soldiers, a college professor and a student. Each playing their roles in the social fabric that results in angst, frustration and the underlying helplessness, as well as indifference. For more detailed synopsis read here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_for_Lambs

Though the story is mostly about the War in Afghanistan, the politics behind it etc etc. But my interpretation of the movie is quite personal. The political cunning of the senator(Tom Cruise), the journalistic conscience of Meryll Streep's role, the concern of the professor(Robert redford), the indifference of the student, and the sacrifice of two soldiers amidst this is all is but the reality of many societies.

The stark resemblence it bears to many elements of the Tibetan exile social fabric is also obvious and many might have even noticed it. But I decided to write about it.

Personally, the character of the indifferent student, who suddenly stops attending any of his classes, was the closest to my heart. Partly because I had gone through something similar and partly because it was an uncanny semblance to how many youths who could have made a difference slowly drift away into indifference.

The conversation that follows between the professor (played by Robert Redford) and the student very lucidly brings out the moral dilemma every person faces when he desires to be an instrument of change. The frustration, the anger and the disgust at the nature of modern politics and the character of a modern politician is quite common among youths of today. Especially in the Tibetan society it is now not uncommon to find many young people who are frustrated at the way things are going and the way things are at present. Obviously I belong to this same herd.

Further, the character of the two soldiers in the movie moved me the most. These are two young people, filled not only with the angst of the above character (in the earlier paragraph), but also with the desire to do something about it and not just drift towards indifference. They then decide to join the army and become an instrument of change. This later leads to their lives being lost without achieving any purpose.

This in many ways conveys, how thin is the line between becoming an instrument of change or drifting towards just becoming one another tool in the expansion of the current political and social strata.

One can even compare their story with those of many in Tibet, who die almost every year and many every day in the darkness of Chinese prisons. Their efforts, flamed with the conscience of not standing behind when their brothers shout in exile, lead them to actions of immense courage and solidarity. And yet, knowing that such actions lead to the ruin of their complete life, troubles me to my hearts core.

What is most disturbing for me to observe, is the fact that even though there are not many who are losing their lives in exile while trying to become an instrument of change? But there are certainly many, who are misguided and misled towards believing in things that might not eventually be right.

This brings me to the character of the Senator played by Tom Cruise. Cunning, playful with words and extremely ambitious politician who wants to become the president of the U.S. In his efforts in manipulating and using Meryll Streep( the journalist) to accomplish his political ends, I see the perpetual efforts by the political herdsmen in exile, to form public opinion, in some cases manipulate it by using the name of the Dalai Lama to achieve there own political ambitions. Of course I won't be getting into name listing them here. But it grieves me to an extent that the very people in whose hands the fate and the future of the exile Tibetans as well as those who are in Tibet lies, are playing unscrupulous strangling games for their own petty political ends.

While despite Meryll streep's character's resistance in giving her words the meaning which the senator (tom cruise) wants to imply, her work somehow ends doing exactly that. And she loses all control over things otherwise and later vanishes in the story. This is again indicative of many an efforts by someone here and there in our society, that has so far failed to culminate in fruitful practical results, and with time, these efforts lose their shine and fade into obscurity.

The impending feeling that surfaces at the helm of my solitary and in many ways obscure act of writing blogs about all these things, Is in some way very much familiar to the sheer helplessness one feels, seeing the state of thing and being unable to do anything about it.

I might be a cynic, even a pessimist, but surely "Lions for Lambs" is prettty much a phrase very true to the story of the Tibetan struggle in exile.

Flightless Stairs

2009-03-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

(Dedicated to the lost lives and unheard cries of those in Tibet)

To climb its steps
Reach its pinnacle
To find what’s
Hidden
What’s Unknown
A mystery unsolved
A goal not achieved
A line not crossed
A message not read
I try and falter
Tumble and fall
Every Step’s
In air
Climbing these
Flightless Stairs

In Seclusion
Lies there
Woes of men
Of a nation Torn
In Obscurity
Withers away
Stories of Valour
Of freedom
Yet I try
To reach them
Free them
Fight for names Lost
And lives shattered
My efforts
In vain
Climbing these
Flightless Stairs

Of Korean movies, Bollywood and the Tibetan genX

2009-03-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

I am a big movie buff, there's no particular taste I have been following but any movie that keeps me interested after the first half, falls in my favourites list. Growing up, I was mostly introduced to the Bollywood movies, this was not because of choice but simply because of the fact that we had only one all pervading channel on our Black and White, 14'inch Panasonic, and that channel was DoorDarshan(later called DD1). I would sit back on the couch right after I return from school and gorge any movie or program that was up, while doing tons of homework. Wasn't a good habbit but I really was quite efficient at it..hahahh!!

Childhood mostly went in watching Amitabh Bachchan do a doule role in Don to Rajesh Khanna Dying in Anand, from watching Shammi Kapoor do the Indian version of the twist in his various movies to Sharmila Tagore look both young and old in Aradhana. These movies were quite old even for my age, but I got to watch these movies only as a child since we didn't have a local theatre to watch new movies or a VCR player to hire a video tape. Still it was pretty interesting. As years passed by I was introduced to movies of Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Salman, Amir Khan, later Shahrukh etc... Bollywood had moved a few steps ahead and I was able to keep up the pace.... late night escapades from C.S.T Shimla(name of my boarding school) lead me to the theatres in town..Ritz, Rivoli and Shahi. Thus, I kept on gorging Bollywood movies every now and then..and every time I had money to spare and the time to have fun..I hit for the movies...

Korean movies were something I came to see quite late...I remember I was in my first year at college when i saw the first Korean movie.. and surprisingly it was one of best contemporary pop korean movies of modern times.. and that movie was.. "The Classic"(at least for me)..hahah

I remember Son Ye Jin(the actress) playing love struck daughter as well as the mother in this movie. The scene where the actor(don know his name) forgets his umbrella and how she realises its importance in flashbacks..touched me.. What was best in the movie was the scene when Jo-Seung-Woo( one of the actors) returns blind from the war and practises his meeting withe Son Ye jin in the restaurant and finally falters.. its was marvellous.. besides all these the soundtrack of the movie had become quite popular...almost most of the young tibetans had it in their cell phones or comps...then on I started taking interests in korean,thai,and some of the japanese movies.. though most of them are junk.. but you might come across a few good movies here and there...

What is most fascinatiing to me is to observe how these movies from across the spectrum of asian culture is influencing and affecting the lives of many young Tibetans in exile?

The craze behind korean and bollywood movies is quite strong among the Tibetan gen X. You could easily see how these movies have influenced even the hair style many young Tibetans have.There are many who even learn not only Hindi songs but surprisingly Korean too, many struggling with the seemingly incomprehensible words in the lyrics and yet singing it and perfecting it after sometime..using day to day korean phrases is ofcourse quite common among many.. the usual "I love you" i.e "Tsarang Ngei' (i don't know if its the right wording)is obviously a hit amongs many Tibetan school students as well as the younger people.. All this i feel, is in many ways reflective of the emptiness a Tibetan GenX feels when it comes to an identity. The lack of significant numbers of Tibetans whom you can call your ideal, except of course The Dalai Lama, might also be another reason for this search of ideals and trends across other cultures.

Now is this something to worry about? The answer is "Yes" and "No". "No" because cultural influences and the youth's inclination towards everything alien is natural and the current globalisation the world is facing is omnipresent. "Yes" because such trends are also indicative of the desperate need a social group feels about identifying itself with what is "current","modern" and "Hip".

Arguments could follow that the offsprings of a nation as great as Tibet with a culture that is still pristine and one of a kind, with a religion that is wow-ing many, such danger of identity crisis is too far fetched. But for a generation exiled thousands of miles away from its land, for a society shoved in a hot pot of modernity, wouldn't such effects as "Identity Crisis" follow? Ours is a society, even after 50 years of exile is still struggling to find its niche in the modern world.

Despite my extreme abhorrence with cultural cynicism and extreme traditionalism, these trends do make me feel that somehow, our younger generation is seemingly feeling lost when it comes to one's identity. There is a strong re surging feeling that even though one cannot escape globalism in its various forms and its nothing new when a traditional culture is influenced by a more modern one , but perhaps our genX is struggling with the same and yet more precarious situation of identity crisis that many young people face today. That perhaps these exile Tibetan GenX's escapades in the movies and lifestyles of our asian compatriots is indicative of the cultural dilemma our life in exile has put all of us into.

Hindi For Tibetans

2009-03-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

Language in its varied forms and facets has always played a pivotal role not only in evolving civilisations but also in sustaining social harmony. Imagine a world without language, without signs and symbols used to communicate, without a native script, without signals of varied sorts, wouldn’t it be a more chaotic place than today?

Imagine further what repercussion surface when misinterpretation takes place in communication, when lack of sufficient fluency in a particular form of language leads to misunderstandings and resolution of issues become difficult, and when inferences are misconstrued due to poor grasp of either of the parties language. Many of the world’s differences occur today, simply because of the lack of understanding of the other side’s language and the culture responsible for that language’s evolution.

Being a Tibetan born in exile, I had the privilege of studying both in an Indian school as well as a Tibetan school. Throughout my primary education other than English, Hindi was the primary mode of communication. This was mostly because I was studying among Indian students at the Indian school. Then in my junior school I had the privilege of having the opportunity to study Tibetan at a Tibetan school. Even then I still was able to study Hindi till my eighth grade. But what I see now is that since almost a decade now, Hindi is only taught for three years between sixth, seventh and eighth grade to be precise. The standard of Hindi taught during these three years is what a lower KG, upper KG and a first or a second grader learns at an Indian school. The result is an even poor level of understanding and fluency in the language of the land where we are currently in exile. Another major step was to reduce English to just one language class and all other subjects are taught in Tibetan now till the fifth grade. Of course, there were reasons ascribed to such steps being taken.

Primary reasons given for such steps were to improve the standard of Tibetan among the Tibetan students. This policy was later strengthened by the Education Policy implemented around 2003-05 by the Education Department of the Tibetan government in exile. Now this change has been in effect for almost a decade. What bothers me most is the question of whether or not periodic evaluation of such a policy taken place? Whether or not prompt analysis or proper studies are being carried out to study the outcomes so far? Every policy, especially with regard to education needs constant evaluation and review to gauge its viability with time and necessity. Is such a need felt within the education department of the CTA? The question bogs me.

In my personal opinion, formed through experience of working with students graduating out of school and colleges, as well as Tibetan population in general, such a policy as above has only resulted in the degradation of Hindi and English language skills of Tibetan youths. And also, this surprisingly has not also been able to uplift the poor standard of Tibetan language in exile schools.
Anyhow, leaving policy discussions behind, I come back to my main issue of the negligence of Hindi language in Tibetan schools and its repercussions.

Many underestimate the importance and significance of Hindi language for the Tibetan community in exile. The practical need and the viability of knowing the Hindi language for a Tibetan in India is enormous. I cannot even imagine how policy makers would underestimate the role of Hindi both in present and in future for Tibetans living in exile.

First and foremost all strategy for the future of Tibetans revolves irresolutely around the belief that the Tibet issue will be resolved in a near finite period of time. Of course in some cases, we see a more futuristic and long term appraoch towards policy making but the overall outlook in every policy concerning every aspect of our exile life is mostly near sighted. Infact, this can be clearly discerned from the fact that India is one place across the globe where awareness regarding the Tibetan cause is the least. When I say India, I don’t just mean some first generation Indian politicians of the time of Pandit Nehru, to some officials in and around Dharamsala and some few Indian journalists. I mean the general populace across India, students across Indian universities and schools, and the Hindi media (newspapers especially). Of course efforts have been up since the last few years in the form of some Buddhist exchange programs to some other initiatives and I applaud them. But over the course of last 50 years, I would ascribe the near zero outreach of the Tibetan cause among the 100 plus crore Indian populace and across the larger Indian political spectrum, primarily to lack of fluent Hindi speaking people in Tibetan community. And more than that the lack of interest in interaction with the Indian communities in general. This in some ways is one of the side effects of the settlement policy, which has still managed to nourish the isolation syndrome, we Tibetans so miserably suffer from.

Political support from India is not as substantial as Tibetans might want, and despite the geopolitical reasons behind this attitude by the Indian policy makers, one reason I believe is our inability to have been able to raise enough lobbyist for the Tibetan cause in the Indian community. And this mostly has happened due to our isolation from the Indian populace, resultant of a poor understanding and mastery of the Hindi language.

Secondly, one of the most critical things that sometimes worry me, is the surge in fights between Tibetans and Indians. It is understandable that, an area with two communities from a different cultural background might sometimes witness some friction among its members. And yet it goes beyond my belief that even after 50 years of our stay in India, we have not been able to grasp and adapt to the cultural intricacies of the land where we have sought asylum. The result is an increase in numbers of friction among Tibetans and Indians. This is not a matter to be slipped under the pillow. One might be too naïve to ignore the effects such incidents could have on the future of Tibetans in India, and believe me, we are here for another long stint.

Sometimes these individual skirmishes turn into communal disharmony (no matter how much one denies it). And we have seen such events occur as in the case of Chauntra and many other smaller incidents. Again, I believe that such events might have been prevented if there is more knowledge of the Indian culture among the younger Tibetan youth as well as a near thorough understanding of the Hindi Language. A good Hindi speaking (and I mean good, and not the usual typical illiterate Hindi we most Tibetans speak) person with good negotiating skills can easily diffuse such situations of tension. Of course other factors too contribute to such happenings but in the end, it all comes to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of each other’s intent. A suggestion here for the authorities, why not put one Hindi speaking Tibetan negotiater in sensitive areas where such incidents are common.

In the end, even this is just a quick fix. We would only be able to project a good image of Tibetans in India, just like the one the west has, by teaching Hindi again at the schools and also formally educating Tibetans in the Indian culture too. More engagement between Indian and Tibetans at schools and colleges should be encouraged.

Finally, one of the advantages of being able to read, write and speak proper Hindi language opens up more job avenues for the Tibetan youth. Networking is the core of increasing your opportunities of finding a job in the mainstream Indian market. Good Hindi skills, increases one’s chances manifold. Fields like insurance, marketing, public relations, journalism etc prefer a good understanding of Hindi language. Though the number of people speaking English in India is increasing manifolds, yet it always gives you and edge in your career, if you know the language of the people you work for. I have worked in the field of Youth employment and I have seen many younger Tibetans, school dropouts, school graduates and even college graduates, are not only lacking in English skills, but not so surprisingly in Hindi too. And of course I don’t even need to tell how good they are in their Tibetan skills.

What surprises me more is the fact that monks in monasteries and newly arrived Tibetans are not taught Hindi but rather English and Tibetan? Even science is taught now in the monasteries, but sadly no Hindi. Many are not even able to read the name of places where a bus is going. How can we then say that we truly appreciate this land of culture to whom we call our tutor?

Its time now that our education policy makers review the current policy and bring back Hindi to our schools. Teaching modules in Hindi should also be brought forth for newly arrived Tibetans in India as well as those who are born here.

I have heard about a culminating realisation of the importance of Chinese language across the globe. Especially many Tibetans too are saying that it is essential that we know Chinese. The reasons are surplus and I won’t be discussing them in this write up. Yet it makes me wonder, if 50 years have not made us learn the language of a place where we have been living and many who have been born. How this prudent realisation of the importance of Chinese language will shape up remains to be seen? But for now, I think its more then essential that efforts must be done to teach more Hindi.

This is the land from where Buddhism reached Tibet, from where Tibetans learned the lesson of “Ahimsa Parmo Dharma” (Non-Violence is the highest religion), a land where the roots of our Tibetan language lie, a land where we have sought refuge from Chinese oppression, a land where we have learnt democracy and a land from where we strive for our freedom.

If we don’t value and embrace the language of this land that has given us so much, I wonder how prudent are we in thinking that the future will be fine just as it is. It is this language, I believe that will play a far greater role then any other in our freedom struggle, and its high time we realise the importance of “Hindi For Tibetans”.

Give His Holiness a break, for God's sake

2009-02-20T00:46:00.000-08:00

A couple of months back I heard about the exile governments plan to create a Human Resource Database. Like any other plan or new project announced, it came with the by line that " it was His Holiness idea, suggestion or advise". What we have seen over these decades of years is this one man, who has been leading us, guiding us, showing us the way towards progress and development. His sacrifices and contribution in establishing and sustaining an exile community of Tibetans is above question and needs no mentioning. But what has also come to my notice is the sheer amount of we Tibetan's dependence on The Dalai Lama, for almost each and everything.Is such a habit, a sign of utmost reverence for our one and only leader, or a sign of our passivity and of the creative vacuum we have successfully established?

The idea of creating and maintaining a database of Human resources is the most common and mostly followed procedure by any kind of body that deems itself to be an organisation, an institute or even governments. What surprises me that this survey is taking place only now when His Holiness has shown the desire( which for Tibetans means an order) for such a database?

It is surprising for me that during this 50 years of exile, we haven't even done the job of establishing a proper organisation in exile. The very non existence of a Human resource database is the very indication of such carelessness.

The importance of having a database of social variables like illiteracy, college education, health, demography and electoral data etc are quintessential to gauge and plan any kind of social development project or plan.

Why would you need His Holiness to tell you each and everything you need to do? Why would we put so much burden on him when he already has a lot on plate? From bestowing democracy on the Tibetan people, to establishing a functional exile government, His Holiness has already given us the playground for a proper field play. But if we refuse to move our legs and want him to do the playing too, then really, I can't imagine where in the hell are we heading. And this is just one thing I wanted to mention, I have a dozen other examples too.

Few years back, the need for having Tibetans who are specialised in certain fields came too much into public talks. Even behind that it was His Holiness, who had to come up and say that our education system has so far not produced enough professionals, we need to bring in more Tibetans who do professional courses. Then on, there was a barrage of talks, mentions, discussions of how Tibetan society needs more well educated professionals. Scholarships increased and there is still efforts going on to provide more platform for those seeking professional education. But isn't this the job of the Education Department, to plan and project and anticipate, the future course of the education system in exile. We seriously need more creative people and experienced educationists to plan and make every policy when it comes to education. We really don't need bureaucrats doing what they feel is right. The current level of education in our society, whether you agree or not, is really at a pathetically grim stage. It is high time that we need more to be done on education rather than other issues that get all the hulla bulloo.

Would we again want His Holiness to show his desire for something to be done? Or would we, especially the politicians and bureaucrats, tighten their belts and get more creative and aggressive in their work?

Tibetans really need to grow up and get away from the habbit of being baby sat by His Holiness. We really, and I say really really, need to give His Holiness a break and become more self reliant.

Tibetan Politicians- Could you grow up??

2009-02-05T03:03:00.000-08:00

( Written sometime in 2007 for Tibetan World Magazine)

Like the rest of the world, I too had this romantic perception about everything related with Tibet. Whether it's the general public, our bureaucrats and our representatives at the ATPD (*Assembly of the Tibetan People's deputies), I always had this fascinating illusion of us having this higher level of moral consciousness and in recent times, the idea that our society has grown to be more liberal than it used to be. Perhaps, its because of the high standards of morality, tolerance and liberalism His Holiness The Dalai lama has set as anindividual, we somehow feel that we too are competent enough to be identified with the qualities he possesses. And it is here that we go wrong. This was very much obvious to me from the meeting I had with one of the Tibetan MPs who is currently the "Speaker of the House" of our ATPD.

As I entered the parliamentary secretariat, I was being directed to his office that is the office of the current Speaker. The first thing I noticed was a calendar of the year 2004 and not 2007. Insignificant in the beginning, but I realized later that this was perhaps the indication of the things I am going to experience during this day. Getting my mind away from the calendar, I took an interest in the conversation of our representatives. As a young Tibetan youth, it was a rare opportunity for me to be face to face with the people who are ordained with the power to decide our future. I thought it to be my responsibility to use this opportunity to the best of my capacity and express to them, the views, the confusions and the doubts of a common Tibetan youth. I was asked to express my views on education by the delegates I was accompanying, without any hesitation, I took the opportunity to express my grievances as to how the level of education is degrading in our schools, how religious teachings in our schools is not effective in accomplishing its goals of imbibing the young school graduates with a certain practical knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, how interested and amazed our Tibetan college graduates become when someone explains to them the basic fundamental principles of Buddhism in English, how I feel the level of Tibetan language in Tibetan schools has degraded. By doing all this, I didn't realize that somehow I was offending our speaker at a personal level. This I realized, when later at the dinner hosted by our speaker of the house, I was confronted with the most ugly and realistic picture of Tibetan politics that besides all the idealism and superficial morality attached with it, the fact remained that, "people are people, and our politicians were no different". The following experiences were no sweeter.

At the dinner table, right from the beginning, I had this impression that I am not supposed to talk tonight. I could see our speaker, with a stern face and he never actually even looked at us (two youths who were present there besides the delegates) for our views on what he was talking about. Perhaps, I am being too judgmental in saying that and I thought the same while listening to his judgmental view on almost everything, from weather, to western morals, to youths, to other democracies. And yet, I kept hope, I believed that our politicians are far more liberal, morally motivated individuals compared to the hypocrites of conventional politics. But this view of mine was to be shattered completely and to the bits, by the following experiences of that dinner.

Being completely aware about the sensitivities of the older Tibetan generation, I expressed my views in the courteous of the courteous possible manner and that too in a very non intrusive fashion, but surely without being too diplomatic. I felt a certain level of ownership on our leaders, because it was our future they were dealing with, it's after all the lives of the youth that will be most affected by the decisions they make. I was being too idealistic, as I came to know when our speaker of the house suddenly burst into a tirade of authoritative warnings in Tibetan, commanding me to shut my mouth. To him it seemed that I was touching on issues inconvenient to discuss in front of foreign observers. His words in Tibetan, "Don't talk about things you don't know?". Now my question is, "How are we supposed to learn then, when our leaders ask us to shut up? Could it be the reason why the participation of the youths in the election is the least? Are we all aware of such response from a senior politician that we have refrained from engaging in the political process?" This was the moment when reality crept into picture and I was introduced to the double standards and the superficiality that unlike my expectations has already entered the realm of Tibetan politics and our speaker was no different in adopting it. What shocked me even more is to realize that his behavior was the complete reflection of the manner in which China deals with issues related to Tibet. How it refers to Tibet as an internal affair and how embarrassed and angry China gets, when the CTA or any Tibetan acknowledges the wrong doings of China in front of other nations. It was hilarious in some manner and yet heart wrenching at the end. I thought it best to be silent, not because I was scared, but because of the respect I felt out of pity for this old, tired haggard man, who despite of having worked for so long, still seemed to be a bit outdated and stone walled, when it comes to facing criticisms and not being the archetypal "Frog in the well". Ironically, it was a parable he himself mentioned during the conversation. Even at the end, I thanked him for the opportunity to be there and also apologized if my views had offended him. But again, the man seems to have taken it completely personally and once again came with an outburst of warnings in Tibetan language. I was petrified from that instant. I have never in my dreams imagined such a response from a Tibetan politician.

Having said all this, I must also acknowledge that there were some very positive experiences too. I came across our Deputy speaker, a very fine lady with not only an open heart, but also a mind that was open to criticisms. I met the former secretary to His holiness, an open minded and liberal man with an open ear that in fact it was this meeting with him the previous day, which encouraged me to express my views without any fears. I met our prime minister, who despite what people believe, seemed to me to be someone who will never stop you from expressing yourself, no matter whether he agrees with you or not. My meeting with the secretary of the DIIR was also encouraging and positively influencing. Our foreign affairs minister represented another open minded Tibetan persona. So basically, Tibetan politics seemed to me to be a mixture of all kinds of people. But having said that, one thing that has dawned upon me as I reiterate, that the idealism attached with Tibetan politics and politicians, is a little too far fetched. And that we too have heavy headed and out of touch politicians like the rest of the world.

From this trip of Dharamsala, I came to learn a lot and experiencing first hand politics and politicians has given me a lot of positive motivation. Few essential though common questions that came to my mind, Is there a massive communication gap between the Tibetan Youths and our elected representatives? How many youths actually vote and try to influence the representation at the ATPD? Is regional politics a huge barrier for the election of popular and effective representation at our assembly? How much is the actual engagement of our elected representatives with the youths? And are they really in touch with the aspirations of a young Tibetan youth? Why can't we have an independent, non regional Youth representative at the ATPD? If the current framework does not allow it, then why not change it? What do we, the Tibetan Youths need to do about all this?

This whole episode started me off on a completely different journey. Infact an educative one too... I started researching about the Tibetan political system, the electoral system, its nitty gritties and am still a student. Over this time, I have come across many flaws in the current system of election in exile, not in its entirety but in some of its aspects. I will be writing about it soon.. but for now... thats the experience I wanted to share..am sure many others youngsters have met the same kind of heavy headed people at respectable posts in our society.

A Sherlock Fan!!!

2009-01-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

I know ...I know...declaring my love for Sherlockism will probably get me listed as a nerd.. but to be fair..the characters got something in it that attracts attention..just saying for the non sherlockians out here...

I m.. totally an outright fan of the adventurous and mysterious stories of Sherlock Holmes. Again, being a nerd I am.. I have read each story of the famous sleuth for almost more than a hundred times.. that is each story in segregation. Watched all available vidoes too.. though i mostly prefer Jeremy bretts portryal of the historic fiction detective.

Every word penned by Sir Arthur of this marvellous character makes u read each story again and again. It did seem mundane and drabbing in the beginning.. but a lot depends upon ones interest in reading these genre of the older writing style..the descriptions of a victorian english era..all the romanticism attached to it.. Infact i m an ardent fan of older english novels. Love the way they are so full of meadows, moors, shires, villas, english villages...thats what intrigued me first to read it.

My encounter with the legendary sleuth was a little weird.... I was in the school library.. a 15 year old chap I was way back then.. the sort who wanted to brag and show off his literary interests among his peers...hehehe.. always wanting to read the thickest and the most dusky book in the corner.. trying to represent a taste of the rustic...thats how I was.. still rustic I am even now.. I saw this thick book.. which i remember now was a collection of all the stories and novels of sherlock holmes complied in one huge book. I saw it lying in the corners of the enlish literature section. Took it out... Hadn't even heard about the gentlemen detective ever in my life before..never had an iota about how famous this characterter already was.. I took out the book just to show off...but of course i did read all the books i took out of the library to show off.. so that was one merit to be fair.

i started reading it right from the beginning... now as with sherlock I am a person who is always keen on method and order in whatever I do.. except for the pitiful writing..haha.. So i always read a book in order.. never try to skip from the first story to the middle or end. So my first encounter with the Sherlock story was... "A Study In Scarlet". So you see I was introduced to Sherlock Holmes in a very orderly fashion. Right from the story where he made his first debut. Interesting it was... it reminded me of the TV serial I used to watch back at home a couple of years back. The character was called "Byomkesh Bakshi" a bengali sleuth with a side kick similar to Dr.Watson. I was like.. oh this story is similar to that serial.. but this was written way before I saw this Indian serial... Thus begun my journey into the world of literature on legendary sleuth characters.. from Hercule Poirot, to Agatha Christies stories..it was an interesting journey....

But having read so many of Hercules and agatha's stories.. Sherlock Holmes still stands out in the list of intriguing and enjoyable stories I have read.. i have always wanted to visit Baker street 221B.. and one day.. I will.

Innocent Ramblings!!!!

2009-01-29T02:23:00.000-08:00

Very new here.. so forgive me if I tend to circumlocute over every nook and corner of reason and logic in establishing my opinion..Quite a new thing for me.. blogging.. perhaps a new thing for many an aspiring Tibetans who want to write something..who want to vent out whats been inside them..especially the youth. definitely a new thing for me to do online...Anyhow..as i have decided to begin this journey of self expresion.. introvert as I am.. but a platform like this will definitely help in at least getting my petty little ideas out in the web world for the least...

As it is... i see a lot of Tibetans writing.. young, old and the really old ones too(disgustingly)..writing about freedom, about buddhism and so many other isms.. anything related with the word Tibet...

I will restrain myself from venturing into those areas.... perhaps may be sometimes.. but not always...yet i would like to write.. I would like to write about things closer to my heart..of course as a Tibetan..but just wanted to make sure that I am not in the band wagon of freedom mongering..slogan shouting..hulla bulloo.. of a people.. not that they are any sort of worst group.. but my identity is separate..I m the silent and the restless young Tibet...the frustrated..ones.. the pessimistic ones.. the complaning ones.. the never taken seriously ones..yes I m one of these. Fruitless or fruitful.. i will begin my ramblings and possibly hope that something good will come out of it.. yes.. yes.. yes..I m the lazy..sort.. always the demanding sort.. never yet acting sort.. but hey.. m considering the blogging act.. as my perhaps the first action...so bear with me...

Don bother about the style... not here to prove my literary calibre...so.. hate me.. love me... ignore me.. or watever you please.. thus shall i begin.. my ramblings... of all sorts.. of here and there..meaningless..meaningful...So Get Ready!!!!!!!!