By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, August 18: The Tibetan Refugee Traders Association (TRTA) has opened its office in Ludhiana, the north Indian town known for hosiery goods and supply centre for Tibetan winter garment sellers all over India.
A modest inaugural event on Sunday was attended by the secretary of the Department of Finance of the Central Tibetan Trinley Gyatso, Indian sellers and the members of the Tibetan Refugee Traders’ Association in Ludhiana.
The inauguration of the administrative office was followed by two day Conference of the 3rd governing body members of the association. The meeting was attended by the 14 governing body members of TRTA, Indo-Tibetan Hosiery Association, Lala Tibetan Hosiery Association and representatives from 130 different Tibetan market associations from various Indian cities.
The Chairman of the governing body Karma Delek told Voice of Tibet radio service that the resolution was passed in an earlier meeting to set up an administrative office in Ludhiana. “The purpose of setting up this office is to essentially to help, guide and officiate the grievances of Tibetan sellers with the CTA, Lala Tibetan Hosiery Association and any other platform,” said Karma.
After His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed the need to create an association for the traders in 2006, the TRTA was formally formed in 2008 with the guidance and help from the exile Tibetan government.
Palden, a resident of Dharamsala who has been in the winter garment business for past 14 years told Phayul, “It’s definitely a sign of progress. When we started the business there was very little help as there was no such association what so ever. It was just us setting up shop wherever we could by carrying the big bags of goods on our backs in the dust”.
“I am grateful that with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s blessings our hard work have made it easier for the present generation who don’t have to go through what we had, otherwise they wouldn’t last a day,” jested the elderly man who is gearing up for yet another season of ‘winter business’ as it is known among Tibetans.
The yearly toil of getting land leases from respective municipality for temporary markets to sourcing and buying goods – often on credit and on good faith by wholesalers – the Tibetans spend more than six months a year prepping the markets, shipping the goods and eventually selling them when winter cold sets in with no assurances that their hard work will be returned with a decent turnover when the end of the season looms every year.
