The iron bars and the double layers of iron mesh that ominously stood between the ‘criminals’ and the visitors at Tihar jail literarily started to melt when Mr. Kalsang Phuntsok appeared in the room with the sound of the metal doors closing behind him. It was the seventh day that he and his four colleagues had spent in prison with the visiting mosquitoes, the suffocating high walls and slept on the cold December floor with rug and mats but the smile that beamed across his face made it feel as if the world was imprisoned with the guilt of ignorance while he was free with the reward of detention.
“Hi!!” was what he said in his usual careless panache with his hands raised up and waving as we managed a few inaudible responses. The arrangements of precaution stole the details of vision but the warmth of his company could be felt right upto the towering ceilings.
The large number of visitors coming to meet the President (as the jail police and inmates had started to call him) and his colleagues had caused an unusual rush at the counter number 7 of ‘mulakaat’ and many had to return back without getting an ‘appointment’ but only booking one for the day after. We were rewarded with the white pass slip after much persistence and kneading the dough the Indian way. The police made it clear that the five of them had entertained enough visitors for the day and gave us the permission to meet only the President.
Mr. Kalsang Phuntsok, with an easy bend over the glass panes told us how they commemorated world Human Rights Day with the inmates of the prison, explaining them the universality and sacredness of the fundamental human rights. He had also recounted the inhuman treatment and immense torture the political prisoners in Tibet were suffering at the hands of Chinese. Posted as leaders of the various groups of inmates, the five Tibetans had spoken to them of the illegal occupation of Tibet by China and the consequent genocide and atrocities that has followed since.
“Tibetans!!” exclaimed and smiled the passing guards and the policemen manning the posts as we walked pass the pink walls and it seemed as if the word had spread that five Tibetans had commemorated World Human Rights Day in Tihar Jail.
With the smile still beaming across his face, ‘tsoktso’ busied himself in assuring us that they had no apprehensions whatsoever with the duration of their stay behind the prison walls and directly told us not to move a bail plea. “We don’t want be bailed out of the prison for we haven’t committed any crime to be bailed out … we will continue to remain here until our demands of the withdrawal of patriotic re-education campaign and the release and reinstatement of the imprisoned monks and nuns in Tibet are met with concrete assurance.”
The guards at the back now started to move around hastily trying to tell us that our time of meeting was about to end. “Further agitation” he quipped, “from inside as well as from the outside … we are waiting to start our hunger strike inside the jail, just tell us when to begin”.
As the prison guards stared to shove the visitors out the door tsoktso was still smiling, giving us the assurance and motivation to continue the vigil more strongly. “Do you need anything?” we asked from the door of the meeting hall. “No … nothing” he assured, “Just keep working”.
