Report by Aprajita
New Delhi, 12 February – “Our ideas of development are so different, they are opposites; for China digging mountains and building tinted glass towers is modernization, while for the Tibetans developing our mind for mental peace and happiness is the end of life” said Tibetan poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue while lecturing on “Tibetan Cultural Resistance, a Native response to China’s Corporate Designs at the Political Science Department of Delhi University yesterday.
Brushing through the history of Tibetan struggle for freedom since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949, he presented a different narrative of the struggle- a strong but silent, almost invisible, under the surface movement for Tibetan Identity.
Citing the example of last years Ganden monastery monks white-washing the walls of their monastery at an unusual timing – only to celebrate the awarding of the Congressional gold medal – as an example of native response to oppose what he called China’s “highly sophisticated mechanism of control” using army, police and the law.
He said that it was important for China to epitomize Tibet as a land of barbarians with no sense of culture and civilization, that’s what they called the Tibetans and the Mongolians, and fearing invasions by “Barbarian Mongolians” they built the Great wall of China.Today the biggest man-made monument remains only a historical facade because China’s political border has expanded beyond the walls, to occupied countries like Inner Mongolia, East Turkestan (Xinziang) and Tibet.
Showing an image of a Chinese woman tourist wearing a bright red Tibetan woman’s costume and posing for a photograph, Tsundue said this is how Beijing sells Tibet, the exotic Tibet, and Tibetans as orthodox with no sense of modern education and incapable moving with modern times.
Interestingly, Tibetans have silently appropriated the Chinese propaganda and intelligently subverted this by infusing Tibetans messages of loyalty to the Dalai Lama and the love for Tibetan race. Tsundue said that many of the modern Tibetan pop music from Tibet are replete with songs reinforcing collective aspirations of the Tibetans, singing in admiration of symbols like snowland, snowlion and the race of red-face (Tibetan).
“All colonial powers invent excuses for invasion and colonization, for the United States it was WMD to invade Iraq and for China it was to liberate it from the clutches of western imperialists and the traditional Tibetan feudal society.” Tsundue quickly added: “but, by now Tibet is liberated enough and I think China should leave Tibet. The invaders never leave even after championing the “cause” they always create a new reasons to maintain their control condescendingly saying they need our help.”
Studying the role of Tibet in today’s China Tsundue said: “The important role Tibet could play in the hugely industrialized China is by supplying it with fresh water. The war that goes on for oil today would be about fresh water tomorrow, and Tibet remains one of the most important resource of it in the heart of Asia.
Tsundue’s busy schedule took him to JNU the same evening. JNU is known for its riotous after-dinner talks by politicians, academicians and intellectuals of all possible issues and causes. Tsundue didn’t fit into any of the usual speakers, he was calm, collected but stern in his messaging while sharing his concerns about a young Tibetan born and brought up in India with “Indian education”.
After relating his story of college education with fellow Indian students, and communicating his identification with young Indians, he has said for Tibet he has double concerns both as a Tibetan and as an Indian. And expressed his frustration with India’s indecision and inadequate support for the Tibetan freedom struggle. He said “India cannot have China on the other side of the 4075 Kms of Himalayan border forever.” Therefore Recreating Tibet as the buffer zone that it is, is essentially important.
Comparing Beijing Olympics to Berlin Olympics he said “when Hitler was growing as a dictator some of the most powerful countries including USA was appeasing Hitler as to maintain their trade relations” saying business and politics are separate. Infact the United States sent the biggest ever Olympics contingent to Berlin Olympics. Well that’s happening in China today. China is a rogue state denying freedom to its millions and millions of silent citizens and all the people in its occupied countries like Tibet. And they do not deserve the Olympics.”
