DHARAMSHALA, February 11: Over 40 Tibetan college students from various colleges across India are currently meeting for the 8th Tibetan College Students’ Conference at Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat.
The inaugural ceremony on Tuesday was attended among others by Mr. Sanat Mehta, former Finance Minister of Gujurat; Mr. Bhanu Shukla, Member of Parliament; Tenzing Jigme, President of Tibetan Youth Congress; Dr. Bhaskar Vyas and Dr. Nene.
Addressing at the ceremony, Mr. Sanat Mehta highlighted the importance of keeping the struggle for Tibetan freedom alive.
The conference is jointly organized by Baroda regional chapter of Tibetan Youth Congress and Tibetan Student’s Association, Baroda. The organizers say the conference aims to build a closer tie among the Tibetan college students thereby cultivating sense of self-realization and self-responsibility.
One of the key agendas of the conference also includes assessments of the “Action Plans and Resolution” set forth in the previous conference and putting forward its next set of action plans and resolutions.
The conference will also have talks by resource persons on topics like Tibetan self-immolation protests, Responsibility of Tibetan youth, Tibet’s struggle, Career Counseling and Enhancing Leadership Qualities.
“The outcome of our struggle and society will be measured not merely by the name of a prestigious institution that you attend or the number of degrees you hold, but in the large numbers of informed responsible Tibetans that we create – who make sacrifices for the cause,” said Tenzing Jigme, President of Tibetan Youth Congress.
“I hope that whatever field you choose to study, one must always recognize that we must use education for our cause and our struggle – service of the people and society. At the same time as we integrate into a globalized world, our unique traditions and cultures must be reinforced and we as Tibetans must remain faithful to our roots. That is a part of being Tibetan.”
The Conference is purely a college students’ initiative held consecutively over the years with the first one in Mangalore in 2006, hosted by Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Mangalore.
