By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, FEB 3: A Tibetan civil servant has been inducted in the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation as a councilor, a feat no one has achieved ever in the history of Tibetan exile. Dawa Rinchen, Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement Officer and a former bodyguard to His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been nominated by the the Department of Urban Development of Himachal government in a notification on Thursday reported himvani.com.
Home to the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a booming smart city in India, Dharamshala has been the virtual capital of the Tibetan Diaspora.
“As a large number of Tibetan refugees are residing in McLeod Ganj and other areas of MC Dharamshala, the inclusion of Dawa in the corporation will help the community,” said the government’s Spokesperson.
“I see this as a great honor to the Tibetan community and hope this would act as a bridge between the two communities and enhance the relationship. I also hope this would make the city more effective,” said Dawa, who as a soldier in the Special Frontier Force has served as a personal bodyguard to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Dawa, after retiring from service ran his family’s travel business. His management and communication skills have greatly reflected in his success as an entrepreneur making Tibet Tours and Travels a leading travel company owned by a Tibetan.
Dawa has been a long time member of the Indo Tibetan Friendship Society and has played a vital role in maintaining harmony between the two communities that have on a few occasions faced off with each other. Dawa’s personal relation with the local Indian community has established him as an able Tibetan leader in the eyes of the Indian community.
“I know him since he was a bodyguard to Guruji (local Indians use this word to refer to the Dalai Lama). He is a very able leader, and has command over what he is doing. I have seen him as somebody who knows how to say no when he needs to. And the rest as you can see, what he has achieved is really big, not just for him but for my Tibetan brothers,” said Kuldip Sharma, a local Indian.
In the elections for the Tibetan Settlement Officer last year, Dawa won by a huge margin and took over the reins of the Dharamshala Tibetans’ welfare.
Speaking to Phayul.com, the Dharamshala TSO said that his office is yet to receive the official notification. He, however, added that the Urban Development Minister, Sudhir Sharma, had informed him of his appointment few months ago.
The notification also mentions Shubham Sud of as Councilor of Sidhwari area, raising the number of nominated councilor to five. Dharamshala MC also has 17 elected Councilors from different wards.
Dharamshala is also the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh where the Tibetan exiles have set up their government headed by an elected leadership.
