Two young Tibetans went about in the streets of Mcleod Ganj with microphones in their hands and blared announcements for four hours, stopping at significant knees and elbows of the hill station. The two youth were calling people for a Tibetan Youth Meeting yesterday, blaring the announcement through the horn, they disturbed everyone’s sunday morning peace.
Well, that’s exactly what the Tibetan youth seems to want to do now, according to the 70-80 youths who gathered here yesterday. The meeting which lasted for five hours discussed various issues related to the Tibetan struggle and ways and means to strengthen it.
One young man in his mid twenties wants to go the RSS way as in India to preserves the Tibetan culture and also inculcate nationalism in the minds of the Tibetans. A young monk stood up and opposed such attempts to bring in ultra nationalism, and proposed careful grooming of young Tibetans.
A man dressed up in blazer, introduced himself as a recent arrival from Tibet and been here for the past one month, stood up from the middle of the crowd and said, “What is ‘rang sit rang kyong (genuine Autonomy)? In Tibet we all fight for Independent Tibet. I have never heard of this policy, which will make Tibet a part of China. “I know Tibetans in Tibet will never be able to understand this policy,” he blurted.
Another monk (there were plenty) stood up and composed himself carefully and then reasoned, the ‘Umey lam'(midle way path) as the best policy, and most suitable to resolve the issue of Tibet. He talked of His Holiness as the most sensible leader around the world.
A college graduate said stood and said, “isn’t it enough that His Holiness is dong so much for Tibet? What are we doing? We have been running up and down in Dharamsala, making our lives most comfortable with foreign money. This is our weakness. Just as HH too can do so much for Tibet, but we say ‘kyabsu che’ to His Holiness and enter into our kitchen.”
The young man who advocated RSS manner of cultivating nationalism, now wants to take up arms for Tibet. we are not talking of war he said. There can be strategic sabotages that can weaken the Chinese control of Tibet he smartly explained.
Third monk stood up and said we shouldn’t fall illusion into thinking terrorism will solve our issue. In fact it may weaken the worlds support we are receiving, he was almost begging.
Among a crowd of youngsters an old man has found a seat, he talked about the first years of asylum in India, and how the Tibetans shouldn’t not give up even though we have spent almost half a century.
Kushok Bagdro was a recognizable face among the youngsters. He explained what he is doing: gathering signatures from around the world pleading UN to allow His Holiness to address the UN session. He said, “All these activism called putting up posters on the walls isn’t enough. Do some concrete things.”
A doctor from mentsekhang was happy to take part in the discussion. He said before we do anything, it is important to have this kind of discussion, because a proper thought our plan and discussed action will be more fruitful.
The gathering watched ‘Devotion an Defiance’ a documentary film by ICT on the religious repression in Tibet. The meeting was jointly organized by RTYC Dharamsala, Students For a Free Tibet (INDIA) and Friends of Tibet (INDIA). There would be more such discussion in the future announced the organizers.
