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| The Dalai Lama speaks out |
| Wednesday November 11, 2009 |
| Tawang was excited on the Dalai Lama's arrival. Every shop, homes, all roads, and traditional gates, dressed up with prayer flags and a fresh coat of paint. In the morning of his arrival, market committees laid out chairs on the road. Residents also made arrangements on roadside. The Dalai Lama may just decide to stop over, informed our driver. Great care was taken in the floral arrangement on the ritual platform. Buckets of water with flowers were kept on roadsides. The town was suddenly filled with aroma or burning incense. Villagers from distant hamlets which appear far away trekked their way to watch him. The elderly were chanting beads. The children with flowers were waiting for a glimpse of the monk they have been taught to revere. And then the helicopter emerged from the hills throwing up a lot of dust on an over enthusiastic crowd of photographers and camerapersons. The red carpet was laid out and monks with yellow caps bowed before their spiritual head who walked down under a massive yellow silk umbrella and to the sound of the Gyaling, the Thungchen and the Boobchel. The Monk then drove off. The media was more excited than his disciples. Scampering to the next destination, the Tawang monastery. Our local driver snaked through an alternate route to the monastery before the Monk arrived. Both sides of the road were filled up with expectant devotees. At the monastery, a loud media again made its presence felt as the Dalai Lama stepped inside the prayer hall. And then after the photo op when the media was almost satisfied the Monk decided to spring a surprise and actually spoke contrary to what everyone thought. Looking Back at 1959: "I look at these hills and there is a little bit of emotion in me. When I escaped from Tibet at that time besides my mental stress and anxiety there was also a sense of hopelessness. Physically weak and mentally tired I suddenly saw that at the border an Indian official from the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Menon I think. He was posted in Lhasa as the Consul General and a long time friend. As soon as I saw his face there was a feeling of reunion and the feeling that I am safe, so when I see these hills I feel happy." Quick Reactions: NDTV: "China was opposed to your visit? Dalai Lama: Wherever I go its usual for China to oppose. NDTV: They said your visit was anti-China. How do you react? Dalai Lama: That is totally baseless. It's sad that the Communist Chinese government see my movements as separatist. NDTV: Do you have anything to tell China? Dalai Lama: No, I have nothing to tell China." Decipher Truth from Facts: "But I want to tell you one thing. About seeking truth from fact. In 1959 when I escaped from China did not pursue me or follow me. It was not just I but several thousand Tibetans crossed over the border and as soon as they reached this border they knew they were safe. This is fact number one. The second fact is in 1962 the Liberation Army occupied Tawang and almost reached Bomdila but the Chinese government declared ceasefire and withdrew. At that time the Chinese supreme had ample power but under his leadership they withdrew unilaterally. So this is one more fact. Now China has different views and I am surprised. Now you must seek the truth from these facts." Apolitical Visit? "Although my visit here is entirely non political, since you show genuine interest I may recount the last fifty years of experience. In 1959 I was under extremely difficult circumstances when I escaped. China then saw that Dalai Lama did not leave voluntarily but was forced by some Tibetan officials. Then when I reached Tezpur I made a statement which the Chinese claimed was not made by the genuine Dalai Lama but by Indian officials. So when I reached Mussoorie at the Birla House I once again made a short statement clarifying that the Tezpur statement was indeed made by me." The Chinese doublespeak: "Then in early eighties we developed direct contact with the Chinese government in which they gave a five point proposal about my return. They said they would welcome me and send a high ranking official to bring me from New Delhi to Peking. All my previous status would be restored according to the proposal. Then around 1993 our direct contact ceased. In 2002 we resumed contact. Ironically it's the same 14th Dalai Lama(laughs). But sometimes they say I was forced or kidnapped and then sometimes they send me invitations. So I told the Chinese government that the issue is of the wellbeing of the six million Tibetan people. Their basic rights. Unless the Chinese government addresses this issue seriously there is no question of my returning to Tibet. The very reason I escaped, the reason we left Tibet is because of some problems so unless Chinese government addresses the basic problem then what's the point?" A Secret: "I want to share with you one secret. In 2006 February in my fifth meeting with the China, they acknowledged that Dalai Lama is not seeking separation. But soon after that in April or May they intensified their accusation against me as a separatist. What is this now? In our meetings they would acknowledge but publicly they say something else. Then the Nangkhala shootout took place and the whole policy becomes hardened and they feel its more suitable to carry forward their hardened policy. This is the background." Tibetan resistance: "Its difficult to say how the Tibetan movement has progressed over the last fifty years. Tibetan spirit inside Tibet is very strong. It was only the other day I met some Japanese and some Chinese people. They told me that they recently visited Tibet and the Tibetan spirit is very very strong whereas the Chinese reaction is very very hard. Everywhere Chinese soldiers are seen. Just a month back when I was in America I met a Chinese who visited Tibet including a monastery which we call Tibet's Nalanda. The second Dalai Lama was there. Before 1959 seven to eight thousand monks were there. By eighties it came down to six hundred. This year its down to only seventy monks." In pics: Tawang welcomes the Dalai Lama |
Kishalay Bhattacharjee is a broadcast journalist obsessed with the audio visual medium. Very opinionated that journalism is far removed from activism and he hates long bios. An Edward Murrow Fellow, Kishalay received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Journalism 2006-2007.
