Dj 25 Report post Posted April 6, 2008 (edited) Sudheendra Kulkarni Posted online: Sunday, April 06, 2008 at 2310 hrs Indian Express One of the most pleasing sights in the bazaars of Indian cities and towns is that of Tibetans selling their wares, usually woolens or other creations of their honest and hard-working hands. Tibetans live quiet lives, proudly preserving their community identity, zealously adhering to their customs, and remaining deeply devoted to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. They scrupulously respect the local social milieu in which they live — be it Manali in Himachal Pradesh or Mundagod in north Karnataka, where they have established a wonderful township — and are in turn respected by the locals. It is rare to find a Tibetan involved in any criminal activity. Every time I see a Tibetan on the street, I feel proud of my country that it has continued its tradition, since time immemorial, of providing shelter to any immigrant community that suffered religious persecution in its own land. India does not treat such refugees as aliens, nor does it force them to give up their culture and customs. In this sense, India is unique in the world, and this uniqueness must be safeguarded and cherished. Indeed, in the case of Tibetans, it is a matter of honour for us that His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the greatest living exponent of the Buddha’s ideals of universal peace brotherhood and compassion, has made India his home. It is, therefore, shocking that the China’s communist rulers have targeted such a proud and peace-loving community for a violent crackdown in Lhasa, and, furthermore, resorted to the most offensive language to malign the Dalai Lama. They have called His Holiness a “serial liar” and accused him of “pretending to be a peaceful, angel-type of figure” while instigating violent protests in Lhasa. One cannot expect them or China’s government-controlled media to admit that Tibetans may have a genuine reason to protest. The reason, however, is loud and clear: systematic marginalisation of Tibetans in their own homeland, denial of religious freedom, consistent and persistent human rights violations and, worst of all, what the Dalai Lama has called the “cultural genocide” of his people. The issue here is not whether Tibet is a part of China or not. India has acknowledged, and this was explicitly stated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his visit to China in 2003, that “the Tibet Autonomous Region is an integral part of the People’s Republic of China”. Therefore, if any Indian condemns the Chinese communists’ brutality in Tibet, it is not to be interpreted as questioning our government’s “One China” policy. The real issue is: whether or not India’s civil society, political parties and government have a duty to express concern over China’s repressive measures in Tibet and to show our solidarity with our Tibetan brethren in their hour of suffering. There are two parties in India — Congress and the CPM — which, instead of expressing concern, have chosen the path of cowardice. Congress leaders have been discouraged from meeting the Dalai Lama. To the best of my knowledge, Sonia Gandhi has never called on His Holiness. (I do know that she never bothered to even reply to any of the letters written by Taslima Nasreen.) As far as the leaders of the CPM are concerned, they have covered themselves with ignominy with their silence over — nay, justification of — the Chinese government’s repressive measures in Tibet. Here is their ludicrous poser: “How can we condemn the incidents in Tibet? How would India react if any other nation were to raise the issue of what is happening in Kashmir?” Only those who consider India’s stand on Kashmir to be inherently insupportable, and are also blind to the Pakistan-aided and jihad-inspired campaign of cross-border terrorism in India, can see a parallel between the situations in Kashmir and Tibet. It goes without saying that India must seek friendly and cooperative ties with China. However, we must beware of those who believe that friendly ties with our northern neighbour are possible only by keeping quiet over all its acts of bullying — be it the question of its repression in Tibet or its frequent upping of ante in Arunachal Pradesh. China has every reason to feel proud of showcasing its greatness during the forthcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. But it too must know that its greatness is sullied by its unacceptable behavior in Tibet. India should work with the rest of the world community in urging the Chinese authorities to open meaningful talks with the Dalai Lama. The latter, on his part, has repeatedly stated that he is not seeking Tibet’s secession from China. Now it is China’s responsibility to ensure, by working constructively with His Holiness, that Tibetans can live with honour, dignity and genuine autonomy in their ancestral homeland. ______________ My intention to post this is to raise no more than compassion for humanity... Dheeraj Edited April 6, 2008 by Dj Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
