Tibetan migrants in Northern India
Everyone has heard of Tibet with its breath-taking landscapes and rich, ancestral heritage. Everyone has heard of the Tibetan people, who are sadly famous because for decades they have been forced to leave their country, which is currently under Chinese occupation. But very few people know the true story of these Tibetan refugees who are still fleeing their homeland today. Their story has slowly and steadily become part of the normal course of things, and may eventually be forgotten… So, let’s go against the tide and build walls against the passage of time, by telling the forgotten history of Tibetans in exile in Northern India and elsewhere.
It was barely 6 am in the morning when we arrived in Dharamshala. We had spent the night in a tired, wobbly, old bus which had teetered its way along the mountain road, coming dangerously close to falling into the precipice, which got higher and higher as we rose into the Himalayas.
This small Tibetan town, with its colorful houses, shops and dozens of Buddhist monks walking in the streets of MacLeod Ganj, is set in the mountains at an altitude of about 2500m. We are about 800km from Delhi, in Himachal Pradesh, Northern India. Here, there are very few cows in the streets, Hindus are in a minority and the weather is much dryer and colder. We pulled our pullovers and sleeping bags out of our backpacks and bought big scarves made of yack wool to adapt to the colder climate. We were about to discover a very different side to India during our next four weeks among the oldest community of Tibetan refugees in India.
Let’s immerse ourselves in “Little Lhasa”: its atmosphere, culture, way of life, and thousand-year-old traditions.
Dharamshala, a Land of Refuge
It was here, in this small town clinging to the Himalayan mountainside, that His Holiness the Dalai Lama took refuge when he escaped from Tibet, fifty years ago. More than half of the population of around 20 000 people are Tibetan or of Tibetan origin (2nd or even 3rd generation descendants). Every year, thousands of Tibetans cross the Himalayas to reach Dharamshala and the surrounding area.
Since India did not sign the 1951 Geneva Convention, refugee status is not recognized within the country. Apart from Dharamshala, other camps – or settlements – also exist in southern India. In the 1960s, the government built a dozen settlements for Tibetans in exile and their families, in response to the huge numbers of arrivals. These settlements include houses, schools, and health centers. However, the Northern Himalayas are still a special, historic, emblematic region of refuge for this oppressed people.
When they arrive, many choose to join Buddhist monasteries, which provide free housing and education, a hopeful perspective for young Tibetans fleeing Chinese oppression. Others join one of the hundreds of charitable organizations working in the town, who are making the most of growing tourism in Dharamshala to gain prominence and voice their opinions on the international stage. Unfortunately, all too often, their voices are not loud enough to be heard. About 400 000 tourists visit McLeod Ganj every year and some of them do voluntary work, like we did, for existing charitable organizations. Due to growing tourism, many activities have developed: souvenir shops, restaurants, Tibetan cooking and yoga classes, Buddhist teachings, trekking and discovery days. There is something for everyone here. One could criticize these activities, but they do provide significant financial resources for the local inhabitants.
We quickly became acclimatized, and spent our days giving French or English classes at the LHA Charitable trust, and meeting people. We had taken up teaching, which meant re-immersing ourselves in French grammar, 3rd group verbs, never ending verb exceptions, history notes on the 1789 French Revolution and many other gems we had forgotten. Fanny enjoyed talking to Toshi - a Buddhist monk whose story we will tell later on - and was often amazed by Nyima’s level of French (one of her young students who had recently arrived in Paris). Louise spent a lot of time with Tenzin Lhamo (a lot of Tibetan people, men and women alike, are called Tenzin in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama) and Dorjey, who taught us how to cook recipes from his hometown in Ladhak with a Canadian accent (he had taken French lessons with a French Canadian!). The small Shangrila café, run by two curious, talkative Buddhist monks, welcomed us every day to drink butter tea or momos, a kind of Tibetan steamed ravioli. Then, at around 4pm, we went to LHA, the charitable organization for which we were volunteers, to give conversation classes.
We listened attentively to our new friends and were touched by their stories and questions. They were envious of the Schengen area, and the freedom of movement that it allows. In the evening, our monk friends took us to the temple to help us understand the local philosophy better. It is a far cry from our European religious heritage and the widespread dissatisfaction in the western world. In addition to their teachings, we have also done a lot of reading: Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse), books on meditation methods (Vipassana), Buddhist mantras, Tibetan history, etc. Afterwards, we often had dinner with our friend Tenzin Dofen or other Tibetan friends. They liked to talk about the history of their people and their country, of which they are proud, and about what they had to leave behind. We listened to them attentively and now we want to make sure that we remember everything we have learned during our intensive stay in McLeod Ganj.
From our rather shabby hostel, we also followed the second round of the French presidential elections. What a popular event! We must also mention that we were lucky enough to take part in a public audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is 82 and still radiant!
Tibet, what is the story?
There is a very special atmosphere in Dharamshala. Hundreds of Buddhist monks in purple or orange robes are always walking down the two main streets towards His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Temple. Hordes of curious tourists follow them, intrigued by the aura of the 14th Dalai Lama. Here, the emblematic religious leader of the Tibetan people is the focal point of the struggle to defend the rights of this occupied and tortured country, even though most Tibetans are now skeptical about the controversial “Middle-Way Approach” he initiated in 1964. But let’s not go too fast. Let’s go back to the start…
Tibet and China
First of all, in recent history, Tibet has experienced a very tense relationship with China. In 1949, The Red Army invaded Tibet, which officially became an autonomous province under Chinese sovereignty following the signature of the “Seventeen Point Agreement. Tension between Tibet and China grew and in 1959 Lhasa was invaded. 90 000 Tibetans were killed and 80 000 fled to neighboring countries: India, Nepal and Bhutan. The road to exile, through the Himalayas, was long and perilous, and we were very moved by the stories our friends in McLeod Ganj have told us about their journeys. Many died along the way.
His Holiness fled, leading the way, and settled in Dharamshala. Slowly, the exile became more organized. The CTA (Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan Government in Exile) was formed in Northern India, bringing together Tibetans in exile from dozens of countries. 15 years after the exile started, faced with the sufferings of His people, the Dalai Lama realized that independence was not likely to be negotiated and decided upon a pragmatic alternative which was supposed to content both parties, which he officially called the “Middle-Way Approach” in 1974 (Umalayan in Tibetan). In 1979, the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping resumed talks with Tibetan representatives, saying publicly that “apart from the issue of total independence all other issues can be discussed and resolved”.
In 1987, His Holiness the Dalai Lama proposed a “Plan for Peace in 5 points” which once again relinquished true independence. The religious leader, who had recently obtained full political authority over the Tibetan people through a referendum, had a clear goal: to appeal to the international community to bring peace to the Great Tibet region, which was slowly being eaten up by China. The peace process called for an immediate end to Chinese exactions, especially forced displacement of populations from the Han ethnic group (the “sinisization” of Tibet), destruction of the natural environment, violations of fundamental rights, political propaganda, and censorship. But China was afraid of Tibetan autonomy and the repercussions this would have internationally. As a result, the government tightened its control and proclaimed Martial Law in Lhasa in 1989. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for His peaceful and non-violent “Middle-Way Approach”. Talks between the two countries were frozen.
Nowadays the situation is no better, if not worse. In 2008, widespread strikes broke out all over Tibet, protesting against yet another Chinese refusal of a “Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People”, even though it complied with the Chinese Constitution and did not threaten territorial integrity or sovereignty. Public immolations started in 2009 to protest against the occupation of Tibet, political repression, religious persecutions, destruction of the natural environment and cultural assimilation. The peace process is currently deadlocked and the situation continues to deteriorate. Over 150 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since then, to attract the attention of the international community.
What happened before 1949?
Tibet is far more than an oppressed Chinese enclave. It covers a huge territory, with a thousand-year-old heritage and unique cultural traditions which are slowly being wiped out. During our stay in Dharamshala, our Tibetan friends were living proof of this heritage. They were determined to share their memories, ideas and knowledge, and we will always remember their words.
We will try to condense the mighty and powerful past of “Great Tibet” into a few lines. This illustrious past has long been tarnished by the Chinese propaganda which is still trying to rewrite History to this day.
“To have any say in my reincarnation, the communist leaders themselves must believe in the concept of reincarnation.” The 14th Dalai Lama
For a long time, Tibet has been a crossroads for cultural exchange and emulation between the peoples of the Himalayas. Traditionally, it is the birthplace of an influential Buddhist movement and the Dalai Lama’s worldwide popularity marks the revival of a rich and glorious religious and cultural heritage.
Contrary to the claims of the Chinese apostate that Tibet has been an integral part of China since “ancient times”, the borders between China and Tibet were officially ratified in 823.
From the 13th century until the beginning of the 20th century, Tibet maintained close ties with its powerful neighbor, the Mongol Empire of the Khan dynasty, which reached from Far East Asia — China included — to the European border. Tibet even played a very special role through the extensive influence of Tibetan Buddhism throughout the region, and these shared religious beliefs became a unifying force for the whole empire. This excellent relationship, called “Cho-Yon” in Mongol, forged a unique link between the two nations. The Mongol Empire even legitimized the role of the Dalai Lama by acknowledging and appointing Him as the religious and political leader of Tibet in 1254 and again in 1642. Therefore, since Tibet freed itself from Mongol domination early on and pacified its borders with the old Empire, the Chinese Empire of the Ming dynasty (14th-17th centuries) had no claims to previous sovereignty when Tibet gained independence. In 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama reasserted the independence of Tibet. He must have foreseen that the country’s Chinese neighbor had conquering tendencies.
Toshi’s story
It is hard to say how old he really is. He could be 50 years old or still just a teenager. Toshi is an exiled Buddhist monk, who took refuge in a monastery in the south of India when he arrived in the country. Every year, like many other monks, he likes to come to Dharamshala for several months to reflect and meditate.
He was only 15 when he left Tibet, without saying a word to anyone, fleeing Chinese occupation, his homeland, and his small village from which he had never ventured further than 50km. He was 15, he did not know how to read or write, and he dreamed of practicing his religion “full time” (as he now says laughingly). He left everything behind: his family, his friends, his young fiancée, his country, his land and any hopes of seeing any of them again. “It was one evening,” he said to me. “I don’t remember which month.” The only thing he remembers is that he took his ID and the small amount of money he had saved. “At the time, I was not afraid of the Chinese militia, which is strange… the only people I feared were my parents, my family or somebody close to me who might have seen me leaving. They would never have accepted that I could give up, like that. But I wanted to become a monk. And I decided to flee to India.”
Crossing the Himalayas took him a month, during which he followed two older monks who took care of him. One of them lives in the same monastery as him today. They became friends. The other one was captured by the Chinese army, just before they arrived in Nepal, their transit country on the way to India. “I heard that in jail, he and his friends, who were all monks, laughed so loudly that they annoyed the other prisoners. The guards came and ordered them not to laugh. Can you believe it? They could not even laugh.”
When Toshi fled, he did not think about writing down an address, a contact, or anything that could enable him to stay in touch with the people he had left behind. It was 19 years before he could finally send a letter to comfort his mother, just one letter to tell her that he was alive and well.
Toshi returned to Tibet in 2012. It was 25 years later. His father had died. When she first saw him, his mother did not recognize him. Then she would not let go of him. Every morning, he said, she would wake up at dawn to look at him and make sure that it was really him. That it was not a dream. “Until I left again, she would not believe me. She could not believe that it was really me.”
Today, Toshi has one single goal: to pass on a heritage which he fears is disappearing. Every day, he would tell me numerous ancestral Buddhist stories and parables on Great Compassion, Dharma and achieving Nirvana. There was no resentment, no violence, and no hatred in his words. He strictly applies the theories of Karma and compassion towards enemies to his own life. He is always composed and he amazed me by his wisdom and strict philosophical principles. Toshi does not lose his temper. He no longer has any illusions. He constantly adapts. And although he would not admit to it, he made a subtle promise to take me to his village in Tibet one day, when Tibet is a free country again.
Yes, one day. But when?
What does the future hold for Tibet?
Our stay in Dharamshala was one of the most amazing experiences of our journey. It is a precious memory that we will treasure, together with all the people we met and the stories they told us. Some of them became true friends and when it was time to leave in early June, it was really hard to leave our village with its Tibetan accents. It had taken us a month to acclimatize to a sedentary way of life, a new time schedule, new habits, and a routine we appreciated so much. But we had to go, leaving behind us the exiled Tibetan people, who have high hopes and a lot to say. Today, the situation is in deadlock. When we arrived in May 2017, we attended an official visit of US congress members who reasserted their support for the Tibetan nation against Chinese oppression. Was it idle talk or true support? The Dalai Lama also spoke of this, but only in Tibetan, under the pretext of a “mediocre level of English.” But in doing so he accentuated the urgency of protecting a culture, heritage and language which is threatened with extinction.
We left behind many questions and fears about the future of Tibet. But when we remember Toshi’s endless smile, among many others, we have to promise that we will never give up, that everything will work out in the end.
By : Louise Brosset and Fanny Belhomme.
Translation: Jenny Fowler
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