India: Tibet, the Olympic Torch and the Dalai Lama
In this week's roundup of virtual India we look at Tibet in India. Next week the Olympic torch arrives in India. First, Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia pulled out, and now Supercop Kiran Bedi has pulled out. However, well-known Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will be carrying the Olympic torch writes enga. area and adds:
“Sachin actually volunteered himself to carry the torch.Sachin called Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi and expressed his wish to join the other sportsmen who are selected to participate in the Olympic torch relay.”
Tendulkar's decision to carry the Olympic torch was greeted with mixed reactions. Kartikeya of Desicritics writes:
“A great sportsman like Tendulkar should know better than to carry the Olympic torch when others like Kiran Bedi have refused to do so. We can blame the politics of it all, but the simple point is, that it is our Government, and it is our character which is revealed. We ought not to sacrifice it at the altar of “interest”.
While quite a few well-known Indian celebrities have pulled away from participating in the Olympic torch rally it looks like the Left Parties in India have remained consistent in their stand in supporting China or the People's Republic of China (PRC). Jokes From Indian Left writes in his post titled Hypocrisy of the Indian Left Parties:
“Concerned that Tibetan protesters may succeed, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury called upon the government on Wednesday to see that there were no disruptions. Mr Yethury, It so sounds like you are more worried that Fire may get Hurt when a person attempts self-immolation bids.”
Prem Panickar underscores the dichotomy in Comrade Prakash Karat's stand vis-a-vis China and the USA. Karat is a well-known communist leader and is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Panickar writes:
“The Prakash Karats of this world, who spout reams about “national sovereignty’ when it comes to discussing the India-US civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, seem to be totally a-okay with this—a Chinese team on India soil to take over security responsibilities of a public event that should be the internal concern of India’s police and security apparatus alone…”
Well-known travel writer Pico Iyer's new book about the Dalai Lama is a timely one and has once again drawn the world's attention to Tibet. Iyer's new book: The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has received some wonderful reviews and Abhi of Sepia Mutiny writes:
“Instead of treating him merely as a figure to be awed, Iyer describes him as “Forrest Gumpish,” simple yet revolutionary. He is a religious leader who is actively attempting to weaken the dogma of his own religion.”
Read the rest of the post and also discover what novelist Pankaj Mishra has to say about Iyer's book.
I wrote a post summing up the various interviews and review of Pico Iyer, Dalai Lama and Tibet:
“What runs as a red skein in the various reviews and interviews with Iyer about Dalai Lama is the non-violent way in which the Tibetan leader seeks to resolve a long-standing issue over the autonomy of Tibet with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It is close to 50 years since the Dalai Lama fled Tibet and settled in India.”
What about the Tibetans, who live in India? What do they think of their homeland and going back there? Outside of Tibet, the most number of Tibetans live in India. They live in different parts of India in states like Himachal Pradesh (where Dharamsala is located) to Uttaranchal, Karnataka and New Delhi. What goes through the minds of the young Tibetans, who live in India? Mayank Sufi Austen talks to a young Tibetan who went back to Lhasa and says;
“I was a foreigner in my homeland. I didn't know Chinese and it was everywhere. In restaurants, menus would be written in Chinese and I would ask stewards what was what. I would pass by the city's only theater that screened Hollywood films, dubbed only in Chinese. It was difficult to make out things. I was lost.”
72 comments
Ordinary people? I think I am, because I live outside China and was from China and work in Multinational corporation. I have to agree with Schizomorph.
Chinese media reports. But westerners chose not to believe.
The mindset of “Chinese government = evil” can not win Chinese’s consensus, but roots firmly in brains of westerners.
Just as Ms. Fu Ying said in the UK newspaper, western world can not wait to understand China.
M:, it is your own opinion, I dont want to comment. However, it surely will not happen. Common sense. Dreaming for that will lead in illusion and misunderstanding more.
Although i largely agree with you M, if what you say is taken literaly, it leads to prejudice and racism. I admit that I have similar thoughts but i don’t want to judge people based on race. Also i think isolating china will only make things worse. I believe efford should be put on freedom of speach and expression in china so that the chinese can take in ideas from the rest of the world.
I don’t see china as a homogenous thing. With freedom of speach, i believe it would play a totaly different role on the world chessboard. I’m not sure if that would be good or bad but it would definataly be different.
Thanks
Hi Elgin
I read the article you linked carefully. I thought it is an excellent article that everyone here should read.
Here is some of the quotes in para 11-13.
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But Tibetans feel that there is an overemphasis on Chinese, especially at the higher levels, which threatens their language and culture. All the classes taught by Han teachers are in Chinese or English, and most of the Tibetan teachers in the middle and high schools are supposed to use Mandarin (although the ones I spoke with said they often used Tibetan, because otherwise their students wouldn’t understand). In any case, important qualifying exams emphasize Chinese, and this reflects a society in which fluency is critical to success, especially when it comes to any sort of government job. Another, more basic issue is that Tibetan students are overwhelmed. One Han teacher told me that his students came primarily from nomad areas, where their families lived in tents; yet during the course of an average day they might have classes in Tibetan, Chinese, and English, three languages with almost nothing in common.
Political and religious issues are paramount. In Lhasa I met a twenty-one-year-old Tibet University student who was angered by his school’s anti-religious stance, which is standard for schools in Tibet. “They tell us we can’t believe in religion,” he said, “because we’re supposed to be building socialism, and you can’t believe in both socialism and religion. But of course most of the students still believe in religion — I’d say that eighty to ninety percent of us are devout.” One of his classmates, a member of the Communist Party, complained about the history courses. “The history we study is all Chinese history [of Tibet],” he said. “Most of it I don’t believe.” These students also adamantly opposed existing programs that send exceptional Tibetan middle and high school students to study in the interior, where there is nothing to offset the Chinese view of Tibet.
Such complaints reflect the results of recent education reforms. A series of them made in 1994, characteristically, represent both the good and the bad aspects of Chinese support. On the one hand, the government stepped up its campaign against illiteracy, and on the other, it resolved to control the political content of education more carefully, in hopes of pacifying the region. There has certainly been some success with this approach: I met a number of educated Tibetans who identified closely with China. Tashi, Mei Zhiyuan’s roommate, seemed completely comfortable being both Tibetan and Chinese: he had studied in Sichuan, he had a good job, and he had the government’s support to thank. When I asked him what was the biggest problem in Tibet, he mentioned language — but not in the way many Tibetans did. “So many [Tibetan] students can’t speak Chinese,” he said, “and if you can’t speak Chinese, it’s hard to find a good job. They need to study harder.”
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In the portion of article, it mentioned that 58% Tibetans are still can not read and write. ( It was >95% during Dalai Lamai regime.) It is literally hard to use Tibet language for Science etc, as compared to the Chinese. The overall education situation makes it impossible. How about Indians in US? Think about it.
As for religion, most of Chinese are not religious. Religion is totally allowed in China, as long as it is not against government. I see no major conflict rather than the street opinions.
Overall, the article painted a real picture. I strongly recommend everyone read it. It was not written by Chinese. Just be sure.
Let me show you all how Tibet is like under dalai’s ruling,
Can you see any “human rights” here?
This is an orphan of slaves:
[img]
http://bbs.cn.yimg.com/user_img/200706/19/yumeijian123_1182217716
907965.jpg[/img]
slaves wearing leg-iron, not for fashion purpose.
[img]
http://bbs.cn.yimg.com/user_img/200706/19/yumeijian123_1182218625
941952.jpg[/img]
a slave whose leg was cut by his owners:
[img]
http://bbs.cn.yimg.com/user_img/200706/19/yumeijian123_1182218659
152662.jpg[/img]
Come to Tibet, see the turth.
I hope this time I can post pics.
Show you all how Tibet is like under dalai’s ruling,
Can you see any “human rights” here?
This is an orphan of slaves:
[img]
http://bbs.cn.yimg.com/user_img/200706/19/yumeijian123_1182217716
907965.jpg[/img]
slaves wearing leg-iron, not for fashion purpose.
[img]
http://bbs.cn.yimg.com/user_img/200706/19/yumeijian123_1182218625
941952.jpg[/img]
a slave whose leg was cut by his owners:
[img]
http://bbs.cn.yimg.com/user_img/200706/19/yumeijian123_1182218659
152662.jpg[/img]
Sorry gilbert, I couldn’t see the links. I got a 404 error.
Wewe: I wish I could but i don’t think i’m allowed there.
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99feb/tibet2.htm
Elgin’s suggestion of link is in fact a very good article. It reminds of the aborginals in Australia and Indians in US…
I believe Dalai Lama has indicated he wants autonomy for Tibet, I havent checked the dictionary recently but I believe that doesnt mean independence. Every human on this planet has right to exist with their belief system regardless of whether the chinese government or any other government agrees with it or not. I know this is a dead end subject in many areas of the world however I thought chinese PEOPLE were at least intelligent enough (the ones who write here) to realize suppression doesnt work. Such an old ancient culture… how come its so difficult for you to understand this human trait? Tibetan buddhists are not asking for independence but autonomy to freely return to their homeland and practice their belief in peace. Is this so hard for chinese people to understand?
I don’t care if the old Tibetans were cannibals or bahinee-jud, it doesn’t justify the cultural genocide and human rights violations by China.
Old Tibet was a feudal society. The past 2 Dalai Lamas (13 and 14) were both trying actively to change that and meeting lots of resistance from the very entrenched power structure of Tibetan theocracy.
Only Hollywood believes that Tibet was some gentle mythic land. There are plenty of objective history books to read that recount the good, bad and ugly of old Tibet. Nothing justifies the treatment they have received.