Walking through the streets of McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, home of the Tibetan Government and community in exile, it’s a far cry from the India we’ve grown accustomed to. Each of us is living with a Tibetan family where we sleep and eat breakfast and dinner but that is where the similarity of our schedules ends. During the day we peruse the various shops (holiday gifts!), pursue different internships, go on stunningly beautiful walks, and seek avenues to learn about the exiled Tibetans’ situation.
Morning is my favorite time here. I wake up to my Momo-la (grandmother), whom I share a room with, praying and then sip some boiled water with ginger. Then I set out on a walk with my Pa-la(father). We follow a path through the woods which leads to a monastary and old people’s home where many Tibetans go each morning to pray and catch up. We then continue on to the Dalai Lama’s temple, a modest yet large structure nestled in the hills, before returning home to breakfast. My least favorite part of the morning is trying to gulp down Tibetan tea, composed of butter and salt, and I’m not sure that my Western tastes will succeed in enjoying it. Luckily, we are in the place where momos can be found on every street corner so we never go hungry!
As for internships, flyers are plastered to every free wall advertising everything from Tibetan massage to wood carving to Tai Chi. We have all dabbled in one or two of these opportunities and found the possibilities a little overwhelming. There is so much going on here with lectures, movies, concerts, and just meeting the other western travellers and Tibetan refugees that it is impossible to attend everything that piques our interest. I learned some Tibetan massage [with my mom in mind =) -Kelley] but the most valuable thing that I will take away from my lessons is the story of our teacher who crossed the Himalayas, risking his life, to make it to Dharamsala. The refugees have established schools, institutions, and communities here; but it is not home. It is not Tibet.
The Chinese occupation of Tibet began in 1959 when the Chinese marched into Tibet, claiming to be freeing the Tibetans of “Anglo-American rule”, which they had coincidently never heard of (the Chinese were lying). They havent left since. Tibetans are not allowed to practice their religion (Buddhism) freely; whether that means that they are watched, monitered, and controlled in their religious expressions (prayer, prostration, etc) or forbidden from places of worship and thrown in jail on absurd charges, the Tibetans no longer experience their basic freedoms in the land that now, no longer belongs to them. Tibetans, led mainly by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, are putting up a strong resistance to the Chinese occupation. Backed by the international community (for the most part) Tibetans campaign for the freedom of their people and the independence of their country; however, they are committed to carrying out this resistance through non-violent means. The Chinese do not share this opinion. Tibetan monks who have dedicated their lives to the dharma (holy teachings) and strongly abide it’s non-violent teachings protest peacefully for their freedom, and are met with the fantastically violent means that the Chinese police use to halt their demonstrations. Monks are openly shot at, cars lit on fire, and people beaten ruthlessly left and right. One such occasion occured last March (2008), and last night a few of us heard the story of an extraordinary man who was shot twice trying to save the life of a monk. This man, Tsewang Dhondup, was shot once in the elbow and once in the ribs, near his left kidney. Both bullets went straight through his body. Without receiving care, he was instead forced to hideout in the mountains of Tibet for 14 months while the Chinese government searched for him. The Chinese government controls all hospitals and medical distributions in Tibet, and because Tsewang’s name had been placed on the country’s most wanted list, he was unable to have his wounds cared for. The bullet wounds became infected, and his flesh decayed and was infested with maggots. For 14 months he survived solely on personal strength, perseverence, and with the assistance of four villagers who found him and took care of him. Convinced to not have endured all this for naught, Tsewang and those who helped care for him escaped from Tibet into Nepal under the nose of the Chinese government and from there, made their way to Dharamshala. Tsewang shares his story with travelers like us in order to raise awareness about the situation in Tibet, which I am ashamed to say I knew very little about before coming here. Most of us are living with Tibetan families for our homestays and I know that after learning about the situation in Tibet, it put everything in a whole new light. I myself am staying with an old(ish) couple, both of whom are Tibetan. They are not young enough to have been born in exile, so it became clear to me that the very people who provide blankets, food, and smiles for me every day had to escape from Tibet at some point in their lives and come here. To even begin to fathom the hardships they endured in coming here makes my heart hurt, and I am no less than astounded at the goodness and generosity they have in welcoming us into their homes. We are in India, but that becomes easy to forget when surrounded by the largely Tibetan culture that McLeod Ganj consists of. It is heartbreaking to realize that these people are here because they are foreigners in their own land, not allowed within its borders and without much hope in ever returning to the land they once called their own. And despite all this, I walk the streets greeted brightly with smiles from all directions and good mornings called out by those who cross my path. The Tibetan spirit is far from destroyed. It lives strong here in Dharamshala, and one day, hopefully, will be given the opportunity to return to its land. Until then, it makes for an incredible atmosphere to be a part of.
Tashi delek (thats the extent of the Tibetan we’ve picked up, it means hello but will have to suffice here)
Kelley and Anna
