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VISION OF A DEMOCRATIC TIBET
Economics of peace |
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Profile On Record
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VISION OF A DEMOCRATIC TIBET He has had a calming influence on his followers and the ever-increasing band of converts to Tibetan Buddhism. The septuagenarian Lama is at ease with his celebrity followers, including stars like Richard Gere and Pierce Brosnan, and in the presence of lesser mortals. His enviable fan following in Hollywood include Harrison Ford, Goldie Hawn, Melissa Mathison, Barbara Streisand, Todd Oldham, Steven Seagal, Oliver Stone, Sharon Stone and Meg Ryan. Some of them including Gere extend financial support to many projects for the exiled Tibetans and for improving the living conditions in Tibetan settlements spread across India and Nepal. However, while he finds easy acceptance as a spiritual leader, the political hat that he wears makes people uncomfortable. The heads of state and governments all over the world have received him warmly, indicating tacit support for his cause.
But they have stopped short of recognising the Tibetan government-in-exile headed by the benign Dalai Lama. Accordingly, he has publicly stated his willingness to accept an ‘autonomous’ Tibet within China. But Beijing remains suspicious of the Dalai Lama and blames him for pro-freedom and democracy demonstrations held in Tibet in 2008 and ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. Even nine rounds of discussions between emissaries of the Dalai Lama and Chinese representatives have not been able to break the ice. It was as a young 24-year-old spiritual and temporal leader, driven out of his homeland that he arrived in Dharamsala along with his close family, associates and thousands of Tibetans who chose to leave the Chinese occupied Tibet. Ever since he has been residing at Mcleodganj in a house named Heavenly Abode which is very modest compared to the imposing Potala Palace where he lived while in Lhasa. Most of the time he is travelling abroad but when he is home, he spends maximum time meditating. His childhood fascination for gadgets and technology still remains intact. His close associates say he would often relax by repairing watches or clocks and he too has admitted that had he not become a monk, he would have become an engineer. Even as a young boy in Lhasa, he was able to fix an old movie projector on which he enjoyed watching movies with his tutor. The Dalai Lama’s gregarious laughter has often been described as his most effective weapon. Despite the suffering and struggle he has faced, he is always seen smiling and is serene with a child like innocence on his face. It is the promotion of basic human qualities of goodness, compassion, sacrifice and non-violence that had the world sit up and listen to the maroon robed “Living Buddha.” A measure of his popularity was the success of his book Art of Happiness which sold more than a million copies and remained on the list of bestsellers for several weeks. It was after he was conferred with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 that the Dalai Lama emerged on the global scene in a bigger and forceful way. He even faced criticism from his own people, especially the youth, when he advocated the middle way approach, seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet rather than complete independence. The National Democratic Party of Tibet, the first political party of Tibetans and the Tibetan Youth Congress even dared to defy his stand as they said they would not settle for anything less than complete freedom. Not willing to give up despite most of his initiatives to resolve the issue of Tibet with China failing to yield desired results, he relentlessly continued to raise the issue on the world stage. His present move too is viewed by many as an attempt to step back and build up a democratic power base where the Tibetan Prime Minister would have greater acceptability to the Chinese, a move designed to open up yet another channel for dialogue with Beijing. There is a feeling that without the tag of the “political” head, it would be easier for many countries to welcome him purely as a spiritual leader without the fear of upsetting their diplomatic relations with China. The issue of the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lama and his successor still remains to be addressed even as the Chinese would want a replacement of their own choice. China has been raking up the issue of succession time and again by reiterating that the next Dalai Lama must be reincarnated as per tradition and not chosen by the 14th Dalai Lama. As such the fear of China taking full advantage
of the vacuum created by his death would be weighing heavy on his mind. The timing of his retirement from politics too comes at a crucial juncture when the exiled Tibetans are preparing to choose a new Prime Minister who would step into the shoes of Samdhong Rinpoche. The Dalai Lama has written three dozen books, including his autobiography. Many movies including Seven Years in Tibet and Kunzun have definitely helped attract attention towards the Tibetan cause.
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Economics of peace
There
is no way to peace, peace is the way”. When Mahatma Gandhi advocated this, little did he know that some day India will score a low 128th rank out of 149 in the 2010 Global Peace Index (GPI) ranking released recently. Produced by the Institute for Economic and Peace, the index ranks 149 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe according to their internal and external peacefulness, using 23 indicators. India’s ranking stands at 19 out of 25 countries in the region. In the midst of global economic collapse, dwindling economic resources, widening financial inequalities, expanding income gaps, accelerating climate change, the ever lasting policy questions related to global stability, security and peace have resurfaced in new light. Emerging economies like India should be more concerned about these questions since the exposure of these economies to global world through the process of globalisation has increased their vulnerability at a premature stage of development. Institutional, social and political globalisation has not been able to keep pace with economic globalisation. India has reached the stage of High Mass Consumption in terms of Rostow’s stages of development but failed to convert it into High Consumption by Masses stage. Hence, post- economic reforms of 90s, whereas the annual growth rate GDP at current prices of India has increased from US$ 317.5 billion in 1990 to US$ 1.31 trillion in 2009, the inequality as measured by Ginni’s coefficient has also increased multifold to 0.37, suggesting a highly skewed distribution of wealth. This inequality has fuelled internal and external conflicts and social unrest of many forms and has set in pace a realignment of social relations. The groups with lesser share of cake are trying to assert their identity in newer forms, thereby diverting the focus from their economic status in society. Many of these newer forms are not only retrogressive in nature but pose a great threat to social stability. The emergence of khap panchayats and their reassertion on following the illogical medieval traditions in the name of culture; a powerful Naxalite movement backed by local population who feels ‘left out’ in the growth story of the country; growing voices to demand reservations for their castes; an increased focus on caste, community and regional identities; new demands for separate states; honour crimes are vivid examples of unhealthy tendencies in the country. Experts are unanimous in their prediction of various types of resource wars such as water wars in the near future. The past decade judged a person’s worth more from his pay package rather than his contribution to society. A person’s social significance is identified with the number of flats he owns rather than his role in nation building. People started jumping this blind fray willingly or unwillingly just to maintain their worth on this fragile social foundation. The education system and the politico-administrative system have been reoriented towards achieving this goal. Corruption of various forms became an accepted norm. We became unmindful of the fact that the human mind, if left unleashed without any moral or social control, is capable of finding justifications for all anti-social or immoral acts it may chose to indulge in. Terrorism, financial scams, crime especially white collar ones, tax evasion, black money, bribery, participation in mindless mob behaviour, irresponsible corporate behaviour as in the case of Bhopal Gas tragedy etc. are some of the manifestations of unreigned and unregulated human minds. An increase in mental disorders of varying degrees also indicates a mismatch between the personal-societal value system and a system which promotes peace, harmony and a healthy functional behavior in human minds. The impact of these unhealthy trends on productivity and efficiency of human resource should not be ignored by a sensible economist. Therefore, the understanding of various issues concerning the inter-relationship of economics and peace has assumed a new significance in India. The agenda for research in this area is very wide and has to address economics of peace at various levels — be it at an individualistic micro level or at the societal, national and international macro level. Peace economics embraces all aspects of the economics of defence in terms of the cost benefit analysis and opportunity cost of defence; the peace dividend and its various forms; disarmament and its economic impacts especially in terms of international trade; industrial relations, management of human resources and its optimal utilisation; socially responsible commercial practices, etc. Examples include the study of alliances and burden-sharing; military spending in developed and developing nations; arms races; terrorism/extremism, its economic causes and effects; the impact of disarmament on employment and unemployment; the prospects for conversion and the role of public policy in assisting the transition; the costs and benefits of arms control regimes; the arms trade; economic sanctions and the role of the United Nations; the economics of distribution of resources etc. Further topics can be grouped around efficiency issues including human resource productivity, peace budgeting, the military production function, procurement policies, defence industries, military manpower, internal markets in the armed forces and public choice issues, evaluation of optimum level of personal wealth creation and related various trade-offs. In the midst of global economic collapse, India should seek wiser systems of commerce and more equitable economic relationships. While it is imperative to understand the history of India’s economic structures to know as to what went wrong, it is equally important to explore the possibility of collaborative commercial practices such as cooperative businesses, complementary currencies, green business, green jobs, slow money, slow food, living wage initiatives, social finance, credit unions, BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) etc. The challenge is to evolve an equitable participatory economic model involving individuals, businesses and organisations to channelise their energies and efforts to infuse fresh life into our failing social, economic and personal
spaces. The writer is Additional Integrated Financial Adviser, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India
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Profile Chandrashekhar was born in Shimla where his father, Rao Sahib (a title given by Britishers) was in government service during the British Raj. Chandru Anna, as Chandra-shekhar is known, was part of eight siblings — two sisters and six brothers. As he was number seven, Chandra Anna was considered lucky. His early years were spent in Shimla and Delhi. There were no dancers in Chandrashekhar’s family though like in most South Indian families, Carnatic music was learnt and appreciated. His father was not happy with Delhi culture and wrote to his friend, Madurai Subramanya Iyer regarding his lucky seventh son, imbibing the arts properly. Iyer post haste recommended Kalakshetra in Madras. Thus, Chandru Anna found himself at Kalakshetra in 1945 where he stayed for nine years till 1954. In the first year, he only learnt music. It was in 1946 that his dance training began. When his father retired in 1947, four months before Independence, the family shifted to Coimbatore. Along with dance, Chandru Anna went through normal education, finished his high school in 1950, and B.Sc in 1954, simultaneously pursuing dance at Kalakshetra. He then did his M.Sc during which period he had two significant opportunities — he stood first in the Inter-College competition in New Delhi in 1954; and then visited China as part of a culture troupe. After M.Sc, Chandru Anna did not know what to do next. While on a vacation in Coimbatore, Rukamini Devi offered him a job (which was his first) for three months. That sounded prestigious, to dance and travel with India’s premier dance school. He has been quoted as saying, “I wanted to teach. Born in hills, when I saw an advertisement for a teacher’s post at Manav Bharti, Mussoorie, teaching Biology, English and dance, I jumped at it. I was there for a year. After that I got a chance to do my Ph. D in Botany. This delighted me but I had to leave midway”. In 1962, he married Jaya, who had learnt dance from Birju Maharaj at the Sangeet Bharti in Delhi. From 1962 to 1979, the couple lived in Varanasi —a long innings indeed. The university job was secure and gave the couple enough time to travel and dance. Their first child, Chitra, was born in 1963 in Delhi and Manjari in 1967 in Varanasi. Both daughters were educated in the holy town. And both learnt Bharatnatyam. In 1980, chance led Chandrashekhar to apply and get the post of Head, Department of Dance, Baroda University, where the legendary Mohan Khokar, also an alumnus of Kalakshetra, had first stepped in 1950. He was taken by the Ministry of Education in Delhi and appointed at the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Candru Anna stayed back till 1992. His retirement was due in 1995 but he left earlier as he wanted to devote time for travel, dancing and teaching. His advice to young dancers is: “eat less, eat healthy; practice religiously every day; and feel young even as you advance in age as dancers…” His counsel to upcoming students and teachers abroad is: continue to be a student all your life, not just increase in repertoire but understand the dance in depth by frequently visiting your own teacher and watch other performances which will assist in your teaching and keep you inspired. About being honoured with the Padma Bhushan, Chandru Anna says it is a wonderful feeling to get recognised by the Government of India. He dedicated this award first to his parents and then to his guru and mentor Rukmini Devi who has been his
inspiration.
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On Record The Rabha tribe now has a role model in Sukracharjya Rabha (34) who has carved a niche for himself in theatre through his unique experiment with plays based on Rabha folk traditions to the global stage. Sukracharjya’s unusual theatre group Badungduppa, established in Rampur in Goalpara district of Western Assam in 1998, is gaining popularity as a new type of theatre in India and abroad. He bagged the Sangeet Natak Academy’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2009 and the Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Kiron Puraskar 2010. He speaks to The Tribune about his innovative theatre. Excerpts: Q: What does Badungduppa mean? A: It refers to a traditional musical instrument made of bamboo and leather strings. Its music, the Rabha tribe believe, stirs one’s soul and drives out evil from the human heart. My theatre group is named after it for two reasons: first, we base our plays mainly on folklore; and secondly to popularise a wonderful but forgotten folk musical instrument of the Rabha tribe. Q: Why are you attached to your native place even while pursuing your profession in the world of theatre art? A: Culturally, we are a rich nation and the North-East is a treasure trove of ethnic cultures and tradition that have remained unknown outside. We should have a stage in every village to explore and develop the traditional culture so that the world knows us better. I decided to stay put in Rampur with my community people so that we can use it as a springboard for propagating our rich folk tradition through plays. Badungduppa is our spring board. We have an open air theatre in a natural setting at Rampur where we practise regularly. We have hostels for artistes (boys and girls) and a dormitory. Q: Who has been the greatest influence in your journey? A: I was attracted to acting, drama since my childhood. I used to enjoy those ‘yatra type’ plays staged in our area. We tried to reenact those plays inside bamboo grooves in the village. These sessions gave us courage to organise stage plays in ‘Bihu’ functions in villages. At a Assam Government workshop at Kalakshetra in Guwahati in 2003, H. Kanhailal was impressed about my works and theatre group and invited me to Manipur Kalakshetra to see the production process. And thus started our guru-shishya relationship. Q: How fruitful has your journey been? A: Our unconventional way of staging plays based on folktales have now been accepted by people within and outside the state. We have participated in national and international drama festivals. We have so far staged over a dozen plays. Tikhar, Changkoy, Rupalim, Maider aru Fandi, Lovita, Madaiah muchi and To’paidom are some of our best known productions. Q: What is the highpoint in your journey so far? A: Theatre Embassy, The Netherlands, has become our partner in various projects sponsored by them. In 2008, the Badungduppa started working with the project The Power of Puppetry started by Evelien Pullens, who was sent by Theatre Embassy. In the project, young actors were trained in puppetry and visual theatre. This project ended in January 2009 with the presentation of Bijuli which toured Assam and Karnataka. Currently, Daina Martinez from Bolivia is working with us. Our annual theatre festival, Under the Sal Tree, based on a folk theme, has gained popularity. Plays in different tribal languages of the North-East are staged during the festivals participated by artistes from differest states. Our basic idea is to reach out to the people through drama, use the medium as a tool for social change and education with an objective to purge society of social evils like caste system and
witch-hunting.
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Arguably
His singular achievement has been to lead his flock in exile and sustain a movement from an alien land. He kept hope alive for the lakhs of Tibetan refugees settled across the world, who believe they can one day return to a “Free Tibet.” He is pragmatic enough to realise that China, an emerging super power, is unlikely to give up its claims to Tibet as an ‘integral part’.
Right decision
A visionary step
He shouldn’t retire
The only leader
The Dalai Lama's move comes in part in response to criticism from China that rule by a reincarnated monk was anachronistic. Beijing calls him a “splittist,” secretly seeking to separate Tibet from China, and years of talks with his representatives have gone nowhere. Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part of China and says that Chinese troops, who entered Tibet in 1949, were liberating it from feudal rule.
The Dalai Lama’s heart is in Tibet. His dream is to see the Tibetan refugees return home one day. Despite the Dalai Lama’s exit from political activities, I am not very hopeful of the Tibet issue getting resolved in the near future. 
IN the cultural tapestry of the North-East India, every major tribe has its own characteristic culture, tradition and tribal way of life by virtue of which it occupies a distinct space in the region’s colourful ethnic canvas. Rabha is one such dominant tribe which zealously sticks to its ethos while it believes in peaceful co-existence with all other communities.