Life in little Lhasa
By Manpreet Singh

FOR nearly 15,000 Tibetan refugees in McLeodganj, life means living with ‘mad hope’ for freedom. Forty years is a long wait. They settled in this then ‘Ghost Town’ in 1959.

In four decades, Lobsang Nomdrul has turned into a snow-haired bachelor with a stoop at the age of 71. He had fled from Tibet like thousands of other Tibetans who followed their spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to India, after an uprising in Lhasa.

"I kept thinking that I would return to my homeland and marry, but life slipped away. Dalai Lama is trying but China doesn’t leave. I hope in this life I would be able to return to Tibet," says Nomdrul, his voice cracked with emotion.

Nomdrul is spending the twilight years of life in Jampaling Elders Home, run by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. He is not alone; as many as 150 men and women, over 60years, live in this old-age home. And everyone has a story to tell — the same long tale of naive hopes and real frustrations. Unflinching hope of seeing a free Tibet is the only thought that keeps them going.

If you want to be a witness to the history of a most docile people in the world struggling non-violently for the liberation of their homeland visit McLeodganj. The ceaseless candle-light processions, led by hundreds of monks and nuns, are enthusiastically joined by hordes of foreign tourists for whom such events make welcome festive evenings.

In this small, hilly Himachal Pradesh town, spiritual Buddhist music floats across the main market to be punctuated only by the metallic beats of western music. The lifestyles of the Tibetans are varied, from poor Tibetans living in unhygienic roadsides, cramped houses to computer-savuvy monks in branded shoes, munching snacks.

"Many monks have donors and sponsors in the USA, England, Germany and other European countries. They come regularly to change foreign currency, and live luxurious lives," says Sanjeev Sharma, manager of a foreign exchange outlet.

Foreigners flock to see Tibetan culture and the Dalai Lama, who got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. McLeodganj is seen as the home of the "Tibetans, a people viewed as gentle innocents crushed by a cynical world." No wonder, the place is called the "Little Lhasa in India."

Tibetans have lived peacefully and worked their way to prosperity in a foreign land. Some are richer than many of the locals and have adjusted to the different culture, language and climate.

Thubten Samphel, Secretary, Department of Information and International Relations, Tibet’s Government-in-Exile, sums up the achievements of the community thus: "We have been able to build a cohesive community. Tibet was a secluded country — we were backward material and stepped from a medieval environment into the India context which was a modern world for us. Without losing our identity, we have been able to educate our younger generation who are as much enthused as the first generation was; it is not confused or disoriented."

Those born in India who have heard of Tibet as their ancestral homeland may not feel the same sense of attachment as their elders, but they are committed to the Tibet’s cause. Although they are living comfortably in India, the vacuum remains, "When you don’t have your own country, something is missing. We must go back," says Tibetan Youth Congress’s Vice-President, Karma Yeshi.

Like Indian youth, Tibetan youth has not been able to escape western influences. The backpackers from the world over throng here. Lately, their number has increased manifold, and as a consequence the drug trade has flourished. Smoke of charas and marijuana mixes abundantly in Bhagsu and Dharakot, joints popular with the backpackers, who stay put for months together in these villages around McLeodganj. Israelis seem to have taken a special liking and flock here in large numbers. A young Canadian tourist ironically comments: "There are no Israelis left in Israel."

Thubetan Samphel explains the both good and bad impact of the increasing presence of foreigners: "McLeodganj lives and thrives on tourism. Foreigners come in contact with Tibetans who tell them the story of Tibet. This increases the international understanding of the Tibetan issue. The disadvantages are that the young Tibetans are enamoured by the bad habits of backpackers who use drugs. They feel everything western is good and are unable to realise its harmful effects."

You can see a number of young Tibetans hunting around restaurants and streets, seeking foreign sponsors and pleading with them for monetary help. Dawa Tsering, Welfare Officer with the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, says those who are trying to extract money from foreigners are fooling them as the government provides all possible support to the young refugees who keep pouring in to McLeodganj.

"There are a couple of drunkards and drug addicts who keep asking for money. We have tried to help them but they are not satisfied, want more money. The fact is they don’t want to work," says an angry Dawa Tsering.

Karma Yeshi, a member of the Tibetan Youth Congress, says: "There are some people who haunt restaurants, tea shops and markets, begging for money by exploiting their refugee status. They are spoiling Tibet’s cause. One has to work for one’s livelihood."

But 27-year-old Lobsang Dhodup, who escaped to India after a harsh trek from Tibet 10 years ago, has his own reasons to seek sponsors. "It’s shameful — asking people to give away money they have earned by the sweat of their brow. I am helpless. I want to study and I have no family and friends who can help me. I have to seek help. I tell foreigners my problems and seek support."

For most Tibetans, supporting themselves is their immediate concern. They run all kinds of business — restaurants, handicrafts, garments, groceries and cybercafes. The day begins early, with women performing the domestic chores in the open — filling water from the public taps— and children brushing teeth near open drains adjacent to their shabby dwellings.

In the evening while the elderly lot perform parikarma of the main Buddhist Temple, the young Tibetan boys and girls, clad in their fashionable western best, sway to metallic beats at disco parties.

Caught between the distant dream of Tibet’s freedom and the need to fulfil daily human requirements, life moves on....