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December 5, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Staunch Muslims, Tibetans at heart MC chief elected uncontested Cong seeks special
assembly session Panchayats to get 1 lakh for electing officials HP doctors to begin stir
from Dec 11 |
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Bank staff want transfers stopped Ban gutka, tobacco, say dentists Check soil erosion in Chamba: NGO Missing girl
case: police team for Pathankot Cong chief alleges misuse of govt machinery 
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Staunch Muslims, Tibetans at heart DHARAMSALA: Mr Yusaf Naik, an official of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, is no different from his colleagues. He speaks fluent Tibetan, follows Tibetan customs, has complete faith in the leadership of the Dalai Lama and prays for the freedom of Tibet, but strangely enough he offers namaz, like any other Muslim, despite being a Tibetan. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of his community is that while staunchly Islamic in their faith, the Kache, as the Tibetan Muslims are called, are thoroughly Tibetan in every other aspect. In a predominantly Buddhist nation like Tibet, they were able to preserve their identity and at the same time absorb Tibetan social and cultural customs. It all started in the 12th century when a hardy band of 25 Kashmiri traders from Kashmir crossed over to Nepal and headed north to Tibet. They settled in different towns of Tibet like Lhasa, Shigaste and Tsetang, and married Tibetan women. Centuries later, the expanded Tibetan community approached the fifth Dalai Lama for a place for a mosque and a burial ground. It is said that the fifth Dalai Lama shot an arrow and decreed that the place where it fell could be owned by the Muslim community. The place came to be known as Gyangda Linka, the Park of the Distant Arrow. Most Tibetan Muslims were traders, doing brisk business by bringing consumer goods from Calcutta and off-loading Tibetan wool in Kalimpong. In Tibet, they had shops selling consumer goods as well as specialising in the making of traditional Tibetan clothes and hats. The major items of trade were saffron, Indian silk and brocade from Kashmir and musk, gold dust and medicinal herbs from Tibet. The Tibetan Muslims are Sunnis. It was common for a Kashmiri to marry a Tibetan girl, who had then to become a Muslim. In Tibet, they were considered Indian citizens, thus having the status of foreigners. In the case of a mixed marriage, the son was considered an Indian and a daughter a Tibetan. While being pious Muslims, the community was well-integrated with the main Tibetan society and considered Tibet and anything Tibetan to be their own. They made up for their small size by the diversity and richness of their contribution to the development of Tibetan culture. From setting the trend in fashion in the high society of Lhasa to music, poetry, literature and business, the Tibetan Muslims’ impact on the social and cultural life to Tibet was refreshing, tangible and invigorating. As in the case of all other Tibetans, the Chinese occupation of Tibet affected the Tibetan Muslims. Rather than living under Chinese occupation, they opted for India, claiming Indian citizenship on the basis of their Kashmiri ancestry. They approached the Indian Consulate in Lhasa in 1960, returning to Srinagar, the land from where their ancestors went to Tibet nearly seven centuries ago. Recalling the nostalgic moments spent with his family, back in Tibet, Mr Yusuf Naik, Joint Secretary in the Department of Health in the Tibetan Government, says: “For Tibetan Muslims, Id and Losar (Tibetan New Year) held equal significance, as we celebrated the festivals with the Tibetans”. He goes on to add that though all Tibetan Muslims are Indian citizens today, they still cling to the memories of old Tibet, which gave them so much in terms of prosperity and tolerance. Mr Yusuf Naik says the administration of the Tibetan Muslim community is carried out by the Punch Committee, elected by the community members and approved by the Tibetan Government. The word “Punch” has its origin in the Urdu and Persian languages. It is translated as “five”, referring to the number of members on the panel. This committee incorporated resolutions based on the Islamic laws of conduct in its quest to preserve the Tibetan Muslim community’s cultural heritage. “My father, Abdul Ghani, was a member of the Punch Committee, which had the power to punish anybody found guilty of violating the laws of Islam, Shariat”, says Mr Naik. It was after the holy month of Ramzan in 1959 that the Chinese began their tactics of colonisation. “My father, along with other Punch Committee members, was detained by the Chinese Government. We were all surprised by the extreme steps being taken by the Chinese, who arrested one of my relatives, Haji Habilluah, on a baseless charge of instigating the Tibetan Muslims to move to India”. Despite 17 long years of imprisonment, Abdul Ghani refused to change his statements. He was kept in Drapchi prison, where Tibetan Government officials were detained. By the time he was released from prison, he was touching 70 and suffering from serious ailments, which soon claimed his life. Today, a large number of Tibetan Muslims are living in Srinagar, the place of their forefathers. More than 1,000 of them are living in Srinagar, while 700 are living in Kalimpong, near Darjeeling. A few families have settled in Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Tibetan Government-in-exile, on its part, has been trying to extend all possible help to the Tibetan Muslims. In 1993, it offered three posts of Under-Secretary to the Tibetan Muslims. “Being in exile ourselves, there is little that we can do for the Tibetan Muslims, but the Indian Government has come to their rescue”, says Mr Tashi Wangdi, Minister for Religion and Culture in the Tibetan Government. “Though they have come to India on the basis of their Indian citizenship, for all other purposes they continue to be a part of us as similar circumstances compelled all of us to leave our homeland”, says Mr Tashi Wangdi. The Dalai Lama has spoken to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, about the problems being faced by the Tibetan Muslims in Srinagar. He has also visited them on a number of occasions. Mr Wangdi says several proposals for the welfare of the Tibetan Muslims in Srinagar have been framed by his government. Even today, the Tibetan Muslims continued to remain a distinct community retaining their Tibetan identity. It is not uncommon to find a number of Tibetan women who have converted to Islam after their marriage. In Tibet, there were schools where both Urdu and Tibetan were taught and Quran was studied With a number of marriages and social interaction with the local residents in Srinagar, a lot of Kashmiri culture is being imbibed by Tibetan Muslims. |
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MC chief
elected uncontested KANGRA, Dec 4 — Ms Urmil Sharma, sitting president of the municipal committee (MC), was today declared elected uncontested from ward No. 7 following the withdrawal by another candidate. Two brothers Mr Bal Krishan, sitting vice-president (MC), and Mr Ved Prakash are directly contesting from ward No. 9. Five candidates are in the fray from ward No. 6. KULU: Thirtyseven candidates remained in the fray for the municipal council elections here with the withdrawal by 22 candidates on Monday. The elections will take place on December 20. Five wards have been reserved for women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates. BILASPUR: The local BJP has declared its official candidates for the
Nagar parishad wards and has said out of 11 wards, only candidate for ward No. four remains undecided. Both district unit and Bilaspur Sadar unit of the District Congress Committee has also announced the names of their candidates for some of the wards. |
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Cong seeks special
assembly session SHIMLA, Dec 4 — The Leader of the Opposition and a former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, has urged the Governor, Mr Suraj Bhan, to convene a special session of the assembly and ask the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, to prove his majority on the floor of the House to resolve the current political crisis in the ruling BJP. In a letter to Mr Bhan today, Mr Virbhadra Singh, who is also leader of the Congress Legislature Party, has said that although the winter session of the assembly is due to begin on December 21, “we cannot wait till then for the crisis to be resolved.” He has said that three ministers and an equal number of BJP legislators have withdrawn support to Mr Dhumal and have also levelled serious charges of corruption against the government. These ministers and legislators recently met the Governor and reportedly appraised him of the crisis. Mr Virbhadra Singh has said that although the letter withdrawing support to Mr Dhumal was addressed to the Chief Minister and the state BJP chief, it is no longer a party matter. The prolonged stalemate has created a constitutional crisis in the state as the government headed by Mr Dhumal has been reduced to a minority. As a result of this, the functioning of the government has come to a standstill at all levels Meanwhile, the secretariat wore a deserted look for the ninth day today as there was hardly any minister in office. Only the Chief Minister, two ministers and a parliamentary secretary out of the total number of 24 were present in the secretariat. |
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Panchayats to get 1 lakh for electing officials MANDI, Dec 4 — Three panchayats in the district have become eligible for Rs 1 lakh prize each by returning their all office-bearers unanimously. The government had announced a prize of Rs 1 lakh to the panchayats who would elect their representatives unopposed. Vashogal panchayat of Gohar sub-division returned all the following office-bearers unanimously: president — Ms Parbati Devi; vice-presidents — Mr Jagat Ram and Mr Bhairon Ram; Mr Dhan Dev, Ms Indira Devi and Ms Sindra Devi as ward members. Similarly Kelodhar panchayat of Karsog sub-division has returned the following office-bearers unanimously: president Ms Vidya Devi; vice-president Mr Om Prakash and Ms Veena Devi, Mr Padam Nabh, Ms Lila Devi, Mr Dhiru Mal and Dhani Ram as ward members. Yet another gram panchayat Shilnu of Gohar Block has also returned all its office-bearers unopposed as under: president — Mr Ajai Thakur, vice-president Tapender Kumar and Ram Lal, Tek Chand, Purnu Devi, Rattni Devi and Parsu Ram as ward members. |
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HP doctors to begin stir
from Dec 11 KANGRA, Dec 4 — The Himachal Pradesh medical officers will go on a two-hour pen-down strike from December 11 indefinitely in protest against the alleged callous attitude of the state government towards their demands. Dr Susheel Sharma, spokesman of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association, said here today that the government had agreed to accept most of the demands of the doctors but it backed out of its promise. Medical Officers demand that the anomalies in the recently released pay scales be removed. They also demand 10 per cent house rent allowance or rent free accommodation for doctors. Besides, their duty hours should be defined. Dr Sharma criticised the government decision to close the office of the Zonal Director, Health Services, at Dharamsala recently. |
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Bank staff
want transfers stopped CHAMBA, Dec 4 — The Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank Employees Union has flayed the management of the Cooperative Bank for flouting the election code of conduct enforced by the government in view of the ongoing panchayat and municipal elections, by retransferring a Bank Manager from Shimla to Chamba on November 24. In a joint press statement issued here yesterday Mr S.C. Sharma, State Vice-President and Mr Ram Lal Sharma, District Secretary of the union said bank employees were up in arms over the transfer of the bank Manager against whom a case of defrauding residents of Lilh and Bassu Cooperative Societies of the district to the tune of Rs 16.66 lakh had already been registered by the State Vigilance Department last year and the investigations were under progress. Both union leaders have requested the government and the Vigilance Department to direct the management of the bank to put a stop on such transfers and postings in the light of election code of conduct imposed from November 16 to December 22. They also demanded to expedite an investigation of a fraud case registered by the Vigilance Department against the bank manager who had recently been transferred. |
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Ban gutka, tobacco, say dentists SHIMLA, Dec 4 — Dental surgeons have called for a total ban on gutka and chewing tobacco which are alarmingly increasing the incidence of oral cancer, particularly among the youth in the country. The issue was discussed in the annual conference of the Indian Dental Association which concluded here today. The Chairman of the Dental Council of India, Dr R.K. Bali, was present in these deliberations. The dental surgeons discussed the national scenario of oral diseases and demanded that the central government should carry out a survey in all states and prepare a national oral health policy. The data collected in the survey will help in the prevention of oral diseases. This could also find place in the data bank of the World Health Organisation. Professors in community dentistry from various parts of the country participated in the four-day deliberations and expressed concern over the growing incidence of oral diseases. Dr H.L. Kapoor, Head of the Regional Cancer Centre, here, said that above 7 lakh new cancer cases are detected every year. He said 50 per cent cases of cancer in men and about 25 per cent in women were due to tobacco. He said that the studies of the World Health Organisation indicate that 91 per cent cancers in the country were caused due to eating tobacco. However, he said the incidence was lesser in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh. Many participants said that the anti-tobacco campaigns have failed to yield the desired results and new brands of chewing tobacco and gutka were coming in the market. |
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Check soil
erosion in Chamba: NGO CHAMBA, Dec 4 — The Chamba Welfare Association, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has sought early action from various government agencies to save this ancient hill town from erosion, degradation and destruction. The association, in a memorandum submitted to the State Public Works Department (PWD) authorities, has expressed concern that owing to demolition of two bridges across the Ravi near Sheetla Mandir, all vehicular traffic to and from Chamba town to all other places is now being routed through a unmetalled long road above Chamba town, causing hardship and inconvenience to daily commuters and tourists besides polluting the town. Besides, the Shah Madar hillock, where deep cutting over the hill slopes has been done for widening the link road, is to fragile to withstand heavy flow of traffic and is highly prone to erosion and landslides, the association has claimed. The association has further stated that the deep cuttings of the culverts below ancient temples of Goddesses Bajreshwari Suhi and Chamunda also pose a grave threat to the existence of these centuries’ old shrines. The association has requested the PWD authorities to speed up the construction of the concrete bridge over the Ravi and the breast walls for preventing erosion of loose soil on the Shahmadar hillock, Suhi-ka-Marh and Chamunda hillock, particularly on the ‘U’ curbs below the ancient monuments, and the tarring the unmetalled roads from the T.B. Hospital to Julahakadi township. |
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Missing girl
case: police team for Pathankot MANDI, Dec 4 — The police claimed this evening to have solved the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a girl from Salanu village of Gohar subdivision. Mr Vinod Dhawan, ASP, said a police party had been sent to Pathankot to recover the girl. In a letter to her father, she had confessed having married a man at Pathankot with the help of Joginder. The police had arrested Joginder and taken him to Pathankot. Mr Dhawan said her father had got the girl married to an aged person who was living with them. On September 30, her father had lodged a report in Balichowki police station, saying that his daughter was missing. |
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Cong chief
alleges misuse of govt machinery NURPUR, Dec 4 — Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Sat Mahajan has taken a strong exception to the allotment of flower (rose) as election symbol to the candidates of Block Samitis in the state. He said he had received a large number of complaints that this symbol had got printed on the top of the ballot paper. He alleged that owing to flower (lotus) as BJP’s party symbol, this symbol had been given in Panchayati Raj Institution’s poll to confuse rural electorate. Talking to mediapersons here yesterday evening Mr Mahajan alleged that the BJP supporters had been misusing official machinery and violating the model code of conduct in the panchayat polls. |
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remanded in police custody UNA, Dec 4 — The Judicial Magistrate of
Amb yesterday remanded Deputy Ranger Kali Dass, Forest Guard Ram,
Swaroop, watchman Gagon Singh and Superintendent of the Gagret Block
Samiti B.K. Sharma in police custody up to December 5. They were
arrested by the Gagret police in connection with the sale of shisham
and tuni trees without seeking permission from the Forest Department.
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Lalji is Secretary
to Governor SHIMLA, Dec 4 — Mr Lalji Singh today joined as the new Secretary to the Governor. He replaces Mr Jiwanand Jiwan, who retired recently. |
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