Bangalore, India
Namaskar y'all. As you can see I've fallen extremely behind in blogging and I apologize for not keeping my blog updated. Currently, I'm backpacking through Southern India visiting Tibetan Settlements and exploring India's biggest cities. My trip started two weeks ago in Chennai and I am now heading West to explore Bangalore, Mysore, Goa and the Tibetan settlements of Byalkuppe, Mundgod, Kollegal and Hunsor. After my adventures South I'm heading north to stay in Mumbai and then heading back to Dharamsala and Sarah College to spend Tibetan New Year(Losar) with my friends. Hope your all doing well and please check back on my blog in late February.
Best,
Tashi
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Where We Left Off
Yes. After a month and a half hiatus I’m back to blogging about my experiences here in India. I’ve been MIA for three reasons. First, the month of September was crazy with a combination of Tibetan Parliament being in session, a week-long teaching by the Dalai Lama and the completion of my internship by the end of the month. Second, I started off October with a trip to Dehra Dun, the capital of Uttarakand, to visit my cousin Tenzin. Third, I moved out of my flat in McLeod Gunj to the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, also known as Sarah College. Between traveling, moving out, moving in and adjusting to a new class schedule and food I haven’t had a chance for a breather and soak it all in. Apologies to all for the hiatus in my blogging experiences, my stomachs settled and I'm ready to share.
I won't bore you with the details of all my travels but will give you the gist. I’ll start though with a short story about my final week living in McLeod Gunj: On my last Sunday in McLeod I decided to go for a run up to the Tibetan Children’s Village or Upper TCV. It’s about a 5 km run up the hill to get there and I wanted to get in a good workout before I spent a whole week on the road traveling around Uttarakand the following week. As I ran up to Upper TCV I saw the familiar sights that I've come to love here in Dharamsala, young Tibetan kids running around, teens playing basketball, girls playing jump rope, old people making their rounds and of course Football. I watched the local football teams practice and played some pick-up. After about an hour there I started back towards McLeod Gunj walking through the school campus. While passing by one of the student houses, I saw a group of Tibetan kids, probably no more than 5 years old holding American flags. They were all dressed up in their TCV uniforms, which was odd on Sunday, their holiday. I asked the young boy in Tibetan “what are you all dressed up for?” as my curiosity got the best of me. Smiling widely back to me and waving his American flag in my face he replied “Obama is coming!”
As the boy ran off with his friends I stood up in disbelief. 'Yeah right' I thought. No sitting president of the US would visit the Tibetan refugee settlement in Dharamsala. Let alone be caught visiting the Dalai Lama in his headquarters in India. I then asked another group of kids in their uniforms who looked around 10 years old I asked them again “whose coming today” The boy told me, (translated from Tibetan to English) "the person who writes Obama's speeches." I laughed again and thought of possible people. I knew Timothy Roemer was the new ambassador to India and was recently appointed by Obama so I figured it might be him. Nevertheless, I was really confused as to what was going on.
Finally, I saw a group of teenage boys walking along, they were all carrying various instruments, drums, trumpets, flutes and were all lazily dragging their American flags alongside them. “Hey, whose coming?” I asked the group. The teen in the lead responded, “Obama’s secretary is coming, I don’t know who, but we have to go sing the national anthem for them” he seriously looked depressed, like his Sunday off hanging out and playing soccer was wasted because of some Washington big-wig was in town. As they moped off I followed them to the basketball court where I had been just an hour earlier. The scenery had completely changed, there were a dozen white Jeeps in the courtyard, all bearing the Tibetan Government license plates, TCV students were all over the place in line formations, while some held instruments. I saw a huge press core of Indian media, and TCV teachers and staff mulling about. At the center of it all I noticed half a dozen armed plainclothes Indian police mixed with Tibetan Frontier Force bodyguards. At the center of the center were 4 Americans.
I approached the Indian press core and asked the friendliest looking lady what was going on. “Hey, whose here from the States?” I asked. Smiling, she replied, “That’s a good question, I honestly can’t tell you, we were just told that an Obama representative was here, they’ve kept us at a distance and were not allowed interviews,” she explained how her boss at the Times of India had told her to come and cover it as news leaked of some “Obama Cabinet Secretary” coming to Dharamsala. Thinking back to the last time I checked the news, which was a few days earlier, I remembered that Clinton was in Pakistan meeting with government officials there. I'd missed Senator Clinton when she came to my college campus campaigning last year in Tacoma, and thought how ironic it would be seeing Secretary Clinton her here on this little hill station in Northern India. The Indian reporter asked if I was American, which I replied "more or less." She then recommended I ask my fellow 'countrymen' who was here.
I approached the group, bypassing right by the Indian and Tibetan security guards to see a short tubby lady talking to a tall Indian guy. One thing I've learned here in India, people won't give you a hard time if you look like you know where your going. An older lady along with two other Americans, who looked like her aides were standing there, next to him was a guy who looked he could be a linebackers for the Seattle Seahawks. Smiling, I said “Hi, I’m from the US and was wondering which representative is here?” The tubby lady looked at the guy next to her, then smiled widely at me “Oh, I’m not sure, young man." Next thing I knew the linebacker approached me while two Indian soldiers made their presence known behind me up. “Hi,” I said to the guy who was about my height, "I’m an American citizen and was wondering whose here.” With a really sarcastic look on his face he replied “Oh, we don't know, they don't tell us these things," and with his over sized American Flag lapel pin shining the sun into my eyes, he folded his arms and stared at me.
I won't bore you with the details of all my travels but will give you the gist. I’ll start though with a short story about my final week living in McLeod Gunj: On my last Sunday in McLeod I decided to go for a run up to the Tibetan Children’s Village or Upper TCV. It’s about a 5 km run up the hill to get there and I wanted to get in a good workout before I spent a whole week on the road traveling around Uttarakand the following week. As I ran up to Upper TCV I saw the familiar sights that I've come to love here in Dharamsala, young Tibetan kids running around, teens playing basketball, girls playing jump rope, old people making their rounds and of course Football. I watched the local football teams practice and played some pick-up. After about an hour there I started back towards McLeod Gunj walking through the school campus. While passing by one of the student houses, I saw a group of Tibetan kids, probably no more than 5 years old holding American flags. They were all dressed up in their TCV uniforms, which was odd on Sunday, their holiday. I asked the young boy in Tibetan “what are you all dressed up for?” as my curiosity got the best of me. Smiling widely back to me and waving his American flag in my face he replied “Obama is coming!”As the boy ran off with his friends I stood up in disbelief. 'Yeah right' I thought. No sitting president of the US would visit the Tibetan refugee settlement in Dharamsala. Let alone be caught visiting the Dalai Lama in his headquarters in India. I then asked another group of kids in their uniforms who looked around 10 years old I asked them again “whose coming today” The boy told me, (translated from Tibetan to English) "the person who writes Obama's speeches." I laughed again and thought of possible people. I knew Timothy Roemer was the new ambassador to India and was recently appointed by Obama so I figured it might be him. Nevertheless, I was really confused as to what was going on.
Finally, I saw a group of teenage boys walking along, they were all carrying various instruments, drums, trumpets, flutes and were all lazily dragging their American flags alongside them. “Hey, whose coming?” I asked the group. The teen in the lead responded, “Obama’s secretary is coming, I don’t know who, but we have to go sing the national anthem for them” he seriously looked depressed, like his Sunday off hanging out and playing soccer was wasted because of some Washington big-wig was in town. As they moped off I followed them to the basketball court where I had been just an hour earlier. The scenery had completely changed, there were a dozen white Jeeps in the courtyard, all bearing the Tibetan Government license plates, TCV students were all over the place in line formations, while some held instruments. I saw a huge press core of Indian media, and TCV teachers and staff mulling about. At the center of it all I noticed half a dozen armed plainclothes Indian police mixed with Tibetan Frontier Force bodyguards. At the center of the center were 4 Americans.
I approached the Indian press core and asked the friendliest looking lady what was going on. “Hey, whose here from the States?” I asked. Smiling, she replied, “That’s a good question, I honestly can’t tell you, we were just told that an Obama representative was here, they’ve kept us at a distance and were not allowed interviews,” she explained how her boss at the Times of India had told her to come and cover it as news leaked of some “Obama Cabinet Secretary” coming to Dharamsala. Thinking back to the last time I checked the news, which was a few days earlier, I remembered that Clinton was in Pakistan meeting with government officials there. I'd missed Senator Clinton when she came to my college campus campaigning last year in Tacoma, and thought how ironic it would be seeing Secretary Clinton her here on this little hill station in Northern India. The Indian reporter asked if I was American, which I replied "more or less." She then recommended I ask my fellow 'countrymen' who was here.
I approached the group, bypassing right by the Indian and Tibetan security guards to see a short tubby lady talking to a tall Indian guy. One thing I've learned here in India, people won't give you a hard time if you look like you know where your going. An older lady along with two other Americans, who looked like her aides were standing there, next to him was a guy who looked he could be a linebackers for the Seattle Seahawks. Smiling, I said “Hi, I’m from the US and was wondering which representative is here?” The tubby lady looked at the guy next to her, then smiled widely at me “Oh, I’m not sure, young man." Next thing I knew the linebacker approached me while two Indian soldiers made their presence known behind me up. “Hi,” I said to the guy who was about my height, "I’m an American citizen and was wondering whose here.” With a really sarcastic look on his face he replied “Oh, we don't know, they don't tell us these things," and with his over sized American Flag lapel pin shining the sun into my eyes, he folded his arms and stared at me.
I thought to myself, ‘this is why the world loves America so much’ and replied to the guard, “thanks for your time.” Walking away from them, I finally did the smart thing and approached the Tibetan teachers who were standing around. They were a lot more friendly, I asked them who was here and what they were doing. They told me they didn’t know who but that right now the diplomats were visiting the infant ward and meeting the TCV Principal. I didn’t have my glasses or contacts in so my vision was pretty bad and decided to head back to Dharamsala, still wondering who was there.
The next day as I moved out of my flat to my uncle's residence temporarily to lower Dharamsala my Tibetan taxi driver pulled over on the road, as a police convoy was heading up. I looked up to see the same jeeps, all bearing Tibetan Gov’t license plates. In the front jeep I immediately noticed the DIIR driver Lobsang la and in the seat next to him I saw Kalsang la, a staffer in the prime minister’s office. In the back I saw a face that I’d only seen before on TV and the newspaper during the previous years presidential campaign, it was Valerie Jarrett. She was smiling and laughing, carrying on a conversation behind her.
The next day as I moved out of my flat to my uncle's residence temporarily to lower Dharamsala my Tibetan taxi driver pulled over on the road, as a police convoy was heading up. I looked up to see the same jeeps, all bearing Tibetan Gov’t license plates. In the front jeep I immediately noticed the DIIR driver Lobsang la and in the seat next to him I saw Kalsang la, a staffer in the prime minister’s office. In the back I saw a face that I’d only seen before on TV and the newspaper during the previous years presidential campaign, it was Valerie Jarrett. She was smiling and laughing, carrying on a conversation behind her.
It all came together now, the secrecy of it all. Jarrett was meeting the Dalai lama and she was the Obama “mystery secretary.” I remembered reading numerous articles about Jarrett, as she was an old friend of the Obama's from Chicago and now a senior adviser to the President. On the rest of my drive down, I thought about what was going on. Dharamsala, this po-dunk little hill station really is the center of the Tibetan movement, the Dalai lama, Tibetan government and numerous NGO’s operate out of this little hill station. This is ground zero, our capital. Obama was playing standard international politics, by sending a “senior adviser” he could give deny that the person he sent was not an “official government representative. Sending Clinton would just piss of china. Instead he sent his old Chicago buddy Jarrett to the Obama’s to deliver a personal message. Clever politics.
I was able to see the side from two angles. From the American side, no American politician ever touts being a Tibet Advocate, always being for the middle way path. Whereas here in Dharamsala, the visit was interpreted by the local community as a HUGE sign of support by the Obama Administration for the Dalai Lama. Word had spread throughout Dharamsala how Obama’s “secretary” was coming to visit. From talking to taxi drivers, government staffers and people in McLeod everyone was talking about how great Obama is and how he’s making Tibet a priority of his China. While on the American side this trip was a hush-hush visit with China's biggest adversary. It was laughable and pretty sad at how misinterpreted how this whole trip was being blown out of proportion by the Tibetan community.
As I watched the following weeks unfold I was given a first-hand schooling in international politics. Two days later word broke out to news sources and online quickly about Jarrett’s visit.
I was able to see the side from two angles. From the American side, no American politician ever touts being a Tibet Advocate, always being for the middle way path. Whereas here in Dharamsala, the visit was interpreted by the local community as a HUGE sign of support by the Obama Administration for the Dalai Lama. Word had spread throughout Dharamsala how Obama’s “secretary” was coming to visit. From talking to taxi drivers, government staffers and people in McLeod everyone was talking about how great Obama is and how he’s making Tibet a priority of his China. While on the American side this trip was a hush-hush visit with China's biggest adversary. It was laughable and pretty sad at how misinterpreted how this whole trip was being blown out of proportion by the Tibetan community.
As I watched the following weeks unfold I was given a first-hand schooling in international politics. Two days later word broke out to news sources and online quickly about Jarrett’s visit.
Official photos were published and released of Jarrett and the Dalai lama, with china being “FURIOUS” but in the end the administration repeated its autonomy approach and working with the Dalai lama. The statement issued by the white house was that Obama WILL meet the dalai lama but did not specify WHEN. Tibetan websites touted this as a huge victory for the Tibetan cause.
The next month the Dalai lama made a visit to the United States to Los Angeles and DC however an Obama meeting was nowhere to be seen. Human rights groups, republicans and dozens of others were furious with Obama for not meeting with the DL, calling it a “snub” and “ an abandonment of human rights.” I found this to be pretty hilarious. NOT being in the US meant all the information I got was form foreign news sources mostly Indian and the BBC. In most cases it was viewed as Obama abandoning Tibet but the white house came out with a statement in coordination with the Dalai lama’s private office stating that the Dalai lama would meet Obama after Obama went to China later that year. Yes, it looked like a snub, but it was a strategic snub. The DL met with John Kerry, chairman of the foreign relations committee, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the house and numerous senators and congressmen and even received a human rights award where dozens of congressmen and senators were in attendance. In reality, the DL did meet the important people and made the rounds. What’s happening now is a different approach to the Tibet situation. Bush, Clinton and Bush Jr. always won much praise from their “photo” moments with the Dalai Lama, but what did that amount to? Winning cheers back home while Tibetans inside Tibet still suffered. Yes, Bush, Bush Jr. and republicans have been Tibet’s greatest supporters with their “get tough on china” approach, but what has that won us in the last 20 years? Nada. Obama's recent trip to China acknowledged "Tibet as a part of China." With the financial crisis looming, two wars in the middle east, and a rampant North Korea Obama needs all the help he can get, especially from China. A few days after Obama's trip to China, Tibetans and Westerners here in McLeod Gunj have been expressing their disappointment through news and posters all over calling him Barack No-bama. I agree that Obama should've stood up for Obama, but wasn't really surprised. The problem is that the Tibetan people are ALWAYS relying on other people to solve the Tibet issue problem. It's always lobbying world leaders to put pressure on China while they themselves only go out to a few protests. The Tibet issue itself is complex and confusing. Tibetans themselves need to take more responsibility for the issue and quit putting their entire reliance on world leaders to "Free Tibet." The US is a power in the world but here Tibetans rely entirely on the "West" to solve the Tibet issue.
I'm sure that when the Dalai Lama visits Obama will meet with him, as he has already promised, but no world leader is going to back the tibetan people until they stand up for themselves.
Dehra Dun, India
After moving out of McLeod Gunj I set off on a 10 hour bus ride to the neighboring state of Uttarakand to see my cousin Tenzin Chokyab. Tenzin goes to college in Seloqui and is studying computer science. It has been 5 years since I’ve seen my aunt’s son, and I was looking forward to seeing him, as he’s my closest relative here in India.
It felt great to finally get out of McLeod Gunj, the place is great, but gets very suffocating. I arrived in Dehra Dun around 4 AM and hoped on an auto rickshaw to Dekyiling, a small Tibetan settlement where I would meet up with Tenzin. This was my first real Tibetan settlement that I'd ever seen, I’ll admit I was pretty excited. Up until then, the only Tibetan areas I’ve seen were super touristy like in Delhi and Dharamsala. I was interested to see how things work in their entirely tibetan communities.
Dekyiling itself is very modest. Most Tibetans there work in Dehra Dun or are employed in the small businesses within Dekyiling. I took a tour of the town to see the community center and small Tibetan school along with numerous monasteries. The settlement itself is extremely self-sufficient with a small local park, restaurants, primary school and community center for old folks. The next stop was Mussourrie, a hill station above Dehra Dun. There's a small tibetan community around the hill station based around the two tibetan schools: Central School for Tibetans and the Hyms School. Both my aunts went to CST and it was great to check out a settlement school. I also had my first experience in Mussourrie with Rare Indian Beef.
Beef is illegal in India but it can be found on the secret 'beef' market and in any Tibetan settlement. I ordered two rounds of beef momo's, excited as I hadn't had beef in over 3 months! Upon my first bite of the momo...I spat it out. It tasted horrible, kind of like eating a tire. The beef smelled really weird and tasted even worse. I double-checked to confirm that what I was actually eating was beef, it was. I don't know if it was old or had some special sauce, but it was disgusting.
My meat hopes gone, my final stop was the tourist town of Rishikesh. The adventure capital of India was where the Beatles spent their time living in an Ashram while composing the White Album. I was able to see more Hindu culture up close, but sadly the place is completely engulfed by tourists. It wasn't the Taj, but it had its share of hawkers and crazy babus. I seriously hope that McLeod Gunj doesn't turn into these indian tourist places, as it seems like the city looses all its culture and value.
After my whilrwind tour of Uttarakand I bidded my cousin farewell and headed back to Himachal Pradesh. Before leaving McLeod I enrolled in the College for Higher Tibetan Studies(CHTS). My new residence in India would be in a small Indian village called Sarah. I'd missed college so much that I figured it was time to go back.
The next month the Dalai lama made a visit to the United States to Los Angeles and DC however an Obama meeting was nowhere to be seen. Human rights groups, republicans and dozens of others were furious with Obama for not meeting with the DL, calling it a “snub” and “ an abandonment of human rights.” I found this to be pretty hilarious. NOT being in the US meant all the information I got was form foreign news sources mostly Indian and the BBC. In most cases it was viewed as Obama abandoning Tibet but the white house came out with a statement in coordination with the Dalai lama’s private office stating that the Dalai lama would meet Obama after Obama went to China later that year. Yes, it looked like a snub, but it was a strategic snub. The DL met with John Kerry, chairman of the foreign relations committee, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the house and numerous senators and congressmen and even received a human rights award where dozens of congressmen and senators were in attendance. In reality, the DL did meet the important people and made the rounds. What’s happening now is a different approach to the Tibet situation. Bush, Clinton and Bush Jr. always won much praise from their “photo” moments with the Dalai Lama, but what did that amount to? Winning cheers back home while Tibetans inside Tibet still suffered. Yes, Bush, Bush Jr. and republicans have been Tibet’s greatest supporters with their “get tough on china” approach, but what has that won us in the last 20 years? Nada. Obama's recent trip to China acknowledged "Tibet as a part of China." With the financial crisis looming, two wars in the middle east, and a rampant North Korea Obama needs all the help he can get, especially from China. A few days after Obama's trip to China, Tibetans and Westerners here in McLeod Gunj have been expressing their disappointment through news and posters all over calling him Barack No-bama. I agree that Obama should've stood up for Obama, but wasn't really surprised. The problem is that the Tibetan people are ALWAYS relying on other people to solve the Tibet issue problem. It's always lobbying world leaders to put pressure on China while they themselves only go out to a few protests. The Tibet issue itself is complex and confusing. Tibetans themselves need to take more responsibility for the issue and quit putting their entire reliance on world leaders to "Free Tibet." The US is a power in the world but here Tibetans rely entirely on the "West" to solve the Tibet issue.
I'm sure that when the Dalai Lama visits Obama will meet with him, as he has already promised, but no world leader is going to back the tibetan people until they stand up for themselves.
Dehra Dun, India
After moving out of McLeod Gunj I set off on a 10 hour bus ride to the neighboring state of Uttarakand to see my cousin Tenzin Chokyab. Tenzin goes to college in Seloqui and is studying computer science. It has been 5 years since I’ve seen my aunt’s son, and I was looking forward to seeing him, as he’s my closest relative here in India.
It felt great to finally get out of McLeod Gunj, the place is great, but gets very suffocating. I arrived in Dehra Dun around 4 AM and hoped on an auto rickshaw to Dekyiling, a small Tibetan settlement where I would meet up with Tenzin. This was my first real Tibetan settlement that I'd ever seen, I’ll admit I was pretty excited. Up until then, the only Tibetan areas I’ve seen were super touristy like in Delhi and Dharamsala. I was interested to see how things work in their entirely tibetan communities.Dekyiling itself is very modest. Most Tibetans there work in Dehra Dun or are employed in the small businesses within Dekyiling. I took a tour of the town to see the community center and small Tibetan school along with numerous monasteries. The settlement itself is extremely self-sufficient with a small local park, restaurants, primary school and community center for old folks. The next stop was Mussourrie, a hill station above Dehra Dun. There's a small tibetan community around the hill station based around the two tibetan schools: Central School for Tibetans and the Hyms School. Both my aunts went to CST and it was great to check out a settlement school. I also had my first experience in Mussourrie with Rare Indian Beef.
Beef is illegal in India but it can be found on the secret 'beef' market and in any Tibetan settlement. I ordered two rounds of beef momo's, excited as I hadn't had beef in over 3 months! Upon my first bite of the momo...I spat it out. It tasted horrible, kind of like eating a tire. The beef smelled really weird and tasted even worse. I double-checked to confirm that what I was actually eating was beef, it was. I don't know if it was old or had some special sauce, but it was disgusting.My meat hopes gone, my final stop was the tourist town of Rishikesh. The adventure capital of India was where the Beatles spent their time living in an Ashram while composing the White Album. I was able to see more Hindu culture up close, but sadly the place is completely engulfed by tourists. It wasn't the Taj, but it had its share of hawkers and crazy babus. I seriously hope that McLeod Gunj doesn't turn into these indian tourist places, as it seems like the city looses all its culture and value.
After my whilrwind tour of Uttarakand I bidded my cousin farewell and headed back to Himachal Pradesh. Before leaving McLeod I enrolled in the College for Higher Tibetan Studies(CHTS). My new residence in India would be in a small Indian village called Sarah. I'd missed college so much that I figured it was time to go back.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tik Bolo?
I am alive, though I am living in the jungles of Himachal Pradesh in a small Tibetan language institute called the Center for Higher Tibetan Studies, otherwise known as Sarah College. I can't get phone reception from my place and internet is even slower here than in the 'city.' Updates coming soon, just wanted to let y'all know I'm still kickin!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
