. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

'TIBETAN   INDEPENDENCE   MOVEMENT   IN   THE   ERA   OF   GLOBALISATION'
(Bombay | February 15, 2008)

Tenzin Tsundue while speaking at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Bombay on February 15, 2008. Dr S Parasuraman, Director of the institute next to him. - Photos: Rahul Bhatia

Bombay: "In the era of globalisation, the demand for Independence of Tibet is an attempt to recreate the unique harmonious relationship between the land and the people of Tibet, which alone can guarantee the protection of the Himalayan eco-system" said Tenzin Tsundue while speaking to a gathering at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Bombay on February 15, 2008. The Tibetan poet and the General Secretary of Friends of Tibet Tenzin Tsundue was in Bombay to deliver a talk on 'Tibetan Independence Movement in the Era of Globalisation' at a function jointly organised by Friends of Tibet and the Students Union of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

Dr S Parasuraman, Director of Tata Institute of Social Sciences who also moderated the programme introduced Tenzin Tsundue as a warrior who continues to fight the Chinese occupation of his country from India. "TISS invite people with different perspectives on various issues, and we are happy to have a young Tibetan refugee here in the campus today" he added. In the Introductory Remarks Dr S Parasuraman described India as a fascinating country with contrasts and contradictions of having no tolerance on dissident voices at one level while continue to support a huge refugee population such as the Tibetans community.

In his talk to the students of TISS, Tenzin Tsundue reminded his fellow Tibetans that if we do not fight today, tomorrow we all will end up in a museum. "How long can you go on covering up the history, how long can you continue to colonise Tibet?" - this question was asked to Hu Jintao, the Chinese Premier. During the occasion Tenzin Tsundue also announced his plan to walk to Tibet from Dharamshala for the second time on March 10, 2008, the Tibetan National Uprising Day with 200 volunteers in an attempt to cross the border to reunite with his fellow countrymen and also to protest China's right to host the Olympics 2008.

The talk by Tenzin Tsundue was followed by a question-answer session and the screening of the BBC documentary "Conflicts: Tibet".

"This is a tribute to a small community striving to protect their culture in the time of globalisation. We are with you in your struggle," Dr S Parasuraman reminded the small gathering of Tibetans while thanking TISS students and supporters who participated in the event.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About the BBC documentary 'Conflicts: Tibet' (30 min): Directed by Oliver Clark, the documentary combines archive footage with the views of both the Tibetans and the Chinese. Personal stories from Tibetans in exile tell of the Chinese policy of patriotic re-education under which monks have been persecuted and have had to renounce the Dalai Lama. Yet the Chinese honestly believe that China has saved the Tibetans from feudalism, They say that they have built schools, hospitals and roads, and that 50 years after it 'liberated' Tibet, there has been 'great social progress' in the region, a view contested by the Tibetans in exile.