“I look at myself in a full length mirror, not once but twice
and I see a void… Nothing, not a thing. Am I really invisible? Exiledom is a
process of being made less a person than a non-person.”
-Gullerino
Crabera Infante (a Tibetan refugee)
My intrigue and
admiration for Tibetan people started with my interaction with a few of them at
a sweater bazar (http://promenadeforyou.blogspot.in/2013/03/tibetans-in-exile.html).
From then on, any news concerning the refugees from Tibet or Indian
confrontations with China or His Holiness Dalai Lama’s peace plans has always
caught my attention, almost instinctively. I read and followed many sites and
books on the issue but one of the amazing works of note is by Ms/ Mrs (I’m not
sure) Honey Oberoi Vahali. She is an Associate Professor at
Department of Psychology, Delhi University. She has compiled and analyzed
stories that date back to at least 3-5 decades back when the very lovely people
of Tibet had to flee from their homes, leaving their hearts behind. The book, LIVES
IN EXILE: Exploring the Inner world of Tibetan Refugees, is a heart
wrenching collection of real stories of people who have faced severe
inhumanities and troubles and who, despite all the wrath didn’t succumb to
death. Instead, they gathered courage and fought for their rights. One cannot
ignore noticing that they are still fighting for their cause but peacefully and
this makes their fight special.
It amazes me how, after
the extreme level of difficulties, torture and inhuman behavior these people
had to face; they have still chosen the path of non-violence and peace. Buddhism
is a very strong religion, I must say. It teaches you to forgive and be at
peace with your body and soul, because unless that happens; you will never be able
to forgive your own tormentors. While reading the book, I came across stories
of ladies, who were raped repeatedly and not allowed to have a bath or change
clothes for 11 years! (How long is that? Ever
wondered?) Every month when they had menstrual bleeding, they let their blood
flow to ground and kept wearing the same clothes, didn’t wash and kept living
in filth and dirt. I came across stories of men who were paraded naked and were
given electric shocks but the unity of Tibetan people didn’t give way. These people
were fighting for a bigger cause, for freedom from exile, for freedom of life. When
His Holiness seeked refuge in India, many Tibetans followed. Indian government allotted
places in Manali, Dharamsala and Mcleodganj to them and they started re-building
their lives here. But when life is harsh and struggle-some, God is bound to
take more merciless decisions. Initially people were kind and helpful but with
time, the sense of having helped for much longer than expected has peeped in. Troubles
have started brewing in the lush green and peaceful valley of Himachal and Tibetans
have nostalgically started feeling uprooted once again. When you live in a
place for more than 4 decades, when you have seen your children growing and
getting married at a place, you make it your home, another home. The Tibetans still
struggle for food, to keep hunger at bay, to educate their children but for
them, life is here.
While the old Tibetans,
who have faced the cruelties first-hand, are still in turmoil inside, they say
the younger generations have become materialistic. They are more interested in
mobiles, bikes and brands and less interested in knowing about the struggles of
their forefathers. Although many young and active volunteers like Tenzin
Tsundae, and people from TYC (Tibetan Youth Congress) have
come up with foundations and charities which work extensively for the cause of
freedom from exile, the more common ones still look detached. This hurts the
elderly who still have nightmares about getting raped, about being paraded
naked, about being tortured by inserting things into their vagina/ anus, about
their nails being chipped by bamboo fine sticks and about being hungry for
ages. Those who have seen the nightmarish days have set up schools and institutes
(Norbulingkar
Institute, Tibetan Children Villages, TIPA, etc.) to protect their
heritage, arts and culture.
Mcleodganj,
a small hamlet in Himachal Pradesh is a savior of sorts. It is home to 3 sets
of uprooted people- Gaddis (refugee Muslims),
Tibetans
(people from Tibet/Lhasa) and the
local
Dharamsala people (from Sind).
I feel proud of the fact that we have provided homes to the uprooted but the
recent news of upheavals in the valley, about clashes between local people and
refugees, pains me enormously. Although I understand that where 3 sets of
cultures and people mix, languages mix, co-existence becomes tough but at the
same time, I believe that sheltering and helping is the best form of mankind. If
we lose hope and heart, lives will go haywire. I am not a Tibetan, neither do I
live in any of the places around their settlements but I feel very strongly for
the people who have lost their homes, their parents, their children and their lives.
Physical torments heal with time but what remains are the scratches on heart
and mind. Psychological wounds never heal, their pain subsides but when the
pain is excruciating even after decades, it calls for help, it calls for fight;
fight for freedom from the clutches of foreign powers. As children from young
times, we have seen none of it; no wars, no fights for freedom, no
impoverishment, no tortures but education has opened me up to a plethora of
dark realities in existence.
Sometimes I wonder, if even
in 21st century we have a scope of world war 3 (Ukraine and Russia),
scope for slavery and exile; then what worth is education? When we seem to
touch the highest pinnacles of technology, these sinful mishappenings pull us
back and throw us on the ground. It’s high time for a reality check! I and you
will never experience what people have had; neither can we ever wash away the permanent
markers of agony. We cannot understand what hanging between namelessness and
homelessness means. I don’t know how I could help but I’m sure I’ll find ways. Till
I find the right channels I can at least spread the word and do something meaningful
of my education and life.
As I wrap
this up, I would quote the voice of a hurt, wounded lady from the refugee camp-
“The one who keeps hoping in the face of a hopeless situation
suffers much more than the one who no longer hopes…”
http://lit-dharamsala.org/mcleod-ganj/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGmX4USW4JM#t=114
