Patna, January 8 – Keeping the Buddhist spirit alive, the Tibetan victims of the last Monday night’s fire that gutted the city’s famous Lhasa Market in its entirety, said on Wednesday that they would not bother the Dalai Lama with their problems since he knows everything and a little suffering on their parts may even be good for their spiritual developments.
The market located near the Patna Junction and known for its woolen clothing was destroyed after a major fire broke out on early morning shortly after midnight. The owners of the shops, mostly Tibetan refugees, just helplessly watched their lives being destroyed right in front of their eyes. It took several hours for the firemen to extinguish the flames but not before everything had turned into ashes.
A representative of the shop owners said that even though it was a devastating tragedy, they will not bother the Dalai Lama who is currently in Bodh Gaya attending the week-long Kalachakra festival. He said that the Nobel Peace Prize winner Buddhist priest had much serious things to worry about so the shop-owners would not give him additional pressure in the wake of the Lhasa Market disaster.
A group of shop owners earlier met with the famous priest in Bodh Gaya but they did not apprise him of their tragedy. It is believed that some of the shop owners also met with the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav but did not demand any kind of restitution or compensation for their losses.
The fire apparently was caused by a faulty electrical circuit at the market. Woolen clothing valued at nearly Rs. 1 crore were destroyed in the blazing flames. Unfortunately, not even one shop was insured. The fire also completely destroyed the adjoining Kashmiri Market and a nearby restaurant. It is believed the fire tenders came more than half an hour late after they were informed of the situation.
The woolen market is set up on a temporary basis each year by the Tibetan refugees just opposite the Nehru Golumbar in front of Patna Junction. An effort is already afoot to rebuild the market with whatever resources the refugees have got left with. The Rabri government has assured them of providing necessary help in rebuilding the area, it was learnt.
