By Dilnaz Boga
Recuperating from severe burn injuries at Shushrusha Hospital in Dadar, Lhakpa Tsering was a happy man on Tuesday evening when Dharamsala-based Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue paid him a surprise visit.
Tsering, a 24-year-old student, came to Mumbai during the recent visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao “to do something unique to address the
Tibetan issue”. In November, Tsering attempted self-immolation outside the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower at Gateway to draw the world’s attention
to the human rights violations in Chinese-occupied Tibet.
“It looks bad. I didn’t know it was this bad,” said Tsundue, staring at Tsering’s leg. “They changed my dressing today,” a beaming Tsering
replied.
Giving him a Khata (an informal Tibetan garland), Tsundue wished him health and happiness and lauded him for his act of courage. Tsundue’s
message to Tsering: “I’m happy you survived. We have more work to do in the future and you shouldn’t rest”.
Tsundue, who has known of Tsering for three years, said: “Tsering came from Tibet and was working for the Tibetan Youth Congress in
Bangalore. My first impression of him was that he was very passionate.”
News of the “courageous act” reached Tsundue over the phone. “I did not know he was in Mumbai as I was busy. But, I was not surprised. It
reminded me of Pao (Martyr) Thupten Ngodup, who died after self-immolation in Delhi in 1998.”
Tsundue, a writer and a poet felt:”Self-immolation is an expression of a desperate desire for freedom in a non-violent struggle. For me, this has high value. Such a person is devoid of ego and has gone
beyond self. This makes the act sacred.”
But Tsering, a post-graduate student of Political Science, said: “The media is not concerned about the plight of Tibetans. The world does not know about the human right violations that occur there.”
Tsering vows to change the scenario. “Eventually, I want to join the Tibetan government. In my opinion, they need to do a lot more about this problem. And the answer lies in education. We need to educate ourselves about our enemy in order to defeat them.”
Meanwhile, Tsundue, nods in agreement and reaches out to Tsering with a hug and words of encouragement in Tibetan.
dilnaz.boga@hindustantimes.com
