Delhi, July 6 : The 71st birthday celebration of H.H. the Dalai Lama at Samyeling Tibetan Colony popularly known as Majnu-ka-Tilla (MT) in Delhi today was dominated to a large extent by the demolition issue that had kept the residents of MT and the largely-Tibetan refugee inhabited colony of Ladakh Budh Vihara on their toes since June ’06.
The function organised at the local Tibetan school of Samyeling colony opened with an array of speeches as one speaker after another spoke about the Delhi High Court notice that had ordered the demolition of all structures that came in the way of road expansion plan and the Yamuna river beautification project.
The Tibetan Welfare Officer, Mr. Lhakpa Tsering in his inaugural speech emphasised the need for all Tibetans to follow the Dalai Lama’s teachings and said it was all because of the Dalai Lama that the residents of the colony received strong assurances and support from the Delhi government. He said the Delhi government’s decision to protect the Tibetans and to resist every move to demolish the Tibetan colony in MT and Ladakh Budh Vihara was a huge development but he cautioned it should not be taken as a complete success as he inferred to the big challenge that lay ahead – that of fighting the matter out in court. Mr. Tsering later read out the official statement of Kashag (exile Tibetan cabinet) on the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s birthday.
The chief guest on the occasion Ms. Shiela Dixit, chief minister of Delhi reiterated her government’s decision to support the Tibetan refugees and strongly asserted that she will not let the demolition happen. Instead she mooted that a flyover be built to expand the highway that runs parallel to MT and Ladakh Budh Vihara colony. She also declared that the decision had full support from the Central government. “Having the Tibetans in Delhi will have a peaceful influence on the city and we will not let anyone destroy the colony”, Ms. Dixit said. That her reassuring words brought a deep sense of relief to the troubled residents was clearly visible. Broad grins replaced the multitude of glum faces.
Ms. Dixit’s involvement in the current crisis has raised the profile of the issue in the Indian media. Two most widely-circulated dailies – the Times of India and the Hindustan Times – carried full length reports on the issue. While TOI was more staid in its coverage choosing to list just the facts about the matter, the July 5 HT report was headlined “Demolishing a Culture” and presented the views of the Tibetan residents and their leaders. Ms. Dixit and other guests were later presented with a Tibetan Thanka paintings.
The ceremony also revealed an interesting connection between MT and the Sindhi community. A Sindhi woman spiritual head, Jagatguru Amma, made a brief presence at the function. An aide narrated the story of Sindhi Babaji – a highly revered spiritual head who used to meditate on the banks of Yamuna at the same place the Tibetan colony stands today – and how the colony was saved from a previous demolition threat by the Babaji. Amma in her brief speech expressed her empathy and support to Tibetan refugees.
Another issue made its presence felt at the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration ceremony. The Wildlife Trust of India had requested Mr. Tempa Tsering, Representative of Delhi Bureu of the Dalai Lama to say a few words about wildlife conservation in his speech. Mr. Tempa la in the later part of his speech spoke about the importance of protecting wildlife. He said the involvement of Tibetans in using wildlife products had given a bad reputation to the Tibetan community and also profoundly disturbed the Dalai Lama. Ms. Mandeepa Ahluwalia, WTI’s director of marketing was also present.
Members of Indian Parliament Mr. Bashist Narain Singh (also convenor of All Party Parliamentarians’ Forum for Tibet); Mr. Thupten Tsewang; Lama Lobsang (also member of National Commission for Minorities and Mr. Nathulal Rai addressed the gathering. Mr. Bashist Narain, an MP from the oppostion party spoke highly of CM Shiela Dixit who incidentally belongs to the ruling Congress party. In a rare show of camaraderie, Mr. Singh expressed his full support to Ms. Dixit’s government in handling the MT demolition issue.
Mr. Thupten Tsewang, an MP from Ladakh paid rich tributes to the Dalai Lama. “The Dalai Lama’s birthday is not a matter of celebration only for the Tiebtans but for all the Buddhists living in the Himalayan region. “Ladakhi people have always welcomed His Holiness in our midst; his presence in such a strategic place – plagued by violence and insecurity from all sides- is a big asurance to all peace-loving people in the region”, Mr. Tsewang said.
The local member of Delhi Legislative Assembly Mr. Prahlad Singh Saini also pledged strongly that he will not let any action that would make the Tibetans, refugees for the second time.
Ms. Gyari Dolma, vice chairperson of the exile Tibetan parliament, Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies (ATPD) appealed the Delhi government to help the Tibetan refugees in saving their homes.
Delhi-based ATPD members Mr. Penpa Tsering (also executive director of Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre), Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Ms. Youdon Aukatsang, Mr. Choekyong Wangchuk and Dorjee Dewatsang also attended the function. The ATPD members along with the bureau of the Dalai Lama, the Welfare officer and the MT camp leader have been meeting concerned Indian authorities and related offices in connection with the demolition issue. Since the beginning of June, they had held several meetings and appealed various Indian leaders to help halt the eviction of Tibetan refugees.
The ceremony ended with the presentation of cultural shows by the children of local Tibetan school.
