Jigme Norbu is following in his father’s footsteps.
For almost eight weeks, he will walk sections of his father’s past routes. Norbu, son of Takster Rinpoche and nephew of the Dalai Lama, is walking 900 miles from Indianapolis to Washington D.C., then to Philadelphia and New York.
The walk began Tuesday, meant to be a peaceful way to advocate for Tibet’s independence from Chinese political control.
Norbu said he is dedicating the journey to his father and all the groups fighting for Tibet’s independence.
“My father was a big inspiration,” Norbu said. “He fought almost his whole life.”
He said he hopes the walk will build momentum each day until he reaches New York. There, Norbu said he would like to see a large crowd united in support for Tibet.
At the Chinese Consulate in New York, Norbu will speak to the crowd. He said the peaceful protest is to tell China that Tibet will not tolerate Chinese “suppression.”
Norbu planned this walk to be on the 50th anniversary of failed Tibetan uprisings in 1959. Tuesday’s anniversary sparked protests in Tibetan communities around the world and a police clampdown in cities in villages throughout China’s Tibetan region.
Norbu said he wants to send a message for support to Tibetans. He also wants to remember people such as his father and others who have died.
Violence erupted in Tibet last year as political tension boiled over before the Olympic Games in Beijing. Chinese officials have worked to discredit the Dalai Lama’s supporters’ claims, arguing that Tibet has always belonged to China.
“We lost our country about 50 years ago,” said Wangchuk Dorjee, a former Tibetan parliament member who is traveling with Norbu and helping him along the way.
Gedun Rabsal, IU Central Eurasian studies professor, said the walk is a “freedom-fighting movement” that will make people around the globe aware of the situation in Tibet.
“It’s a long journey, a tough journey, a dangerous journey he is determined to take,” Rabsal said.
Norbu, who will be the only person to walk the entire route, said there is no way to train for a walk like this.
“It’s 80 percent your mind and 20 percent your body,” Norbu said.
He said he will watch his pace, walk eight or nine hours a day, and carry a banner to explain his cause.
Dorjee said they plan to speak at community centers and churches along the way about Chinese occupation of Tibet and what life is like for Tibetans. He said it is very important to let people know what is happening.
Dorjee said many Tibetans want to speak up for themselves but don’t have the freedom to do so, and people in this country can use their freedom to speak up for Tibetans.
Norbu said his blisters and sores would be nothing compared to the lack of clothes or frostbite Tibetans have endured.
Although most of the walk will be done by Dorjee and Norbu, Dorjee said supporters will walk with them for part of the day at different times during the trip.
“It’s an adventure, but it’s productive, too,” Norbu said.
