Karnataka Chief Minister, Governor receive Tibetan Parliamentary delegation

The south zone Tibetan parliamentary delegation for the month-long Solidarity with Tibet campaign meeting with Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar in Bangalore. January 4: A Tibetan parliamentary delegation leading a month-long lobbying campaign in south India met with the Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka state Jagadish Shettar and Governor H.R. Bhardwaj. The six-member delegation met with CM Shettar at the Vidhan Soudha in Bangalore and apprised him of the critical situation inside Tibet, while urging the Indian leadership to take a firmer and more assertive political stance on Tibet vis-a-vis China. Tibetan MP and member of the delegation, Lobsang Yeshi told Phayul that during the meeting, CM Shettar expressed his “deepest concern” over the issue of Tibet and assured them of his government’s continued “solidarity and support” for the cause of Tibet. The south zone Tibetan parliamentary delegation on Wednesday met with the Honourable Governor of Karnataka state H.R. Bhardwaj at the Raj Bhawan. Governor Bhardwaj called the Tibetan cause “always dear” to the Indian people and recalled with respect the help that Tibetans have given during India’ “most difficult times.” “His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a highly compassionate person and a messenger of world peace,” the Honourable Governor was cited as saying by Yeshi. “His presence is strength to us and his followers are like our brothers and sisters.” He said the wave of self-immolations in Tibet is “very tragic” and assured that India will never go against Tibet. The south zone Tibetan parliamentary delegation for the month-long Solidarity with Tibet campaign meeting with H.R. Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka at Raj Bhawan, Bangalore. The delegation also met with former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Shobha Karandlage, Minister of Energy, Murugesh Nirani, Minister for Industries, and Ganesh Karnik, Member of State Legislative Assembly. Shobha, who has visited Tibet twice, gave a detailed account of China’s “destructive policies” in Tibet, which she said is “threatening to annihilate” the Tibetan race. “China does not need Tibetans. They only need the land of Tibet. Therefore they do not care about the welfare of the Tibetan people,” the minister was cited as saying. Former CM Yedyurappa called on the central government to do more to resolve the issue of Tibet and advised the Tibetans to hold regular meetings with Indian leaders in the city, said Yeshi. The first leg of the solidarity campaigns in south India will conclude with a major public rally and a prayer vigil on the January 5 in Bangalore, the state capital. The south zone delegation will then take the solidarity campaign to eight other states and will meet senior political leaders in the major Indian cities of Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Pondicherry, Chennai, Panaji, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur. The month-long All-India ‘Solidarity with Tibet’ campaign initiated by Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile is part of the exile Tibetan administration’s attempts at garnering wider support for international intervention in the ongoing crisis inside Tibet. From January 1 to 29, three Tibetan parliamentary delegations of six parliamentarians each will be travelling across India, taking the Tibet campaign state by state.

The Dalai Lama in Bihar at CM Nitish Kumar’s invitation

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama being received by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at Patna Airport on January 3, 2013.  January 4: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai arrived in the Indian state of Bihar at the invitation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Thursday. The Dalai Lama was received at the Patna airport by the Chief Minister and a host of top government officials. The Tibetan spiritual leader is scheduled to inaugurate a three-day International Buddhist Sangha Seminar on The Role of the Buddhist Sangha in the 21st Century jointly organised by the Bihar Art and Culture Department and the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee. Hundreds of delegates from 20 countries, including China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Japan are expected to attend the meet starting January 5. Earlier today, the Dalai Lama held a special prayer at the Chief Minister’s One Anne Marg official residence for world peace. CM Kumar, Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, Water Resources Minister Vijay Chaudhary, state JD(U) President Vashist Narayan Singh, and party Rajya Sabha member R C P Singh were among those who took part in the prayer. Talking to media persons, the Dalai Lama praised the chief minister and the state government for taking keen interest in Buddhism. Describing Nitish Kumar as "a dynamic Chief Minister," the Tibetan leader said he was "very happy to visit the land of King Ashoka who spread Buddhism in the world." While mentioning the glorious history of modern day Bihar, the Nobel Peace laureate recounted the names of the state’s great sons like independent India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad and Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan. Also today, the 77-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, along with CM Kumar, inaugurated a statue of Lord Buddha at the Buddha Smriti Parka in the state capital. Following his visit to Patna, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to leave for Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh to give four days of teachings on Shantideva's A Guide to the Boddhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) from January 7 to 10.

CM Omar Abdullah meets Tibetan parliamentary delegation

Students from Ladakh and Zanskar regions of Jammu and Kashmir state carrying out a Tibet solidarity protest in Jammu city on January 2, 2013.

January 4: The all-India lobbying campaign initiated by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began its month-long campaigning in north India with a meeting with Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The north zone Tibetan Parliamentary delegation called on the honorable Chief Minister on January 2 in the state’s winter capital, Jammu city. According to a release by the delegation, Omar Abdullah, during the meeting, expressed his support for Tibet’s cause.

“The leaders of the Chinese government very well know that the struggle carried on by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is for autonomy in Tibet,” Omar, who has met the Tibetan spiritual leader on several occasions, said. “Presently, Hong Kong and Macau enjoy a special autonomous status under the Chinese rule and I find China’s reluctance on Tibet hard to understand.”

The delegation also met with Ngawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of Tourism and Culture; Members of the State Legislative Assembly; and other high level India officials of the state, which shares its border with China occupied Tibet.

On January 2, as part of the lobbying campaign, around 150 students from the Ladakh and Zanskar regions of the state carried out a protest march in Jammu city in solidarity with the ongoing crisis inside Tibet. The students paraded Tibetan national flags and banners calling for solidarity with the demands of the Tibet self-immolators.

Following their visit to the state, the north zone delegation will then take the Tibet lobbying campaign to other north and central Indian states, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Last month, the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile announced the all-India lobbying campaign as part of the exile Tibetan administration’s attempts at garnering wider support for international intervention in the ongoing crisis inside Tibet.

95 Tibetans have set themselves on fire inside Tibet protesting China’s occupation and demanding freedom and return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

The Tibetan parliament said the delegations, apart from holding meetings with senior leaders, will also address press conferences and interact with the general masses to “spread awareness on the critical situation inside Tibet and garner their support.”

The north zone parliamentary delegation comprises of MPs Dawa Tsering, Ghang Lhamo, Geshe Kalsang Damdul, and Mogru Tenpa.

First Tibetan Teachers’ Meeting underway in Dharamshala

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay addressing the First Tibetan Teachers' Meeting in Dharamshala on January 3, 2013. 

DHARAMSHALA, January 4: More than 150 Tibetan teachers and administrators from all over India are currently meeting in the exile headquarters of Dharamshala for a first of its kind meeting organised by the Education Department of the Central Tibetan Administration.

The three-day ‘First Tibetan Teachers’ Meeting’ began Thursday aimed at promoting an open discussion on ways to develop the education system in Tibetan schools. Teachers and officials of the Education Department will be sharing their views and suggestions on a wide range of topics.

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, who is also the Kalon of the Department of Education, presided over the inaugural ceremony held at the Tibetan Children’s Village School, Lower Dharamshala.

Sikyong Sangay in his address recalled his school life and spoke about the education system in Tibetan schools.

He noted that improving the education system would take teamwork over a long period of time.

“Improving the education system will take our joint effort of not just two or three years but rather, we all should work together like our five fingers,” Sikyong Sangay, who is a product of the Central School for Tibetan, Darjeeling said.

“The Administration is to provide all the facilities, school heads must utilise those facilities, teachers are to teach, students are to study, and parents and relatives of the students must also play their roles.”

He further emphasised that literacy rate should not be the sole benchmark of academic competence and excellence.

“The literacy rate of Tibetans in exile is 84 per cent and population wise, we are better than India, Nepal, and Bangladesh,” the Harvard law graduate said. “But even though we are better in reading and writing rate, it is also obvious that we lack the quality to become experts.”

The meeting comes on the heels of the recent launch of the Tibet Education Project, a two-year programme, aimed at improving the quality of education opportunities for Tibetan refugee students in India and Nepal.

The USD 2 million project includes intensification of teacher development and training; expansion of Scholarship Program; Scale the Counseling Program; prioritising Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education; providing Test Preparation and Coaching for Secondary School Students and Improve Educational Management

In line with the 14th Kashag’s prioritisation of education, the exile administration also recently announced new scholarship schemes representing a 50 percent increase in its annual scholarship funding.

The Department of Education currently oversees 73 Tibetan schools – excluding the pre-primary sections and private schools – in India and Nepal under different autonomous administrative bodies. There are around 24,000 students and 2,200 staff members in these schools.