During the period from 1 November
to 10 November, the participants of the Tibetan Studies Program were given the
opportunity to travel to any location in India. Almost all of the members went
their separate ways: on a vision quest in the deserts of Rajasthan whilst
riding on the backs of camels, to a holiday partying on the beaches and clubs
of Goa and Mumbai, to a romantic getaway in Udaipur, or on a snowy trek across
the local mountains. That is, the members except for Forrest, Lynnell, and me.
I decided to spend my entire Independent Travel Week in McLeod Ganj and
Dharamsala, not venturing beyond these towns’ limits for the entire period.
Some may say that I was not brave enough to set out on an adventure, and thus
decided to opt out of one that involved frostbite and a lack of showers for ten
days. This statement probably does have a fair amount of truth behind it, and
the reason to remain in McLeod was especially convincing given that I wanted to
extend home stay with my Tibetan host family, who had been so welcoming thus
far. Moreover, though, my decision to stay in McLeod was also prompted by an
urge to become further immersed within the local community. I wanted to learn
from, and hopefully contribute to, the Tibetan community on a personal level.
Thus, after classes were out for
Independent Travel Week, I began volunteering at Kunphen Centre for Substance
Dependence and at the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, and also received Tibetan
conversation lessons. Kunphen is a registered non-governmental organization in
India that provides Tibetans with treatment programs for alcohol and drug
dependence, and is the first to address HIV/AIDS issues within the exile
Tibetan community. Substance abuse is a severe and common issue within
the Tibetan community, and is often a result of the burden placed on the psyche
of refugees as well as the deteriorating forces working against Tibetan
culture. On the first Tuesday evening of the week, I attended Kunphen’s
Open Session – a discussion meeting for local Tibetans suffering or recovering
from drug addiction. There, I met several Tibetan refugees who, after fleeing
Tibet, had become caught up in substance abuse, some out of curiosity or
boredom, others out of stress generated from missing their homeland or adapting
to a new environment by themselves, without their families. Out of
the numerous substance abuse clients in and around town, these individuals at
the meeting sought out help from the director, Gen Dawa Tsering-la, who gave
them places to live and jobs, including work in the beads factory located
underneath the local kindergarten. By meeting these clients, all of who have
made the conscious effort to regain control of their lives, I was presented
with the efforts of a community in exile, which strives to reclaim its identity
and dictate its own future despite detrimental losses.
Besides the Open Sessions,
volunteering at Kunphen has brought about other opportunities for me to become
involved with the community on a personal level. One such opportunity was in
planning for and celebrating Universal Children’s Day on 20 November at
Yongling Crèche and
Kindergarten. On this day, Class I students from nearby TCV Day School and
students from Heeru School were invited to Yongling School to celebrate
children’s rights and solidarity amongst each other. The students were given a
presentation on the negative aspects of substance abuse and how to maintain a
healthy lifestyle, which was followed by games such as relay races and a drawing
activity. Several Earlhamites attended the event, volunteering to help run the
activities. In this way, involvement with Kunphen has offered us a chance,
beyond the classroom setting, to observe and learn about the exile community.
Established
in 1991, the
Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet is an organization that provides food, shelter,
education, and medical, financial, and psychological support to former
political prisoners from Tibet. I have been attending the English conversation classes
at Gu-Chu-Sum, and during Independent Travel Week, I would go there after I got
out of Kunphen. Volunteering at Gu-Chu-Sum offered direct human contact, and
allowed me to talk with the same students everyday, and to get to know them
better. All of the students I have met are relatively young (in their twenties)
and have been political prisoners of some sort in Tibet. Despite having
suffered direct persecution under the Communist Chinese regime in Tibet, and
having endured the hardships of having their friends perish, of escaping into
exile, and of leaving their families and homes, the students at Gu-Chu-Sum
laugh often and seem to appreciate, enjoy, and make the most out of their new
situation as refugees. I was impressed by the studiousness of the students and
their desire to improve their English. One of the students begins self-study
early in the morning, attends English and computing classes at Gu-Chu-Sum
before lunch, and then walks to Tibet Charity quite a distance away in the
afternoon for additional English classes. The class ends at 4:10 pm, at which
time he walks back to Gu-Chu-Sum to participate in the English conversation
class from 4:30 – 6:00 pm. In the evening, he teaches another hard-working
student Buddhist philosophy (he has been a monk since before escaping from
Tibet) and then receives English lessons from her. He explains that since he
only has one more year left at Gu-Chu-Sum before joining a monastery in
southern India, he must make the most of his English studies. On separate
occasions, these two students, when asked whom they would like to meet if they
could meet anyone in the world, said that they would like to meet the General
Secretary of the Communist Party of China, in order to convey the suffering
that Tibetans have been persevering. All of the students seem to agree that the
adversary does not necessarily consist of the Chinese citizens, but rather, the
oppressive Chinese government.
Another student escaped from Tibet into exile ten
years ago, and became a monk in India. He explained that his family in Tibet
(two brothers and two sisters) tells him that they miss him and want him to
return. He hopes to do so after finishing a year at Gu-Chu-Sum, although he
acknowledges the difficulties of returning to Tibet. He shared with me his
dream, which is to return to his hometown to build a library, so as to make
Tibetan texts available to the locals. He plans to name the library after the
town’s old name. Being a former semi-nomad who was not educated whilst in
Tibet, he believes that making education available to the ordinary population
of Tibet would benefit the nation and its people, in that Tibet would be able
to support itself in a modern world. He hopes to contribute to the education of
ordinary Tibetans by teaching English and Buddhist philosophy to the residents
of his hometown. Like him, many of the students at Gu-Chu-Sum are diligent in
their studies and determined to use their education for the benefit of the
Tibetan community. Volunteering here has been a very enjoyable experience,
leading to some of the Earlhamites going out to dinner or festivals with them,
or having a momo (Tibetan dumplings) party in their dining hall. Again, it is
in the direct interactions with the Tibetans on a personal level that has
provided the most joy and education about their culture and current situation.
We have heard direct accounts of the struggles of Tibetan refugees, with whom
we now interact as friends as a result of volunteering at Gu-Chu-Sum.
My decision to continue taking conversational Tibetan
classes with Gen Namdrol-la during Independent Travel Week expresses a change
that has taken place in my mind concerning the study of Tibetan culture. Before
beginning the program, I did not expect to enjoy or become interested in
studying the Tibetan language to the extent that I do now. Given the oppression
Tibetans have and are facing, in which aspects of their unique culture have
been systematically eradicated under the Communist Chinese regime, Tibetan
cultural education in exile is especially crucial and valuable. Whilst on this
program, I have been reminded that I am in an extremely lucky position to be
able to study Tibetan language amongst other aspects of Tibetan culture,
especially given that many Tibetans are struggling to preserve their own
identity. A thorough understanding of the Tibetan language is a key advantage
in achieving a deeper insight into the teachings of Buddhism, which are so
central to Tibetan culture. In my case, despite the minute degree of my Tibetan
language abilities, studying the language has provided a medium in which I can
relate to Tibetans on a closer level.
In spite the personal interactions I have encountered
via volunteering and studying the Tibetan language, I must say, the closest
connections that I have made with members of the Tibetan community have come
from my home stay. Living with my Tibetan host family was a thoroughly
delightful experience, of which I have many fond memories – walking the
children to their school, going to Bhagsunag waterfall, walking the khora
around His Holiness’s temple, attending concerts, spending weekends on the roof
enjoying the sun, celebrating my host nephew’s, Pa-la’s, and my birthday, to
name some examples. It is difficult to express the amount of gratitude I have
for my Ama-la, Pa-la, and younger sister and brother, who have welcomed me into
their household, as if I were actually akin to them. Through their hospitality,
my host family has shown me the noble human qualities of loving kindness and
compassion, which Tibetans value so highly within their culture. Although it
has been more than two weeks since I have left their house, we still try to
spend time with each other.
Thus, although I did not set off on an adventure
beyond the limits of McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala, by spending my Independent
Travel Week here, I was able to explore the opportunities that can be found in
the close interactions with the individuals of the Tibetan community. Learning
to appreciate the value of behaving as a good human being has been one of the
most significant lessons for me whilst participating in this Tibetan Studies
Program.
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