India Is "PHAK-PAI-YUL" For Tibetans

It has been just few days that I have got a Tibetan colleague. This handsome, smart and intelligent man in his 20s - whom I will like to refer to as X - fled Tibet 17 years back (when he was a little boy), and since then has been settled in India. Some of his relatives also stay here, though his parents are still in Lhasa.

Apart from being a good colleague, X has also been a nice "discussion partner" for me. During lunch break or coffee breaks we discuss various interesting issues, like China's occupation of Tibet, Dalai Lama, China's hypocrisy about Communism, Indo-China relationship, sporadic freedom movements by some Tibetan groups in Tibet, Tibetan advocacy and campaign groups in India, etc.

Anyways, just yesterday (21st November, 2009) X told me an interesting thing, which I want to share with my readers.

I had just casually asked him how the Tibetans perceive India.

And what did he say?

He said that since ancient times Tibetans refer to India as - PHAK-PAI-YUL.

So what does that mean?

It means - The Country of Everything That Is Noble.

This Is Too Much, China

The audacity of the Chinese government is simply crossing all limits. India is already disturbed with China’s constant claim (a ridiculous one) that the picturesque north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to her. There is also a constant pressure from China to disown His Holiness Dalai Lama, the highly revered Tibetan leader whom India was pleased to grant political refuge after he fled from Tibet to escape Chinese oppression.

Now one of the latest nuisances caused by China is to show Kashmir as an independent country outside India. The journalists who are visiting Tibet are being given media handouts by the Chinese government, which mention Tibet as a piece of land bordered by India, Nepal, Myanmar and Kashmir. The clear implication – Kashmir is a land independent of Indian jurisdiction.

I will strongly suggest the Indian government to publish maps showing Tibet as an independent country outside China. (In fact, this is actually the truth, as forced colonization of a sovereign country by another one does not make the former a part of the latter). Let also our government recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, something that India refrained from doing to retain cordial diplomatic relations with China.

An aggressive stance is the only way to deal with the “rogue leadership” of China, a leadership that traces its origin to a rogue statesman – Mao Zedong.

The Tibet Turmoil – The World Must Recognize The Fight For Freedom

For the last few days the global media has been closely following, quite understandably, the turmoil in Tibet. There has always been a strong protest from the Tibetans against the domination of their country by China. The Chinese government has been very ruthless in suppressing this Tibetan protest, one result of which was His Holiness Dalai Lama’s exile in India. There is strong pressure from China on India to denounce Dalai Lama, a pressure that India has so far handled with diplomatic aplomb. China has always accused Dalai Lama for instigating Tibetans against the Chinese government (as if it is a crime to motivate one’s countrymen to fight against foreign domination), and has accused him for instigating the present riot that has taken place in Tibet. In fact, the way the Chinese government has accused the widely respected religious leader has simply crossed all limits of decency. The Chinese government has used languages which even a man on the street will think twice before using in a public place. Their audacity is such, that they called Dalai Lama “A Wolf In Monk’s Robes”. Who has given the Chinese government the right to hurt the emotions of thousands of people who perceive Dalai Lama as the representative of God? Would they be able to use such a language about a religious leader from the Islamic community?

What I feel is that the world should take serious note of what is happening in Tibet. Can any person, having minimum rationality, deny this fact that China is doing something really obnoxious by forcefully occupying Tibet? Isn’t it a clear case of imperialism? On what basis have they got the right to occupy Tibet?

The peace loving people across the world should immediately start a strong campaign against the illegal Chinese domination of Tibet, thereby creating a strong pressure on Beijing to withdraw itself from that beautiful land.

One thing has always surprised me. I have always found that the so-called intellectuals are very fast in criticizing the capitalist countries (like the USA) when the latter do something that is apparently unethical. These intellectuals are so smart in criticizing the USA for its war against Iraq (something which I also do not support). But these intellectuals never criticize Fidel Castro of Cuba for ruling (or shall we say oppressing) his countrymen with an iron hand. Similarly, I never find these intellectuals to criticize the Chinese government who has been playing with the feelings, emotions and self-respect sense of the Tibetans all over the world.

It is high time we stopped all sorts of hypocrisy, and criticize all sorts of unethical activities, irrespective of the country responsible for that. If we do not extend our support to our Tibetan brothers and sisters who are fighting for the liberty of their beloved motherland, then we have no right to call ourselves a civilized society.