MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Ram Madhav Nehru categorically stated, "Tibet, of Excelsior course, is part of China." He also said Established 1965 he many hurdles that His Holi- on another occasion that the Chine- ness overcame to make India his The Dalai Lama at 85 seoccupation of Tibet would put an end Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Thome. to the theocratic regime of the priestly The tiny village of Shaoshan in the ing at me, he asks: "Where are you There was no electricity and hence the preceded by a lot of drama. Once lamas and bring it into "the mainstream Hunan province of China is an impor- from?" But before I can answer he turns house was lit by a generator. There was before, in 1957, His Holiness was invit- of modern civilisation." Expansionist ambitions tant centrepiece of 'Red Tourism'.Bus- to my driver and, more alarmed, asks, a room with a bed for His Holiness to ed for the Mahaparinirvana-2,500 Speaking a few months after the loads of people flock to this birthplace "Are you Tibetan?" When the driver retire and another bigger room with an years of the Buddha's nirvana-celebra- arrival of the Dalai Lama in India in the must be shunned of Mao Zedong to pay their respects to answers in the affirmative, the villager- elevated podium in Tibetan style for tions at Bodh Gaya. His Holiness came Rajya Sabha in October 1959, Nehru the 'Great Helmsman', whose 36- with an obvious sense of urgency-tells him to give darshan and discourses. with an entourage and mind to use the wryly said, "Very probably, the Tibetan n an era of development and cooperation metrehigh statue adorns the village us to leave quickly because the place is Both the rooms were beautifully deco- occasion to seek political asylum in developments have angered and soured between the countries, there was no scope square. There is a Shaoshan Mao heavily surveilled. His voice is fore- rated. "Do you hope to have him back India or the USA. The two brothers of the minds of the government in China, Zedong Memorial Museum too, where boding and his jerky, hurried gestures here?" I asked in part surprise and part the Dalai Lama, who were already very likely… And perhaps they have Ior veracity for any reason whatsoever, to Mao's belongings were kept. make it clear that this is not a place to bewilderment. His Holiness' nephew sanctioned asylum by America, came reacted strongly to what we have done, nurse expansionist ambitions by any country. People are also encouraged to visit- loiter,' he writes. was affirmative. I realised that this hope down to meet him in India. However, I mean, to the asylum we have given to the birthplace of Deng Xiaoping Incidentally, I too had a similar Nehru and Zhou Enlai had left no the Dalai Lama." Era of cold war had ended and other treaties inPaifangvillage of Xiexing Town in experience when I visited this vil- stone unturned to ensure that His His Holiness has remained in India of promoting military and war interests have the Sichuan province. Although Deng lage 10 years before Robertson. At Holiness returned to Tibet.Zhou ever since. He has completed 61 years never returned to his village after ris- that time, I was probably one of the Enlai had stayed for full 12 days in of living in India. When he came, he been rendered infructuous and redundant. ing in the communist hierarchy, the very few Indians who had visited India to make sure that the Dalai was a refugee. But today, every Indian Economic interests and reforms to promote Chinese government has made sure the birthplace of His Holiness. I was Lama did not stay back in India. regards him as an elder in the family. globalisation with intent to focus on develop- that his village also becomes an impor- on a tour of China in November Ultimately, the Dalai Lama had HisHoliness jovially says that tant destination in Red Tourism. The 2008, and my itinerary included a returned to Lhasa in early 1958, only while his body was Tibetan, his blood ment, progress and expansion of trade and village was declared by the state coun- visit to Lhasa. The hosts, a wing of to return in a year's time. wasIndian since he has been eating the commerce, fighting ecological and environ- cil, the Chinese cabinet, in 2001,as a the CPC, saw the controlled visit as Nehru, although agreed to grant rice and dal of this country for the last 'Major Historical and Cultural Site Pro- an opportunity to showcase the asylum toHis Holiness this time, so many decades. He is as much a mental problems, issues of emissions and tected at the National Level' and Hu Jin- progress and development of the was not sure whether he had done revered spiritual master to Indians as fighting terrorism are getting countries closer. tao, thegeneral secretary of the CPC, Tibetan Autonomous Region the right thing or not. India was nev- he has been to many Tibetans and oth- attended the unveiling of Deng's statue (TAR) under the CPC regime. The er there to support the Tibetan cause ers. If any country believed that its die hard old in 2004. visit to Lhasa was to start from Xin- during the fateful years of the '50s HisHoliness has regarded Hin- state policy to usurp neighbours' land would Far removed from these villages, ing, where I was made to board the despite repeated requests by the duism and Buddhism as twins, follow- get any sort of support or any stamp of legiti- which have become important land- recently started train service of the Dalai Lama for support at the UN. ing identical paths, one with the con- marks in China tourism, is the village Qinghai-Tibet Railways. The 26- Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime ception of Atma and the other with macy, it was only day dreaming and at least, of Taktser, in Qinghai province,once a hour train journey was a memorable Minister of Malaysia,was flabber- Anatma. should not dare to do it with a country intrinsi- part of the former Tibetan kingdom. one. The train practically runs on a gasted by India's reluctance to sup- Once he narratedto me his conver- Taktser is the birthplace of His Holi- glacier, and doubtless, is a techno- port the Tibetan cause and sorely sation with Prime Minister Morarji cally believing in and pursuing policy of peace ness,the fourteenth and the current logical marvel. complained that, "Twice Malaya Desai: "We are two branches of the and friendship. The crux or kernel of the Dalai Lama. Unlike Shaoshan and But the most memorable part of raised the Tibetan question in the same tree of Dharma," Desai toldHis Paifang, Taktser doesnot appear any- the trip was my impromptu visit to UNO and twice India refused to sup- Holiness, to which His Holiness impressive speech of Prime Minister Narendra where on the China tourism circuit. The Taktser. His Holiness is loved by 6 mil- is what drives the 6 million Tibetansin port us… we knew what was going to promptly responded saying,"You are Modi which he delivered during his unan- village remains backward, nondescript lion Tibetans. One of them informed preserving their religion, language and happen when China took Tibet. They the tree, and we are the branches." and forlorn. nounced visit to Ladakh recently revolved me in Xining about the village which culture against heavy odds. had their eyes on India and wanted to This humility is the hallmark of His 'Beijing obviously doesn't want was just90minutesaway. My protocol His Holiness had left Lhasa in 1959 get nearer to your borders." Holiness. In fact, at the Emory Univer- around these facts. Taktser becoming a pilgrimage site for officer, an official from the CPC, was and ended up in India as a refugee. Over Even the Dalai Lama had cautioned sity, where he was an honorary profes- A historic and memorable visit of the PM in Tibetans; the Dalai Lama represents a obviously uncomfortable. He pleaded 80,000 Tibetans followed him subse- Nehru about the same and said, "If you sor, His Holiness has described the challenge not to Chinese power per se, helplessness as it was not a part of the quently. The expatriate Tibetan com- deny sovereign status to Tibet, you essence of his philosophy in four the middle of a highly tense situation due to but to its national(ist) narrative,' writes itinerary provided. But I could per- munity is about 150,000 today.He was deny the validity of the convention,and words-humility, honesty, transparency belligerency of China was not without a pur- Tim Robertson, an independent jour- suade him for a quick evening visit to received by Jawaharlal Nehru and therefore, the validity of the McMahon and compassion. His Holiness is the nalist and writer, in Diplomat in 2018. that village. Few miles from the city, granted asylum in India.His Holiness Line." Instead of making sense of the living manifestation of these supreme pose of its peculiar nature as he echoed in no What happens if someone, by chance roads were bad, and by Chinese stan- and his followers have since been stay- Dalai Lama's caution, Nehru got angry qualities. Compassion, the essence of ambiguous manner that era of expansionism or by effort, visits that village? Robert- dards, they can be described as non- ing mainly in Dharamshala and also at with the statement. "What good will it Buddhism, has taken a human form in son narrates his own experience when was over and that the era of development had existent.