Round Table Discussion

"Fifty years of Exile and Fifty years of Togetherness":
A Round Table Discussion

Date: 6th Feb. 2009
Venue: Hotel Surya, Mcleod Ganj
Time: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

The year 2009 will be observed as fifty years in exile by Tibetans all over. While it has been fifty years of exile, it has also been fifty years of togetherness with our Indian brothers and sisters. The Historical relationship between India and Tibet is unique in many ways dating back to the 6th Century when Buddhism was brought to Tibet from India. The relation has especially deepened during the last 50 years of direct contact between Tibetans and Indians, the political and humanitarian support of the Government and people of India will be unforgettable for every Tibetan.

We can rightly say that Indians and Tibetans are one of the most harmonious co-existing communities. However, we all have our own needs and so there have been, are and will be many similarities and dissimilarities between us. What we need to accomplish is value and cherish the similarities and have the courage to address the dissimilarities and convert them into positive energy.

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR) organized a Round Table Discussion on the 6th of February 2009 observing 50 years in exile for the Tibetan refugees. The Round Table Discussion titled "50 Years of Exile and 50 Years of Togetherness" aimed at facilitating a platform for a reflective look in building partnerships towards a more supportive community of Indians and Tibetans and identifying lessons that we can all take forward towards strengthening the friendship that we have shared for years.

Aims:

TCCR aims in gaining an insight into the fifty years in order to bring about a collective idea of our struggle, what we have achieved and what needs to be done. The purpose of the discussion is to bring together a strong and effective group of people who can contribute valuable and innovative ideas towards a harmonious co-existence of the two communities and develop a deeper understanding and respect for each other.

The Centre aspires to attain a platform wherein the ideas accumulated could be put in action for a balanced agreement and mutual acceptance by the two communities so that a prospective alliance benefiting both Indians as well as Tibetans could be shaped and put in practice. In order to achieve this we put up a set of agendas which would be discussed during the Round Table.

1. 50 years of struggle: A reflective look into the successes and shortcomings.
2. 50 years of togetherness with our Indian brothers and sisters: The challenges faced
3. Looking into the future: Building partnerships towards a more supportive community of Indians and Tibetans.

In order to make the Round Table Discussion a success and to meet with the aims and objectives we made sure that everything was minutely planned, focusing on every aspect and point that would be necessary and significant. To confer on the importance of the Discussion, we held a number of meetings wherein ideas were shared to bring about a precise and clear image of our aims and the work that was to be carried out. With the collaborative effort of our staff team we gave attention to detail in setting out the goals and agendas of the discussion to meet with our purpose of strengthening the relation of the two communities.

For the Round Table Discussion to be productive we needed to have an equal balance of participants from both the communities at the local level who would have some influence in their own community and at the grassroots level to bring about a decisive change. It was also our prime concern to have an equal balance of participants from both the communities who can share their thoughts and contribute towards building a peaceful and co-operative society.

For that we invited local representatives from both the communities and individuals who have taken responsibility and initiatives in the past. The Additional S.P., Vice Chairman of the Municipal Council, Tibetan Welfare Officer, Presidents of various Indian and Tibetan NGO's and representatives from the local Taxi Union and Shopkeepers Association were some of the participants who attended the Round Table Discussion.

Round Table Discussion:

The day began with an informal interaction among the participants with a welcome tea. We were delighted that almost all of the participants that we invited could make it to the discussion which began with a welcome speech by Mr. Karma Lekshey. In his speech he said, "This Round Table Discussion is an effort on our part to bring the two communities together and make each other heard so that we can look forward with a vision of hope and optimism, so that in the future we can live together and work together harmoniously. We hope that with such great minds gathered today this discussion will prove to be historical in bringing about many valuable ideas and will be a great success."

The Round Table Discussion facilitated by Mrs. Sonam Dechen, and with the enthusiastic involvement of the participants turned out to be a great success and a stepping stone for future endeavors.

Enlisted below are suggestions and ideas formulated during the discussion

• As Tibetans all over the world would observe fifty years in exile, all the Tibetan participants took the opportunity to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the people and the Government India for their continuous support and help.

• India has been providing refuge and social support for the Tibetan refugees since 1959. However, the most important aspect that the Tibetans look forward to is to have more political support especially from the Indian Government for the issue of Tibet. For that the Tibetans urge the people and specially the elected local and state representatives to raise the issue of Tibet in the Parliament to adopt a resolution in support of Tibet.

• A suggestion was made to raise the Tibetan National flag on the 10th of March at the town hall of the Municipal Council as a mark of solidarity for the brave Tibetans who lost their lives during last years uprising under Chinese atrocities. In response to it, the Vice chairman of the Municipal Council of Dharamsala expressed his support and said that he would definitely raise the matter in the house as it would need the authorization of the members. Moreover, he said that he has had the Tibetan National flag in his personal chamber for many years and would continue to do so in the future.

• The Indian participants were of the view that the slogan "Tibet's Independence-India's Security" stands true to its words. In agreement to the phrase they extended their support and help for the Tibetan struggle.

• The need of the hour is to educate young Tibetan and Indian children on the age old historic ties between India and Tibet in terms of culture, religion and trade. Small things make a lot of difference. Keeping that in mind the Tibetans should bring out special mementos signifying the importance of Indo-Tibetan historic ties and relations that will reach to the general masses of both the communities. The Indian and Tibetan communities have done a lot but there are many things that could be done to further consolidate and upgrade the Indo-Tibet relation.

• Dharamsala has become prominent globally because of the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The people of Dharamsala are proud to have Him as a Resident of the town. Therefore it is the moral duty of all the people of Dharamsala to work together and live in harmony and make sure that no conflict of any kind occurs which disrupts the peace of the place.

• There have been some incidences in the past when small conflicts between individuals have been blown out of proportion leading to group or communal disharmony. Such incidents should not be promoted and the people must be made aware that conflicts could be worked out by clearing up the misunderstandings with positive communication and a fair procedure with respect to the law of the land. For that reason every individual has a responsibility, especially the elected local representatives to lead the people in the right direction in such situations.

• His Holiness regards the kindness of the Indian Government and its people and has always asked the Tibetan representatives to not only look into the matters of their own people but also lend a helping hand to the local Indian communities as much as possible. So it is also the moral responsibility of all the Tibetans to extend their support for India in times when the nation is facing natural disasters or incidents which disrupts the security and peace of the country. The Tibetans should take more concrete actions and reach out to the welfare of the general Indian masses that are affected by such incidents as a tribute to the great nation. Such humble efforts will help in further strengthening the ties of Indo-Tibetan friendship.

• The discussion looked into the role of the local media and was of mutual agreement that in some incidences in the past, small issues were presented as a communal dispute which at a certain level created misunderstanding and fear among the two communities. These occurrences strongly affect the stability and harmony of the region thus making the common people bear the difficulties and loss. Thus it was important to bridge the gap with a high level of understanding and communication which will help in making the local media more aware of the issues to avoid such happenings.

• There have always been problems between minorities and majorities in many areas and as per the Tibetan and local Indian issues are concerned, though there have been small frictions in the past if we compare it with the incidents in other parts of India it is very few in number. We have lived in harmony and friendship for the last fifty years and we should be glad on this part and try to resolve these small conflicts which come our way. Tibetans being in exile are likely to be more concerned in preserving their culture and identity and this may in some situation make the local Indians insecure of being overpowered. So we have to work out on these insecurities on both the sides and live in harmony by respecting each others culture and tradition. Living together what we need to do is overlook the shortcomings and share the successes of each other leading to a prosperous and peaceful community.

• A common consensus of the participants was that many times most of the conflicts originate because of minor issues and disagreements which are generally between the youth of the two communities. Therefore the need was to generate more tolerance among the youth and try to solve such incidences through dialogue and patience. To overcome this it is important that the youth of the two communities mingle with each other and bridge the communication gap. For this the participants suggested group exchange programmes among the school and college going students and also social service programmes within the two communities which would help in understanding each other better and strengthening the bond. The local NGO's and representatives of both the communities could also work towards creating a platform for an exchange such as inter-cultural workshops where the two communities could share their thoughts and break out from the negative stereotypes of each other and build strong partnerships.

• Many times people face problems due to lack of awareness. To overcome these difficulties the Additional SP of Dharamsala assured that the authorities from the police department will always be ready to come over and make the people aware of their rights. It could be accomplished if the Tibetan NGO's when organizing a meeting could invite representatives from the Police department or if possible arrange a special meeting wherein the Police would extend their co-operation through an educational programme by making all the Tibetans aware about their rights not only concerning the RC issues but the Indian Penal code and other local and special laws. She further stated that it is everyone's responsibility to respect the law of the state. A suggestion was also made on the grounds of community policing with the co-operation of both the local communities to avoid low intensity conflicts.

• The Additional SP also pointed out the necessity of educating school children about police working. She affirmed that her department would like to invite children from Tibetan schools to the police station or would like to visit these schools for educating them about police operations so that the inherent fear in the public about the police can be overcome.

• Conflicts arise between two individuals in general but most of it that occurs between individuals under the influence of drugs making matters more serious and uncontrollable. The two communities have to work together on this problem and make the younger generation free from the influence of drugs and alcohol which is the root cause of all problems

Conclusion:

The Round Table Discussion is a milestone that TCCR in its own respect has been able to achieve successfully. The initiative taken by the Centre was appreciated by everyone as the first of its kind which effectively laid a platform for sharing of ideas and working together for the advantage of both the communities. We were overwhelmed by the encouraging response that we received from the participants who made the discussion a success by evenhandedly sharing their thoughts and also their invaluable suggestions. We can confidently envisage that more of such discussions will be very helpful in achieving our endeavor for building a strong and supportive community.

TCCR prioritized its focus on the fraternity of the communities by organizing two Inter Cultural Workshops on Conflict Transformation towards furthering communal harmony and deepening mutual understanding among the Indians and Tibetans living side by side. The Round Table Discussion proved to be a guiding force towards initiating more of such activities in the future.

A heartwarming outcome of the discussion was that both the Indians and Tibetans, realizing their own shortcomings promised to work together in overcoming problems in the future. As a mark of respect the programme concluded with a presentation of traditional Tibetan scarves to all the Indian participants to thank them for their untiring support and help for the Tibetan people and their struggle.