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In Pictures: Living with the Tibetan dream

Tibetans, particularly youth, are worried about their future as they mark 55th anniversary of uprising against China.

Young Tibetans attend a seminar on online safety and mobile security to guard themselves from Chinese online surveillance.
By Saif Khalid
Published On 13 Mar 2014

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Ever since the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, thousands of Tibetans have made the perilous journey through the Himalayas to find refuge in India.

On March 10, 1959, hundreds of Tibetans rose up against Chinese rule in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, but the uprising was brutally suppressed by the Chinese army. China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but Tibetans say the mountainous region was virtually independent until China occupied it in 1950.

Following the uprising, the Dalai Lama, then Tibet’s political as well as spiritual leader, fled to India on foot followed by his supporters, who made India their second home.

There are about 100,000 Tibetan exiles in India today, out of whom about 6,000 live in the country’s capital, New Delhi. The northern Indian Himalayan town of Dharamsala is the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the abode of the Dalai Lama. The government-in-exile takes care of the Tibetan community, and runs a network of hostels, schools and guest houses. The schools, which are based on India‘s curriculum, also teach the Tibetan language, history, culture and religion.

Young Tibetans continue to come to India in search of better economic and educational opportunities, but many of them are worried about their future. The fact that the Dalai Lama is getting older has also been a point of concern for many Tibetans.

The 78-year-old spiritual leader handed over his political powers to the democratically elected Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay in 2011.

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On Monday, hundreds of Tibetans gathered in Dharamsala to mark 55 years since the uprising. Speaking on the occasion, Sangay said: “It was not easy for young Tibetans still living in Tibet – isolated from cousins, friends and former neighbours who have gone into exile in countries around the world.”

“It is the younger generation of Tibetans in Tibet who clearly and loudly demand their identity, freedom and unity,” Sangay told AP news agency.

Lhadon Tethong, a Tibetan activist based in the US, has been training Tibetan youth activists on Internet security. She says Chinese spies keep a close watch on their activities, and that they need to be careful.
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Lobsang Yangsto, a PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, came to India in 1991 from Tibet. She is worried about her future, and says she may apply for Indian citizenship as it would help her get a job.
Gendun Gyatso, a student of political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University, is from the central Tibetan region of Shigatse. He says Tibetan culture is under threat from China.
The entrance to the Tibetan refugee colony in Delhi which is popularly known as Majnu ka Tila. It houses a popular market where one can find traditional Tibetan handicrafts and Tibetan food.
About 6,000 Tibetans live in New Delhi.
Sonam (left) and Sangmo, both in their 90s, fled from Tibet in the 1960s and now live in New Delhi.
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Wangdue, who came from Tibet in 1993, runs a shop in north New Delhi. He says the Dalai Lama will continue to guide the Tibetans.
Loga, age 70, came to India in 1959. He is now settled in New Delhi and hopes to go back once the Tibetan issue is resolved.
A Buddha statue on display at a souvenir shop at a Tibetan colony in north New Delhi.
Tempa Choepel, who was given the name Abu Tsenga by the Dalai Lama, came from eastern Tibet in 1993 and longs to return to his homeland.
Lobsang Phende is an activist with Students for Free Tibet. The campaign is funded by selling souvenirs, T-shirts with Tibet slogans, and similar merchandise. He first came to Nepal and then moved to India in 1999.
Kalsang Thakji, 27, runs a salon in north New Delhi. She says most of her customers are Tibetans, but a number of locals also visit her shop. Her uncle Tenzin Delek was arrested in Tibet in 2002, and has been detained ever since.
A nurse stands at a traditional Tibetan health centre in north New Delhi. The dispensary handles about 80 patients, mostly Indians. There are more than 50 such health centres across India and abroad.
Choekyong Wangchuk, a member of parliament in the Tibetan government in exile, says his job is to cater to the welfare of Tibetans abroad. He says the Tibetan government is focused on Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal and Bhutan.