DHARAMSHALA: Secretary Tashi Phuntsok of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) today spoke to over 30 students from India and abroad at the DIIR auditorium. The students are in Dharamshala as part of the annual Gurukul programme from 1 June to 7 July, which aims to enrich formal education processes by facilitating contacts with masters of different spiritual traditions,and communities.

Secretary Tashi Phuntsok spoke to the students about the organisational structure of the Central Tibetan Administration and the functions of the various departments under the Central Tibetan Administration.

He also spoke about the Middle Way Approach of the Central Tibetan Administration. “The Middle Way Approach categorically rejects the present repressive and colonial policies of the Chinese government towards the Tibetan people while not seeking separation from the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

The Gurukul program is a month-long annual program where students from diverse backgrounds stay for a month in Dharamsala, the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration. Here, participants receive an extended introduction to Tibetan culture and religion by actively engaging in daily activities of Tibetan life in the monasteries and nunneries, and with communities in exile.

Through discourses, lectures, films and other learning media, Gurukul participants gain insights into the innovative ways in which a community in exile copes with displacement and strives to keep its traditions alive. Students also have the opportunity to give something back to the community. They are encouraged to teach English to monks, nuns and refugees from Tibet, and volunteer with service and welfare projects.