Dharamshala: Earlier this morning, the 6th Young Indian Scholars’ Conference on Tibetan Studies was kicked off at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah (CHTS, Sarah), in the gracious presence of Kalon (Minister) Norzin Dolma, Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR).

The conference’s inaugural was also attended by several expert speakers, namely Prof. Ramu Manivannan from Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Prof. Vasudha Pande from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Prof. Swatahsiddha Sarkar from University of North Bengal, and Prof. Sonika Gupta from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, along with the Principal of CHTS, Sarah, Passang Tsering, Deputy Director of the Tibet Policy Institute, Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, and researchers from Tibet Policy Institute.

Before Kalon Norzin Dolma’s address, Deputy Director Tempa Gyaltsen welcomed attendees and provided an overview of the conference.

While extending her pleasure of being able to attend this inaugural in the presence of distinguished experts and aspiring scholars, Kalon Norzin Dolma spoke about the relevance and significance of the conference themed ‘Tibet and South Asia’, saying, “It essentially boils down to the tragic fate of Tibet being invaded and occupied by the People’s Republic of China and the long-standing unresolved status of the Sino-Tibet conflict. These have implicit and explicit repercussions on the geo-political, geo-strategic, and geo-economic dynamics within South Asia and also globally.”

Breaking down the reasons into three key factors, the Kalon began by addressing the implications stemming from China’s physical and psychological proximity to its neighbouring countries, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan, a situation resulting from the PLA troops’ forceful occupation of Tibet. With the People’s Republic of China increasingly asserting its interests in the region through various initiatives, notably the Belt and Road Initiative, Kalon Norzin Dolma remarked, “China is at every level seeking and creating more and more spaces for its infiltration and influence in all sectors, not just in South Asia, but globally.”

“Second factor of the relevance is the geo-strategic and environmentally sensitive location of the Tibetan plateau,” said Kalon, while noting that through China’s misguided development policies and practices, along with other natural causes, Asia’s major river systems—predominantly originating from Tibet, known as Asia’s water tower—are being disrupted. This disturbance ultimately creates challenges for the riparian communities of 1.8 billion people. Thus, Kalon emphasised, “Many are rightly concerned about China’s water weaponisation and water hegemonic practices, which are threatening the freshwater security of the neighbouring South Asian countries. It is crucial that we revisit and acknowledge Tibet’s vital role and its centrality in Asia’s hydrological cycle.”

Thirdly, outlining Tibet’s historical, spiritual, and cultural connections with the South Asian countries, primarily through Tibet’s Buddhist tradition, the Kalon stressed that the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism and its attempts to misappropriate the authority of recognising His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s reincarnation primarily aimed to exert its influences in the global Buddhist community. This factor “in which China is extremely interested in has implications, not only for the political agency and legitimate authority of Tibet, but it has wider geo-political repercussions in South Asia and beyond.”

Before concluding, Kalon Norzin Dolma acknowledged the challenges posed by the scarcity of research on the connections between Tibet and South Asian countries and, thus, commended such academic conferences for creating vital platforms that encourage scholarship and facilitate meaningful dialogue on these critical topics.

Following that, Professor Ramu Manivannan, Director of the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems (Multiversity) in Kurumbapalayam village, Tamil Nadu, delivered the keynote address. He offered insights on the conference’s theme from an Indian perspective. Drawing on historical examples, Professor Ramu highlighted China’s devious strategies in its negotiations with various countries/empires, including India, which have had significant repercussions for Tibet’s current situation. He expressed regret over India’s foreign policies over the years and urged an explicit acknowledgement from the Indian government of Tibet’s historical status as a northern neighbour.

Before wrapping up the inaugural ceremony, the Principal of CHTS, Sarah Passang Tsering, conveyed a vote of thanks to the distinguished guests, speakers, participants, and facilitators for their contributions and presented a briefing on the programmes of the conference.

Over the course of this two-day conference organised by the Tibet Policy Institute, 25 young Indian scholars participating in the event will present their research papers on topics associated with Tibet.