![DIIR Kalon Dicki Chhoyang speaking at the One Billion Rising campaign at Club House, Mcleod Ganj, 30 January 2016.](https://tibet.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/K7__4114.jpg)
DIIR Kalon Dicki Chhoyang speaking at the One Billion Rising campaign at Club House, Mcleod Ganj, 30 January 2016. Photo: Masuda Tenpa
DHARAMSHALA: Ms Dicki Chhoyang, Kalon of the Department of Information and International Relations, today spoke to a gathering of over 60 Tibetan and Indian youths to mark the ‘One Billion Rising Campaign for Peace and Climate Justice’. The event was organised by One Billion Rising Revolution in collaboration with Tibetan Women’s Association, Students For a Free Tibet, and the Women empowerment Desk of Central Tibetan Administration.
DIIR Kalon Dicki Chhoyang, who was the chief guest at the event, spoke about the historical bond shared by the two countries of Tibet and India, particularly in relation to script, religion and poetry.
“Tibetan and Indian cultures are like the two branches of the same Bodhi tree. The Tibetan script is based on the Devanagari Gupta script of India and the Buddhism adopted by Tibetans is referred to as the Nalanda tradition,” DIIR Kalon said, adding that there is also a third aspect to the Indo-Tibetan bond that is of great interest.
“There is a large portion of Indic culture that has been incorporated into the Tibetan heritage. However, that influence of Indic culture on Tibetan culture is not much well known. For instance, Tibetan poetry (nyen-ngak melong) is based on the Kavyadarsh (classical Sanskrit poetry), Tibetan civility and norms of conduct (Sakya Lekshay) is based on the Neeti Sastra (collection of morals written by Baddena, a Telugu poet) and the Tibetan treatises on music are based on the Natyashastra (an ancient Indian treatise on theater, dance and music),” DIIR Kalon said, drawing a large round of applause from the participants.
She also added that there is also great deal of ongoing interest in the neuro-science dialogue between Buddhism and science. These discussions often tap into classical Indian knowledge. So, as you can see, we have a multi-dimensional, longstanding and deep-rooted friendship and partnership between India and Tibetans, she said.
Speaking about the occupation of Tibet by China in 1959 and the subsequent flight of thousands of Tibetan refugees to India, she said that it was only natural Tibetans looked south towards India during its time of adversity in 1959 because for long India has been its ‘cultural cousin’ and the land of the noble ones from where Tibetans derived inspiration and knowledge.
Reclaiming the Ancient Bond
Describing the current situation faced by the Tibetans as challenging, she said that despite being in India for over 50 years, majority of Indian youth are not ingratiated in the Tibet issue and what brought Tibetans to India. She called this challenge a void created by the generation gap as the first generation of Tibetan refugees gradually disappears and the younger generation of Tibetans remains indistinguishable from northeastern Indians t the general public.
She also talked about the India-Tibet Coordination Office (ITCO) based in Delhi established by Central Tibetan Administration to fill this void and reclaim the ancient bond of shared heritage between the Tibetan people and India. These are being conducted through outreach activities and workshops to establish why reclaiming these connections are important.
She further urged Tibetan youths studying in Indian colleges and universities to reach out to their classmates to explain these connections between the two countries, adding that contemporary practices like celebration of each other’s holidays; cultural exchanges, etc. should be encouraged.
She concluded by claiming that India and Tibet have withstood the test of time and expressed hope that this friendship not only endures but flourishes and deepens with age, like ‘good wine’.
The event also included an exhibition by DIIR’s Tibet Museum on panels depicting ‘Glimpses of Tibet’ and ‘History of Tibet’.
Other speakers at the event include representatives from Students for a free Tibet, Tibetan Centre for conflict resolution and the Jagori movement.
One Billion Rising is a mass action to end violence against women in human history. The campaign, launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.