Dharamshala: Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration spoke to youth of the Tibetan community at the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Center in Toronto on 8 May. Sikyong was accompanied by Representative Namgyal Choedup during the talk.
In his address, Sikyong gave a brief overview of Tibetan history, the historical bonds between India and Tibet, and the origin of terms such as roof of the world, third pole, fountain of Asia, which are often used to describe Tibet.
Sikyong began his talk by emphasising the youth on the importance of their role in carrying forward the Tibetan movement and the significance of sustaining Tibetan culture in exile. “I consider my generation as the bridge generation. As the bridge generation, it is our responsibility now to link you – the younger generation – with the older generation. So, I make it a point to meet the younger generation of Tibetans everywhere I go. It is one of our top priorities of the 16th cabinet,” he said.
“As the free spokespersons of the Tibetans inside Tibet, we have taken the responsibility till now. Eventually, you will have to take the responsibility. If you are not able to take the responsibility then the Tibetan movement is gone,” he added.
Talking about the Voluntary Tibet Advocacy Group (V-Tag) initiative, Sikyong said that from April this year, the Kashag will be moving ahead as rigorous as possible on the VTAG campaign. “As the Representative said earlier, His Holiness always says that whether we like it or not, in this life, we are born as Tibetans in flesh, blood and bones. So, we have this responsibility. I myself am a Tibetan born in India in exile and I have never been to Tibet. To fulfil my desire to see Tibet, I travel around the border areas and I can see Tibet through the fences,” he said.
“Last year I was in Ladakh and I visited all the nomadic communities, and I saw Tibet across the river Indus. Earlier, I saw Tibet through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim, and again through Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh. Even as kids, we used to sit around the elders and listen to stories about how our our elders from Amdo came to Lhasa and how long it took to reach Lhasa,” he recalled.
Sikyong also spoke about the important role played by maps in maintaining our imagination of Tibet. “It is important to look at the Tibetan map. We have never seen Tibet so our imagination of Tibet is through maps. So I suggest you to look at the Tibetan map and I would also suggest the Tibetan community put up a huge map of Tibet here. By looking at the maps, you will get an idea about the distance and how long your parents and grandparents took to reach Lhasa. This will go a long way in shaping your mind and being responsible for your country,” he remarked.
Speaking about Tibetan history, Sikyong spoke about the Shangshung empire beginning from Tibet’s first king Nyatri Tsenpo, the vast Tibetan empire that came into existence in the 9th century which at one time also captured the Chinese capital of Xian, the disintegration of Tibetan empire, and the origin of Tibetan script as well as Tibetan Buddhism from India.
Sikyong also discussed early travellers who entered Tibet in the past and how their writings influenced the way the world sees Tibet. He spoke about the dominance of Chinese history in the western study of Asian history and said that Tibetans and Mongolians and other asian people have their own perspectives on history which is distinct from Chinese history.
Following Sikyong’s address, Dukthen Kyi, Head of the Tibet Advocacy Section at the Department of Information and International Relations, gave a talk on the Kashag’s VTAG initiative and urged Tibetan youth to enrol in the program. It was followed by a brief question and answer session.
In a different meeting room of the same venue, Sikyong met and interacted with representatives and leaders of Chinese, Uyghur, Taiwanese, Hong Kong communities in Toronto.
The day before on 7 May, Sikyong met representatives from 12 Tibetan religious institutions and 14 Tibetan Associations based in the Toronto area. Sikyong also attended a Mother’s Day celebration organised by the Ontario Tibetan Women’s Association in Toronto.