SUHASINI HAIDAR for The Hindu
The line begins at the base of the hill every morning, as tourists, devotees and disciples wait to see the Dalai Lama, after crossing rigorous security checks and leaving bags, belongings and everything except a silk scarf or khata as an offering to him. At 88, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists and the leader of the Tibetan diaspora that fled, like he did in 1959 from Tibet under Chinese rule, is remarkably healthy, and sharp. When asked about his health, aides point to his knees, and some hearing issues as the big worries. The Dalai Lama comes out of his home in McLeodganj in a golf cart, waving to all those gathered, before sitting in a chair as they file past. He blesses them, has advice for those who seek it, and cracks a few jokes.
We are a group of four journalists, hosted by the India Tibet Coordination Office and among the first to speak with him in some years. Most of what he says to us has been said before: that he hopes to return to Lhasa one day, but will return to India; that he thinks China is changing, and that more Chinese people, not just in Tibet, are taking to Buddhism and want to see him return. Above all, he speaks of his commitment to non-violence and the middle path, demanding talks for more freedom and autonomy inside Tibet, but not independence or political separation from China.
The ‘splittists’
The Dalai Lama exudes optimism of achieving this demand, despite the fact that China has termed Tibetan freedom activists ‘terrorists’ and called him a ‘splittist’, but there are now furrowed lines on his otherwise clear visage. Travelling around McLeodganj, nicknamed ‘little Lhasa’ for the thousands of Tibetans who have made their home there, it is easy to see that worries about the future hang heavy. Three concerns follow us: the growing restrictions and lack of news from inside Tibet, the large Tibetan diaspora leaving India and getting scattered around the world, and the question of the Dalai Lama’s succession, or reincarnation as Tibetans believe, upon which lies the larger question of the direction the Tibetan movement will take.
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