Well, all the details of the trip have been logged, but I have some more pictures to share.
A local kid playing with water
Wild flower - I still dont know its name!
Vegetation amongst rocksSaturday, July 07, 2007
... but the memories are there to stay
A local kid playing with waterWild flower - I still dont know its name!Vegetation amongst rocks
Monday, July 02, 2007
Dharamsala and Tibet
Mridula linked one of my posts on Dharamsala at BLOGBHARTI, where sirensongs provided some insightful (and lesser known) information about Tibet and Dharamsala.
Copying this discussion/information here -
Sirensongs:
The memorial in the churchyard was for the British Lord Elgin, who used to live there and is buried there.
You wrote: "it was the first time I had heard about" (all the atrocities of the Chinese invasion of Tibet).
Yes, those of us who live in Dharamsala and breathe this stuff every day do not realize that many people are not familiar with the situation. I had Indian tourists in Dharamsala come up and ask me (sincerely) "why are all these Chinese people here?" (meaning, the Tibetans)! Thanks for caring, and please tell other visitors to Dharamsala not to miss the museum.
Me (Sigma):
- Thanks for providing the correct information about the memorial.
- It was not the first time I had heard about it. It was the first time I learnt the gory details. You are right, the outside world does not have a clear picture or perspective of the plight of the Tibetans. I am trying to increase the awareness in the way I can - by posting the info I have. Would be glad to link in further info that you might have uploaded.
Sirensongs:
Another thing of which many, many people are not aware is that the Tibetans did not just run to India without a fight. There was a fierce resistance movement, in part funded by the American CIA, and it only ended completely in the 1970s. Problem was not valour, just that there were not enough Tibetans numerically (compared to Chinese). I can?t remember whether this is depicted in the museum, but there are some books about it (Fire Under the Snow and Buddha?s Army).
There are a number of Indian pro-Tibet support groups which emphasize not just "the poor Tibetans" angle but India's own enlightened self-interest in being aware of the issues involved with Tibet and China. Friends of Tibet is one; the Core Group is another. I will try to get the info and post it here and to your blog. Thanks for caring.
Copying this discussion/information here -
Sirensongs:
The memorial in the churchyard was for the British Lord Elgin, who used to live there and is buried there.
You wrote: "it was the first time I had heard about" (all the atrocities of the Chinese invasion of Tibet).
Yes, those of us who live in Dharamsala and breathe this stuff every day do not realize that many people are not familiar with the situation. I had Indian tourists in Dharamsala come up and ask me (sincerely) "why are all these Chinese people here?" (meaning, the Tibetans)! Thanks for caring, and please tell other visitors to Dharamsala not to miss the museum.
Me (Sigma):
- Thanks for providing the correct information about the memorial.
- It was not the first time I had heard about it. It was the first time I learnt the gory details. You are right, the outside world does not have a clear picture or perspective of the plight of the Tibetans. I am trying to increase the awareness in the way I can - by posting the info I have. Would be glad to link in further info that you might have uploaded.
Sirensongs:
Another thing of which many, many people are not aware is that the Tibetans did not just run to India without a fight. There was a fierce resistance movement, in part funded by the American CIA, and it only ended completely in the 1970s. Problem was not valour, just that there were not enough Tibetans numerically (compared to Chinese). I can?t remember whether this is depicted in the museum, but there are some books about it (Fire Under the Snow and Buddha?s Army).
There are a number of Indian pro-Tibet support groups which emphasize not just "the poor Tibetans" angle but India's own enlightened self-interest in being aware of the issues involved with Tibet and China. Friends of Tibet is one; the Core Group is another. I will try to get the info and post it here and to your blog. Thanks for caring.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Sirensongs, the museum does mention that there was a resistance, and the Tibetans lost it because they were too few in number compared to the Chinese army, and not trained well at that. It also mentions that the Dalai Lama fled only when there was a risk to his life there, and many of his followers risked their lives to help him escape.
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