rangzen festival

sft delhi and the gandhi study circle, st. stephen's college organized a two day festival (27th and 28th october) on tibet that drew students in large numbers. the festival was held at st. stephen's college with a combination of diverse events in an attempt to portray to students the cultural, social and most importantly political relevance of tibet.

the festival opened with a yak dance and opera that became very popular.
yaks in the main corridor!

    

 tingmo and meat stew!
 the tibetan food stalls quickly ran out of food. 

the photo exhibition kit, with write-ups on the history of tibet, the growth of the community-in-exile and the freedom movement, was strategically placed at the entrance to the main corridor so as to attract walkers by. Many students and teachers were seen curiously inspecting the panels.

     

the most poignant exhibition of the gross cruelties of the Chinese govt was the Great Wall of Shame, a photo-exhibition displaying detailed accounts of murder and human rights violation by the CCP. Many were overwhelmed by the graphic details of the photographs, while some questioned the tibetan students at the site about the photographs.

           

prof. srikanth kondapalli
there were two inspirational talks by Mr. Vijay Kranti and Prof. Srikanth Kondapalli strongly emphasizing the threat India faces. the interactive session with Ven. Bhagdo and Tsewang Dhondup, their brutally honest accounts of their experiences moved many to tears. 

        

hearing the personal accounts of tibetan students who came from tibet, over the himalayas, was particularly touching.

       

the closing event of the festival was the dance performance by tibetan students showcasing traditional nomadic, and modern dance styles. 

       

are we nero's guests?

The idea of justice, to my mind, is tied to the practice of development and respect for human rights.

Development is inextricably linked to ethics. In any attempt at defining ‘development’ one is caught up in moral and ethical dilemmas of various kinds. In a globalized world with blind superimpositions of changes in the name of ‘development’ on traditional spaces, Gandhi’s conception of sustainable development and indigenous technology gains importance. Who decides what to change and how? How does one define development, and for whom is one defining this concept? The premise for development is change. Change from an existing social order to a supposedly more sophisticated one.

In my last year in high school, I volunteered to teach English to students in rural schools. It was around that time when I also started studying theories propounded by environmental thinkers like E. F. Schumacher, M. K. Gandhi and Arne Naes, coupled with environmental activism in school, I began to comprehend the complex web of cause and effect that shapes this word: development. Human displacement, environmental degradation, involuntary poverty, warped priorities, and myopic vision and goals were some of the issues I first began to encounter and understand at that time.

I confronted another dimension of development during my internship with the International Justice Mission in Manila. Working with victims of human trafficking introduced me to conflicts concerning the exploitation of the human body and gender-related problems. This brought to my attention the all-pervasive nature of the concept of human rights.

Working with Tibetan refugees as a part of my internship in Dharamsala over this summer, my understanding of human rights and social development grew manifold. This has led to my active and ongoing involvement with Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), a non-governmental organization that uses non-violent direct actions to attain its goals. I was involved in their advocacy work, outreach campaigns, action camps and non-violent public protests. Through my individual interest and activism I have grown to acquire a leadership role in the capacity of President of the SFT Delhi chapter, where I am engaged in organizational and networking tasks, which have sharpened my skills as a worker in a large organization, setting long-term and short-term goals, identifying targets, brainstorming, taking decisions, strategizing, and planning the little details of campaigns to make them most effective.

With this powerful exposure to understanding some of the worst methods of systematic violation of human rights, I have now become sensitive to debates concerning human rights, the state and the citizen, and seek to question our understanding of the concept of development. It is this internship that first made me think of pursuing a vocation in development, human rights and justice. It is quite reasonable to believe that a fight for a perfectly just society appears to be an utopian ideal. It is the injustices that can easily be resolved that demand our urgent attention. It is such injustices that we ought to avoid and question in our analysis and practice of ‘development’. 

A Tibetan Hero

I am a final year undergraduate student working with Students for a Free Tibet, Delhi.

I want to tell you about a brave young man.

Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan man who is serving eight years in prison for a crime he did not commit: for making a film that tells the truth.

‘Leaving Fear Behind’ is a poignant film that captures the suppressed voice of Tibetans inside Tibet prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the film, Dhondup Wangchen courageously documents the views and concerns of Tibetans from all walks of life. A young man tells us of his underground education movement in an attempt to save the unique language and culture of his people. A nomad relates the restrictions on cattle grazing by the Chinese government. A farmer weeps at the very mention of the Dalai Lama.

Dhondup Wangchen’s film tells of Tibetan life under Chinese occupation from the eyes of Tibetans.

Visit www.leavingfearbehind.org for details on the film. Sign a petition for the release of Dhondup Wangchen at www.studentsforafreetibet.org

What is ‘Democracy’?

Uproar in the Karnataka Assembly and subsequent claims of the death and mockery of democracy.


Liu Xiaobo wins Nobel Peace Prize for his sustained efforts in upholding human rights in China and calling for democratic elections.


Preliminary elections in Kyrgyzstan, one more step in the Central Asian country's path to democratic reform, signalling stability in a terribly troubled region.


First round of elections for Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, a community striving to build a strong democratic government.


A couple of events in the past couple of days, combined with my growing interest in political happenings around the world, have led me to question my understanding of the concept of democracy. In the face of such struggles for arriving at democracy, what do I, a citizen of the world's biggest democracy, understand by this? I don't know, quite frankly. What is my relationship with the government, the state? In a democratic setting, what rights do I enjoy? What are the freedoms that I am entitled to, and am I taking them for granted? How closely is my sense of belonging, my identity as an individual tied to my being a free citizen in a democratic country?


What do you think?

thoughts on a journey

bottle-green

parrot-green

lime-green

yellow-green

thousands of shades of green whiz by my window as I journey down to Bangalore to see my brother and visit old haunts. a vast stretch of unknown land. fields, trees, bushes, rocks, rivulets. a man urges his cattle to plough his field. a poultry farm. muddy water. a scarecrow in an inviting field. a river! beautiful in its still movement.

blue. white. blue. white. blue. white.
another train rushes by.

a lone woman carries firewood home. a temple. a well.

I remember the intricate topographical maps I drew in geography class in school. every road, every temple, every well, every stream was spotted.