December 4

Through My Eyes

Saturday December 4

(We continue to listen to Dalai Lama as he tells of the arrivals of the first refugees from Tibet. )

" From these new arrivals I learnt that, after their initial bombardment of the Norbulingka, the Chinese had turned their guns on to the Potala and the Johkhang, slaughtering and wounding thousands. Both buildings were badly damaged. The Chakpori Medical School was totally destroyed. No one knows how many people were killed during this onslaught, but a PLA document captured by Tibetan freedom fighters during the 1960s stated that between March 1959 and September 1960, 87,000 deaths through military action were recorded. (This figure does not include all those who died as a result of suicide, torture and starvation.)

As a result, countless thousands of my people tried to leave Tibet. Many died, either directly at the hands of the Chinese, or from wounds,malnutrition, cold and disease. Those who managed to escape across the border did so in a state of abject dereliction. And although there was food and shelter for them on arrival, the relentless Indian sun began to exact a pitiless toll from them. There were two main transit camps, one at Missamari, close to Tezpur, the other at Buxa Duar, a former British prisoner-of-war camp located close to the Bhutanese border in the north-east.

Both places were much lower than Mussoories's elevation of 6,000 feet, so the heat was unmitigated. For although it can get quite hot in Tibet during the summer, the air at the high altitude people were used to was extremely dry, whereas on the Indian plains the heat is accompanied by high levels of humidity. This was not just uncomfortable for the refugees but all too often fatal. Diseases which were unknown to Tibetans proliferated in this new environment. Thus, on top of the danger of death from injuries sustained while escaping from Tibet, there was also danger of death from heat stroke and illnesses such as tuberculosis, which flourished under these conditions. Many succumbed.

Those of us who lived in Mussoorie were considerably more fortunate than the majority of our fellow countrymen and women. And because there were fans installed at Birla house, I suffered perhaps least of all- though the fans themselves did cause their own difficulties, I found. The tendency was to leave them on at night, which caused digestive problems. I was reminded of a proverb of one of my sweepers at the Potala: 'In the winter it is cold and you wrap up at night. But in the summer it is warm and you forget.'

Another small observation I made at this time was that hot weather encourages fruit eating, whereas when it is cold there is no such desire.

I had limited personal experience of the discomfort due to heat suffered by my fellow exiles on those occasions when I had cause to go down to the plains during those summer months. The first of these was in June. when I travelled to Delhi to call on the Prime Minister for discussions about the growing refugee population. Already there were 20,000 and the numbers were increasing on a daily basis.

I began by pleading for the new arrivals to be moved somewhere that the climate was less damaging than at Tezpur and Buxa Duar. They had arrived wearing long robes and heavy boots, completely ignorant of the imminent hot season. And although the first few thousand refugees to escape from the murderous hands of Tibet's 'liberators' were mostly men, many from Lhasa and surroundings districts, later whole families began to arrive. These people came principally from the border areas, where Chinese control was not yet absolute.

I impressed upon Nehru my conviction that the majority would die if they were left there. At first, he showed some signs of irritation. He said that I was asking too much. I must remember that India was a poor,developing country. But quickly his humanitarian instincts won him over. Already the Kashag had held discussions with Indian officials about a plan to employ the refugees on road camps in northern India and now Nehru said that he would see to it that the arrangements were made as quickly as possible. This would then allow them to earn their keep and, at the same time, to be taken to a more suitable climate.

He then began to talk about the future education of the refugee children, quickly warming to the subject, so that in the end he was showing such interest that it was as if he considered the matter to be his own personal responsibility. He said that, since as far as he was concerned we would be guests of India for the foreseeable future, our children were our most precious resource. They should be well educated. And, in order to preserve Tibetan culture, it would be necessary to have separate schools for them. There should therefore be an independent Society for Tibetan Education within the Indian Ministry of Education. He added that the Indian Government would bear all the expenses for setting up the schools. "

( Nehru proves to be very generous! I promise to add more tomorrow...)

*( please click here to read of the day with me )

* This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth

Dalai Lama of Tibet.

( Please see my spinning for you!)

( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you then continued work on those technical problems which with us working two as one together is going quite well! All of our pictures have been saved, almost 30,000 of them except the ones from this November; these we'll probably get back later and just about everything is working again. I'll tell you more of all this later. After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah-tso gi to the Grove to check on the trees and native plants and to plant some more comfrey for Groundhog's garden. Then I wandered about taking pictures. After that I rested by your Medlar tree as usual. I'll bring us a picture of your Medlar tree soon so you can see how it is doing! The water was flowing over Beaver's dam and creating awesome fountains and currents; I took lots of pictures so I can bring them to us. After that I returned to our studio to work on the website then our a land of Tibet. Two as one we've fixed a few more mistakes on the pages. You'll notice the usual changes on the pages.I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite;I'll put this up a bit early so we can rest.

And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow

my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright

long dark mane in sunlight

so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)


	Through My Eyes Saturday December 4 (We continue to listen to Dalai Lama as he tells of the arrivals of the first refugees from Tibet. ) " From these new arrivals I learnt that, after their initial bombardment of the Norbulingka, the Chinese had turned their guns on to the Potala and the Johkhang, slaughtering and wounding thousands. Both buildings were badly damaged. The Chakpori Medical School was totally destroyed. No one knows how many people were killed during this onslaught, but a PLA document captured by Tibetan freedom fighters during the 1960s stated that between March 1959 and September 1960, 87,000 deaths through military action were recorded. (This figure does not include all those who died as a result of suicide, torture and starvation.) As a result, countless thousands of my people tried to leave Tibet. Many died, either directly at the hands of the Chinese, or from wounds,malnutrition, cold and disease. Those who managed to escape across the border did so in a state of abject dereliction. And although there was food and shelter for them on arrival, the relentless Indian sun began to exact a pitiless toll from them. There were two main transit camps, one at Missamari, close to Tezpur, the other at Buxa Duar, a former British prisoner-of-war camp located close to the Bhutanese border in the north-east. Both places were much lower than Mussoories's elevation of 6,000 feet, so the heat was unmitigated. For although it can get quite hot in Tibet during the summer, the air at the high altitude people were used to was extremely dry, whereas on the Indian plains the heat is accompanied by high levels of humidity. This was not just uncomfortable for the refugees but all too often fatal. Diseases which were unknown to Tibetans proliferated in this new environment. Thus, on top of the danger of death from injuries sustained while escaping from Tibet, there was also danger of death from heat stroke and illnesses such as tuberculosis, which flourished under these conditions. Many succumbed. Those of us who lived in Mussoorie were considerably more fortunate than the majority of our fellow countrymen and women. And because there were fans installed at Birla house, I suffered perhaps least of all- though the fans themselves did cause their own difficulties, I found. The tendency was to leave them on at night, which caused digestive problems. I was reminded of a proverb of one of my sweepers at the Potala: 'In the winter it is cold and you wrap up at night. But in the summer it is warm and you forget.' Another small observation I made at this time was that hot weather encourages fruit eating, whereas when it is cold there is no such desire. I had limited personal experience of the discomfort due to heat suffered by my fellow exiles on those occasions when I had cause to go down to the plains during those summer months. The first of these was in June. when I travelled to Delhi to call on the Prime Minister for discussions about the growing refugee population. Already there were 20,000 and the numbers were increasing on a daily basis. I began by pleading for the new arrivals to be moved somewhere that the climate was less damaging than at Tezpur and Buxa Duar. They had arrived wearing long robes and heavy boots, completely ignorant of the imminent hot season. And although the first few thousand refugees to escape from the murderous hands of Tibet's 'liberators' were mostly men, many from Lhasa and surroundings districts, later whole families began to arrive. These people came principally from the border areas, where Chinese control was not yet absolute. I impressed upon Nehru my conviction that the majority would die if they were left there. At first, he showed some signs of irritation. He said that I was asking too much. I must remember that India was a poor,developing country. But quickly his humanitarian instincts won him over. Already the Kashag had held discussions with Indian officials about a plan to employ the refugees on road camps in northern India and now Nehru said that he would see to it that the arrangements were made as quickly as possible. This would then allow them to earn their keep and, at the same time, to be taken to a more suitable climate. He then began to talk about the future education of the refugee children, quickly warming to the subject, so that in the end he was showing such interest that it was as if he considered the matter to be his own personal responsibility. He said that, since as far as he was concerned we would be guests of India for the foreseeable future, our children were our most precious resource. They should be well educated. And, in order to preserve Tibetan culture, it would be necessary to have separate schools for them. There should therefore be an independent Society for Tibetan Education within the Indian Ministry of Education. He added that the Indian Government would bear all the expenses for setting up the schools. " ( Nehru proves to be very generous! I promise to add more tomorrow...) ( please click here to read of the day with me ) This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. ( Please see my spinning for you!) ( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you then continued work on those technical problems which with us working two as one together is going quite well! All of our pictures have been saved, almost 30,000 of them except the ones from this November; these we'll probably get back later and just about everything is working again. I'll tell you more of all this later. After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah-tso gi to the Grove to check on the trees and native plants and to plant some more comfrey for Groundhog's garden. Then I wandered about taking pictures. After that I rested by your Medlar tree as usual. I'll bring us a picture of your Medlar tree soon so you can see how it is doing! The water was flowing over Beaver's dam and creating awesome fountains and currents; I took lots of pictures so I can bring them to us. After that I returned to our studio to work on the website then our a land of Tibet. Two as one we've fixed a few more mistakes on the pages. You'll notice the usual changes on the pages.I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite;I'll put this up a bit early so we can rest. And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright long dark mane in sunlight so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)