Week 10: Tashi Delek
We conducted nine interviews this week with Presidents of Tibetan NGOs and various leaders in the CTA to gather opinions about how—from a legal perspective—the movement for Tibet can be best continued. Our perspective takes into consideration the spotlight the United States Congressional Resolution known as the “Resolve Tibet Act” put on Tibet, as well as the growing tensions between India (the CTA’s host country and a key player in the future of Tibet) and China. While I am not able to share our findings here, I can share a quip I found amusing from one of our interviews, given in response to a prompt about the topic of my previous blog: the search for the next Dalai Lama, and China’s involvement. When asked at large about the reincarnation of His Holiness, an interviewee remarked that “if China wants to search for the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, they should first search for the reincarnation of Mao Zedong.” This is in reference, of course, to Mao Zedong’s invasion of Tibet, and represents the general shared sentiment about China’s meddling.
Beyond the general sentiment behind this joke, we received very mixed feedback on what the most important next steps to secure the future of Tibet actually are. This made it difficult for us to form concrete recommendations that could be realistically pursued, but Yargyal and Tenzin are undeterred. So, Tessa and I are spending the rest of our time here doing whatever we can to leave the two of them in the best place possible to continue this project. So far that has looked like organizing insights from our interviews and combining interview responses with our research into more solid ideas for progress. It kind of feels like there is no concrete path forward...there is no consensus on the direction needed, and there are so many massive obstacles in the way of Tibetan freedom that it feels almost hopeless. But being surrounded this summer by people who refuse to give up and who fight every day for the freedom of their land and people.
Outside of work, I thought I had the best tea of my life three times this week. Once at a tea garden and factory where we escaped into the valley for a bit, once in an interview where I was given a Nepali green tea in pellet form that was hypnotically aromatic, and finally when we went back to visit Sunanda again. Sunanda made us a Kashmiri tea with spices she picks up every time she goes back to visit, and we loved it so much that—as the wonderfully generous woman she is—Sunanda offered to put together packets of the spices she uses for us and teach us to make the tea. We went back a couple of days later after work to pick up the packets and say goodbye.
In saying goodbye to Sunanda, she asked us what we loved most about India and what would stick with us from our time here. Honestly, I think what I will remember most is the people. People like Sunanda who went out of their way to give us advice, to invite us in for tea, to connect with us and learn from each other. One thing I will always remember is Sunanda telling us how she feels as though her friends to immigrate to the U.S. have no idea what they’re in for. She told us how they have such an “easy life” here in India, and they don’t realize what they’re giving up by living in America. For Sunanda, the work-life balance she has here is precious. While she works twelve-hour days, her days are full of talks with friends and having tea with people like Tessa and me. Her way of life is one we think of as difficult back home (or at least I did), but one she is grateful for and sees as easy in comparison to the work culture in the U.S.
Saying goodbye to Yargyal and Tenzin was even harder than I expected. We all went for a delicious farewell dinner at “Tashi Delek”, a restaurant that shares its name with the Tibetan phrase for wishing others well. They gave each of us a khata (white offering scarves traditional in Himalayan Buddhism) for a safe journey home, engraved pens reading “illuminator” in Tibetan script, and sweet cards commemorating our time with them. We walked from the restaurant back to the main square, recognized that none of us are good at goodbyes, and I cried on the walk back to the hotel. While I’m still excited to go home and see my family before heading back to school, now that it’s actually time to go my excitement has waned. I know that my summer here will stick with me forever, and that I will remain entangled with the Tibetan cause for as long as I’m around. Yargyal told us that he hopes we will see a free Tibet within our lifetimes, and I hope not only to see that happen, but to actively support Tibet in every way I can.