By Tenzin Wangyal
When great men perform exceptional feats, the least ordinary people like us can do is to pay tribute to them. The recent action at Mt. Everest by five such people who spoke from the mountaintop – loud and clear – on behalf of the millions of voiceless Tibetans, is one such feat. I urge Tibetans everywhere to express their appreciation and gratitude to these five heroes and their loved ones who suffered the brunt of uncertainty as they waited for any news about the welfare and whereabouts of these brave individuals, the minutes feeling like hours and the hours like days. It would also be nice if people who know these individuals share their stories. Coincidentally, one of the five SFTers – Tendor – happens to be a close friend of mine and so I would like to say a couple of things about Tendor in particular.
Many of you who know Tendor from his days at TCV might have been somewhat surprised to learn about Tendor’s prominent role in this recent action, since most of us remember him to be the jovial and carefree kind, seemingly never able to take anything seriously and always entertaining us with his jokes and witty remarks, on and off the stage. As a close friend, I have seen the other side of Tendor and know him to be an exceptionally thoughtful, intelligent and introspective person. Hence, when young well-tempered and tolerant people like Tendor take such actions against the Chinese government, it says more about the outrageous nature of the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the policies of repression put in place by the Chinese in Tibet. On the other hand, however, I am not surprised that Tendor would engage in such a selfless patriotic act, because though he was never that vocal about his strong nationalistic feelings, they were quite evident in the songs he wrote and the many powerful essays he penned under different nom de plumes to serve as a clarion call for political action by Tibetans.
As all his friends would concur, Tendor is a great friend, always willing to take one for the team, possessing a keen sense of fairness and someone always ready to lend an ear to his friends’ problems. While Tendor and the other four SFTers were being held in detention, we were discussing as to what actions SFT – and we as his friends – should take if the Chinese government did not release them after the four-day deadline. But I also had another question on my mind – what was it that gave Tendor the courage to embark on something of this magnitude? The protections of their U.S. citizenships, notwithstanding, the five were aware of the great risks involved in the endeavor they had signed up for. Having known Tendor for many years, I believe that the same qualities that make him a great friend, including a strong sense of what is just, what is right and wrong, and a great capacity for empathy gave him the courage and conviction to carry out this action.
I know that my above statements might have read like an elegy, however, when an individual’s actions are deserving, it is never too early to celebrate the person and his achievements. The five brave individuals have thus kick-started SFT’s Olympics campaign and it is now our collective responsibility to keep our wrists turned on the accelerator.
Being somewhat of the cynical realist, I have always felt that the responsibility of our freedom movement should rest equally on every Tibetan’s shoulder. However, what the great ones among us have done, especially the martyrs, is that they have during various moments in our history, themselves shouldered the entire burden of this enormous responsibility and therefore, we should always remember them and their sacrifices.
It is only apt that this piece be posted today, on Tibetan Martyr’s Day, because while the narrow definition of ‘martyr’ is someone who has voluntarily sacrificed his life for a cause, the broader definition of ‘martyr’ is someone who has voluntarily undertaken suffering and hardships for a cause. By that estimation, the five SFTers are true martyrs and I believe that we know for certain that Pawo Thupten Ngodup la’s sacrifice was not in vain because his spirit lives on in people like them, and continues to inspire every Tibetan.
Thank you and welcome back, Shannon Service, Kierstan Westby, Tendor, Laurel Mac Sutherlin and Jeff Friesen.
