Bangalore March 10 – Members of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress gathered early morning at Tibetan Youth Hostel for a peaceful rally to commemorate the 47th Tibetan Natinal Uprising. All the members wore white T-shirt and carrying placards with anti-China slogans. The peace march began from Chicklalbagh near the railway station and concluded in front of Mahatma Gandhi Statue with singing of patriotic songs and the Tibetan and Indian national anthems. Two-minute silence was observed as a mark respect and remembrance for all the brave martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Tibet’s freedom since 1959.
Numerous Indian friends of Tibet joined the march to show their solidarity. Retired Colonel Chacko, a friend of Tibet since the 1960s, and prominent scientist R. Laxmi were also present. Colonel Chacko shared some of his wonderful experiences with first batch of Tibetans who fled into India after Communist China’s occupation of Tibet. He called out to the local Indian youths to create awareness on Tibet’s and support the cause through different fields like education, culture, and politics. R. Laxmi said, “Before January 2005 Tibet to me meant only sweater sellers, monks and monasteries, Kailash Manasarovar and the Dalai Lama . Then I saw a few Tibetan films in Bangalore and I met Tsundue.”
“And for the first time the actual situation of the Chinese oppression became clear. Then the IISC tower incident happened. I really admired the courage and boldness of Tsundue. I am an alumnus of IISc, so I could really relate to the whole thing. But even then I was more excited about going to Kailash-Mansarovar and seeing Lhasa. Only when I was in Tibet and saw the plight of Tibetans, the whole thing hit me. When I came back to Bangalore I started reading about the history and other issues. Now I really understand the tragic situation Tibetans face. I really want to contribute to your freedom struggle along with the betterment of your people in whatever way I can within my capacity”, he added.
