An extraordinary meeting with His Holiness The Dalai Lama in New Delhi organised by an unnamed friend and accompanied by my dear friend Wendy. In the 30 minutes or so that we were able to spend with him, I was able to ask him about China and the growth of religion in that country and its implications. His Holiness was very lucid in his views on China and the possible changes, the Tibetan youth and incidents of violence and his great love and admiration for India and its people shone through. His views remain with me alone, yet i left the room with some thought that i will capture in another article soon…
My own thoughts post this meeting:
1) How will the Tibetan population exist in India post the Dalai Lama and how would the dynamics alter?
2) Will the youth get restless on both sides of the border and which country would bear the brunt – India or China?
3) Even a more democratic China may not mean reintegration for the Tibetans in India?
4) How does it feel to be a nation without real estate?
5) How does he still smile while recounting his story?
Perhaps these are old posers….perhaps they still need to be understood…perhaps they never will be….
Samir Saran 