50 Years of a Lost Land (Tibet)

If I were to ask what is the similarity between Barbie Doll and the Dalai Lama, what would you say? And if you say they both wear minimal clothes I will whack you!!!!

Well apparently they both had their 50 years anniversary this week. While Barbie made a grand entry on the shelves of New York, the Dalai Lama made a discreet escape to India from the chinese. 50 years since scores of Tibetans fled and have made India their second home. Barely a decade after the partition refugees were settled another bunch of red and yellow clothed monks flooded in along with their leader while their monastries were shelled and looted by chinese.

Its been 50 years the Tibetans have made India their Fatherland. But what really drove them all of a sudden to leave their Shangrila with the most colourful flag in the world and come to our Country? Suddenly dimaag ki batti lit, wow, Buddha was from India. So Chalo India????

It was since 1911 when Tibet thought to hell with China which by the way just came out of a dynasty rule and started their own self rule policy. Obviously the Dalai Lama was the head of this state. Come 1950 when the communist (?><$#&(&%$ - Sorry but i hate their ideology) finally overtook Mainland china and left the capitalist rowing on rafts to settle in Taiwan, turned their attention to so called Self ruling Tibet. While they first killed scores of soldiers as they entered the east, they released the prisoners doctoring them with communist ideology. Now what they did after that surely makes them marketing Gurus of 1950. they went village on village telling people about communism, giving them money and selling the idea of integrating with China. Now the Chinese had a weird idea of Tibet. They believed they were liberating Tibet from the Serfs (those are like Tibetan zamindaars where instead of dhotis they wore chubas as their fashion statement). But people there had their own land and were their own tillers. But then they also believed that India, a country not gone to war for 10000 years was an expantionist and wanted to build the Great Indian Empire and take over chinese territory. So honestly what the chinese think is best left unsaid. Maybe their silly translations change the whole meaning.


So now after brainwashing rural folk they reach Lhasa with a 17 point plan of Peaceful Liberation. Liberation from whom???? Had those monks machine guns wielded under their robes, they would have told the Chinese to get out and peacefully liberate them. This forceful truce or rather slavery of communism took place in 1951. Over the next few years when the communism was imposed in these sectors the real cry of an enslaved nation was heard.

They started with their land distribution policy in Kham and Ando areas (dont laugh at the names, even we have places called as Thangyachimadam). But as I said they were owners and tillers of the land and no feudal system. People slammed the Chinese so hard they dint know what hit them. So in their attempt to make their classless society they created a lawless society.

But the Chinese always have a secret kung fu weapon when challenged. They hit their opponents with such brutality. Prisoners of the revolt saw their wives being raped in front of them. Priest and nuns forced to have sex with each other and children were made to shoot their own parents. Dont go vomitting, there is still more. The government is Lhasa tried to talk the rebels out of it. But this is interesting. They came back and joined the revolt themselves.

Now come 10th March 1959 and the stage is set for the final showdown. The Chinese suddenly had a crash course in humility and invited the Dalai Lama to a theatrical performance. A day before the event they told the Lama's bodyguards to not have any Band Baja as the Dalai lama stepped out of the palace and no bodyguard escort. The guards smelled a rat. (although the chinese year of rat was the next year) The word spread around and the next day 300,000 Tibetans surrounded the palace to stop their chief from falling into the chinese trap. The senior lama, Pagbalha Soinam Gyamco, (say that name 10 times fast without error) who worked with the Chinese was killed and his body was dragged by a horse in front of the crowd for two kilometers.

Bored of communism and enraged at Chinese barbarism, the Tibetans unilaterally declared independence. Sadly the religious society was not much into raising sophisticated armies. All plans were set for Dalai Lama's escape before he became the Chinese scapegoat. (again forgive me but it wasn't the Chinese year of the goat as well). Two days later when his palace came under chinese firing......VROOOMMMM he came here to India.

The Chinese crushed the uprising like a violent kid breaking Barbie's limbs. Major monastries were looted and shelled beyond repair. The Dalai Lama's bodyguards were publicly executed. The Chinese put the total casualty figure at a marginal 86,000. OKay, DONT scream, its not marginal. But the original figure estimated by a French organisation is taken to be around half a million since the invasion. Yes, you may go ahead and scream now. Don't stare at the weirdly smiling goat.