By South Asia bureau chief Meghna Bali and Som Patidar in McLeodganj, India
When Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar recalls her father’s years in a Chinese prison, she speaks not just of his suffering but of his unshakable faith.
Faith in the dream of a free Tibet, and in the man who embodied it.
“For every fight, we need that figure who will continue to remind us of who we are, and the courage that we hold,” said Ms Dolkar, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.
“The [Dalai Lama] has been doing that for generations.”
Namgyal Dolkar said there was hope the Dalai Lama’s 100th birthday could be celebrated in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, rather than in exile. (ABC News: Som Patidar)
This week in McLeodganj, the hill town in the Indian Himalayas where the Dalai Lama has lived for more than six decades, thousands of Tibetans gathered to celebrate his 90th birthday, according to a Tibetan calendar.
On Sunday, he will hit the milestone, based on the widely used Gregorian calendar.
The streets around his temple were draped in prayer flags, echoing with chants and lined with posters of the leader who has become synonymous with their identity.
The Dalai Lama reassured followers the tradition would continue. (ABC News: Som Patidar)
But amid the celebrations was a quiet sense of apprehension.
The Dalai Lama reassured his followers that the institution of the Dalai Lama would endure after him, declaring that only his charitable foundation, the Gaden Phodrang, has the authority to recognise his successor.
The announcement brought relief to many, and served as a sharp rebuke to Beijing, but also underscored the uncertain future of a succession process that China is determined to control.
People chanted and danced to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday. (ABC News: Som Patidar)
A defiant message
Ms Dolkar told the ABC there was a mix of hope and resolve at the celebrations for the Dalai Lama’s birthday.
“It is certainly a momentous day for the Tibetan community, especially for Tibetans inside Tibet,” she said.
Many, she said, spoke of their desire to one day celebrate his 100th birthday in Lhasa, the capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, rather than in exile.
“That is the Tibetan spirit in action … it’s paramount for that to continue,” she said. Click here to read more.
The post Tibetans find hope — and uncertainty — as the Dalai Lama turns 90 first appeared on Central Tibetan Administration.
The post Tibetans find hope — and uncertainty — as the Dalai Lama turns 90 appeared first on Central Tibetan Administration.
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