By C K Nayak
The very name of Tibet evokes both an awed respect. Awe, because it remains a sore thumb in the Indo-Chinese relationship even after more than half a century of conflict and poignant war both counties fought even if briefly. Innumerable border talks and several bilateral visits have not settled the dispute although the Line of Actual Control remains by and large peaceful despite sporadic skirmishes.
Tibet also inspires respect because it is the cradle of Buddhism and source of major rivers
of India including both the Brahmaputra and the Ganges. It is also the citadel of Lord Shiva residing in the famous Mount Manasarovar Tibet is also home to the Dalai Lama who is in India heading a Government in Exile which no other country has ever recognized. The Garos of Meghalaya are also believed to have originated from Toura province of Tibet. Despite the majority population being Buddhists, Tibet has a sizeable Muslim and Christian population.
In such a scenario visiting Tibet was a God -sent opportunity of a life time. This Shillong Times
Correspondent was part of a very small media team invited by the Government of China to visit the Roof of the World for more than a week for the first time in Tibet’s history. The team comprising only three other senior journos (Strategic Editor of The Hindu, Bureau Chief of DNA and one of the Directors of the IANS and five scribes of neighbouring Nepal toured the length and breadth of Tibet for the whole week. Normally China does not allow others to visit Tibet let alone journalists that too from a publication from North East!
Why I am putting it separately is the fact that China still claims almost the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as part of Tibet. And there is a history behind it ! At one point of time in history, Tawang was part of Tibet. Tawang inhabited by the Monpa people was a kingdom known as Lhomon or Monyul which ruled the area. The Monyul kingdom was later absorbed into the control of neighbouring Bhutan and Tibet. Tawang Monastery was founded by the Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama,Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, and has an interesting legend surrounding its name, which means “Chosen by Horse”. The sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in Tawang.
The 1914 Simla Accord defined the McMahon Line as the new boundary between British India and Tibet. By this treaty Tibet relinquished several hundred square miles of its territory, including Tawang, to the British, but it was not recognised by China. After the outbreak of the war with Japan in 1941 the then government of Assam undertook a number of ‘forward policy’ measures to tighten their hold on the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) area, which later became Arunachal Pradesh. In 1944 administrative control was extended over the area of the Tawang tract lying South of the Sela Pass when J.P. Mills set up an Assam Rifles post at Dirang Dzong and sent the Tibetan tax-collectors packing, brushing aside Tibetan protests. However, no steps were taken to evict the Tibetan from the area North of the pass under which the Tawang town remains. The situation continued after India’s independence but underwent a decisive change in 1950 when Tibet lost its de facto independence and was incorporated into the newly established People’s Republic of China. In February 1951, Major Ralengnao ‘Bob’ Khathing led an Assam Rifles column to Tawang town and took control of the remainder of the Tawang tract from the Tibetans, removing the Tibetan administration altogether.
During the Sino-Indian war of 1962, Tawang fell briefly under Chinese control, but China voluntarily withdrew its troops at the end of the war. Tawang again came under Indian administration, but China has not relinquished its claims on most of Arunachal Pradesh including Tawang. Tibet’s history is riddled with controversies and ups and downs starting from its supremacy over parts of China to become a component of the great country now witnessing massive development. In 1965, the area that had been under the control of the Dalai Lama’s government from 1951 to 1959 (Ü- Tsang and western Kham) was renamed the Tibet Autonomous Region or TAR. Autonomy provided that head of government would be an ethnic Tibetan; however, the TAR head is always subordinate to the First Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, who was not a Tibetan. The role of ethnic Tibetans in the higher levels of the TAR Communist Party was very limited.
These chosen few and lucky correspondent travelled through the length and breadth of Tibet which probably would not have been possible without the massive transport and communication infrastructure the Chinese Government has built even in the hinterland. We are carrying a series of articles with pictures of Tibet depicting almost walks of life from small villages to huge airports in what is called Shangri La. Even small towns have hospitals, schools and other basic institutions.
Almost whole of Tibet has undergone a drastic change at least as far as physical infrastructure is concerned. There are massive roads, the world famous railway lines linking Tibet with mainland China, several airports, not to speak of big official and commercial buildings and residential houses. Let alone phones or mobile connectivity most places are wi-fied. There is round the clock power and drinking water supply and busy markets at most places.
Even deep inside the TAR at some places massive steel and concrete construction works are going on either for new roads or bridges or for water supply and even for dams for hydel power.
It is now known why China is developing Tibet in such a big way. The officials accompanying us or those whom we met say it is to develop the livelihood of the Tibetans who were earlier mostly nomads leading a hard life in the hills, or rural folks toiling for food all day.
It is also possible that China wants to open up the rest of the world to Tibet as a wonderland belying normal perception that it is remote and backward. Mind it, Tibet’s economic growth both in terms of GDP and per capita income is more than the mainland now. It has huge mineral reserves mainly copper, apart from most of China’s natural forests. It has huge hydel power reserve most of which is not utilized and can attract tourists in lakhs from the rest of the globe with its innumerable scenic spots. With border trade rising by leaps and bounds Tibet could also be a hub for trade by China with South Asia.