Tibetan settlement in Shillong and other parts of the North East started in the 1960s. Those inhabitants of Tibet who came here around six decades ago run shops and restaurants for livelihood and have been living in harmony with the local community.
The settlement office was set up in the nineties to represent the Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamsala, at the grassroots level. It is headed by settlement officer Pema Dhondup, who is called the Representative of Department of Home, Central Tibetan Administration (Himachal Pradesh).
The settlement officer is responsible for the day-to-day functioning and welfare of the Tibetan community — with total population of 450 scattered in six locations — residing in Shillong.
A primary Tibetan school is being run by the Department of Education of Central Tibetan Administration with 25 students from Nursery to Class III.
The Central Tibetan Administration dedicated 2018 as the ‘Thank You India’ year and Tibetans across the country are organising a series of events spanning over 12 months as a mark of gratitude to the Government of India and their brothers and sisters here.
March 31, 2018, marked the beginning of the 60th year since His Holiness the Dalai Lama stepped on the sacred land of India. For the last 60 years, the Government of India and the people here have been generous in providing asylum to the Dalai Lama and Tibetans. So on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan community, the settlement officer offered mementos to the Governor and Chief Minister of Meghalaya as an expression of gratitude.
~ Contributed by the Tibetan Settlement Office, Shillong