By Jamyang Norbu
www.jamyangnorbu.com
Mother Pollard was probably the oldest participant in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Apparently no one knew her actual age or her first name, she was just called Mother. After several weeks of walking painfully to her destinations, people had urged Mother Pollard to drop out of the boycott and ride the buses. Mother Pollard refused. She made an offhand comment in response which has since become famous. She said: “My feets is tired, but my soul is rested.”
I think this is how the Rangzen Marchers must be feeling right now, feet(s) tired but hearts at rest, when they glimpse the snow capped peaks in the distance and know they are getting close to home. Looking through the photographs in their website (tibetanuprising.org) I notice a number of old palas and amalas among the marchers. One old man has a cane in his right hand a national flag in his left and a portrait of His Holiness hanging from his neck. But he looks good for another five hundred miles. (more…)
On June 15, the marchers walked 27 kilometers from Askote to Gungatoli. They spent the night at the town’s Junior School.
A close relative to the King of Askote, Mahinder Singh Pal, gave a royal lunch to the marchers. One of the marchers, 74 year old Tenpa, and Virender Singh Pal, 75 year old brother of the King, recognized each other from a meeting 49 years ago. They met in 1959 when Tenpa fled Tibet into exile in India. The reunion was an emotional moment for both men.
Today the marchers walked 17 kilometers to Gothi. Their campsite is only 6 kilometers outside of Dharchula.
For Immediate Release
June 16, 2008
Contact:
Tsewang Rigzin +91 9805247259
Tenzin Choedon +91 9756969133
Pema Dorjee +91 9927606204
MARCHERS TO REACH TIBET BORDER AREA ON EVE OF CHINA’S TORCH RELAY IN LHASA
King of Askote gives Tibetan marchers traditional reception at his palace
Pithoragarh - On the eve of China’s Olympic torch relay in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, 50 Tibetans marching to Tibet are approaching Dharchula, the last Indian township before the Tibetan border. The marchers are currently in Dunga Toli in Pithoragarh district, and are expected to arrive in Dharchula on the morning of Tuesday, 17th June. On Saturday the marchers were give a reception by the king of Askote at his palace. (more…)
The marchers rested at Askote today. Askote’s King Bhanu Raj Singh Pal invited the presidents and the March coordinators to his palace for tea where he expressed his support for the Tibetan movement and the March to Tibet. The Kind also invited all the marchers to lunch the following day.
Lhakpa Tsering, a marcher and an executive member of the Tibetan Youth Congress, sponsored today’s lunch. The organizing committee prepared the lunch for the marchers, giving the kitchen staff a much appreciated break.
The marchers left their campsite at 7am this morning. As they walked through the Didihat market, local Indians received the marchers very warmly and wished them well on their journey home.
They walked 21 km to reach their campsite at Askote at 1pm. Representatives from Kirti Monastery in Dharamsala came to visit Shingza Rinpoche, one of the core marchers, and the others. They kindly donated money to sponsor tomorrow night’s dinner and supplied the marchers with refreshments. The marchers are extremely grateful for their generosity.
In the evening, the marchers watched the film “Devotion and Defiance” about the lack of religious freedom in Tibet. The film made the marchers all very emotional about the suffering of their brothers and sisters inside Tibet. It also strengthened their conviction to reach their homeland.
The marchers left their campsite at 7am this morning and walked 18 km to reach Didihat at 1:30pm. They are spending the night in Didihat, at the exact spot where hundreds of Tibetan refugees stayed during their escape from Tibet after the 1959 Uprising.
Many Tibetan refugees remained in the area for about 5 years, doing road construction work, before eventually moving to Dharamsala or one of the other Tibetan settlements. Because of their interaction with Tibetan refugees in the past, many local Indians can still speak some Tibetan language.
With the Himalayas in sight and the history of their current campsite revealed, the marchers feel close to home.
“We are walking on the same road that our Tibetan brothers and sisters took when they were escaping Chinese persecution in Tibet,” said Tenzin Choeying, National Coordinator of Students for a Free Tibet, India. “We are returning to Tibet, not because everything is fine there, but precisely because our brethren need our help to end China’s occupation.”
After the restart of the March on June 9, the 50 marchers spent their first night at Belakot, 15 kilometers beyond Berinag.
The marchers were excited and encouraged to see the Himalayan ranges on the horizon as they started out on this leg of their journey.
The marchers left their campsite at Belakot this morning at 9:30am. They walked 21 kilometers to reach Gochar around 2:30pm. Along the way a landslide blocked the road, forcing the march vehicles to take a much longer route to the campsite.
For Immediate Release
June 9, 2008
Contact: Mr. Tsewang Rigzin (Tibetan, English, Hindi): +91 9805247259
Dr. B. Tsering (Tibetan, English, Hindi): +91 9418792810
Tenzin Choedon (English, Tibetan): +91 975 696 9133
MARCH TO TIBET RESTARTS AS SIX LEADERS RELEASED FROM JAIL
Leaders declare March will continue despite temporary setback
Nainital - At approximately 2:30 PM today, the March to Tibet restarted from Berinag after overcoming a temporary setback suffered last week when 265 of the marchers were arrested. The marchers broke into song and joy as they saw the snow-capped Himalayan ranges in the horizon. The leaders of the March, who had been jailed for 11 days in Hardwar jail and released on Sunday June 8th, led a group of 50 Tibetans on what is expected to be the most difficult leg of the march. The five presidents and the March Coordinator had been jailed by Indian police since May 27th, charged under Indian Penal Code Section 151 and CRPC sections 116 and 107.
(more…)
ANI
June 8, 2008
Ponta Sahib, (Himacahal Pradesh): Arrested Tibetans-in-exile in Ponta Sahib said that they were determined to reach their homeland and complete their march to Tibet.
“We will follow the rules of the government after detention by the police. But, we will reach Tibet and fight for our independence,” Vice President of Tibetan Democratic Party Ashang Happa said on Saturday. (more…)
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