Interesting facts about Tibetan refugees

There are 58 Tibetan settlements out of which there are 39 major and minor settlements in India, 12 in Nepal and 7 in Bhutan based either on agriculture or Agro industries or Handicrafts. All these Indian states have Tibetan refugees settlement- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

The Tibetan government-in-exile functions from McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala which has since come to be known as Little Tibet.

At present more than 150000 Tibetan refugees are living in India.

Dalai Lama jokingly says that he is the guest who has stayed in India for the longest duration.

(Based on a Central Tibetan Administration survey from 2009, 127,935 Tibetans were registered in India. )

Some interesting facts about Tibetans in Samyeling Tibetan Refugee Settlement, Majnu-ka-Tilla - Delhi:

Ø  Laping is a popular Tibetan street food. It is a spicy cold mung bean noodle dish in Tibetan cuisine.

Ø  They have a school named Tibetan Children Village (TCV) for children till class five after which they go to Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh for higher studies.

Ø  The students are taught all subjects like any other Indian school, the only difference is that they have Tibetan language as their third language.

Ø  Their main source of income is small businesses like handicraft shops, restaurants.

Ø  They pay all kinds of taxes like house, property, water, electricity like all other Indian citizens.

Ø  They also have Aadhaar card, Bank account, Pan Card, Driving license and all ID proofs like any other Indian citizen. 

Ø  They are not only given space by the Indian government to live; but also there is no pressure from their side, so they are able to live a free life.

Ø  After every 3 years there is election to the position of President of the Resident Welfare Association through voting. The association looks after the administration and welfare of the colony.

Ø  The Tibetans follow Buddhism as their religion.

Ø  On every 31 March Tibetans sing a ‘Thank you India’ song and thank India for giving them a home to live in. 31 March marks the day His Holiness Dalai Lama’s reached Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. It has been 60 years in-exile in 2018.

Ø  On 10 March every year Tibetans celebrate Uprising Day. In 1959 on this day for the first time all thousands of Tibetans came on the streets of Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, rising up against China’s illegal invasion and occupation of their homeland and shouted out in unity to give them freedom. Every year thousands of Tibetan refugees take to the streets across the world to mark the anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day. 

Ø  They have their travel agency setup in their own colony and have an Indian passport to go abroad. Tibetans born in India between January 1950 and July 1987 can be issued passports.

Ø  The Tibetans live with great harmony among them and also treat others equally who work there.

Ø  In Tibetan refugees colony people from Himalayan range like Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and North-East can live because their lifestyle, behavior, culture match and they are able to mix up easily.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls India the ‘Guru’ and Tibet its ‘Chela’ and refers to himself as the ‘Son of India’ and a true follower of Mahatma Gandhi.