So Chinese President, Hu Jintao, arrived as per planned on the 20th of November in India. He, somehow, managed to make it in the news before he stepped into Indian soil. Just days before his arrival, Hu announced that the entire mass of Arunachal Pradesh actually belongs to the Chinese.
The Chinese managed to get a hold of Aksai Chin that once belonged to India but lost it miserably in the 62 war. This all because of the government sleeping over it, announcing 'Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai' while China cunningly built a road connecting Tibet to Xinjiang, and set up military posts in Aksai Chin. All this as the Indian government napped over the issue that could have been well avoided. All said and done, India has to accept the fact that Aksai Chin is no more India's territory and 'rightly' belongs to the Chinese.
Since then, India has kept China at bay only opening avenues recently with the clearing of the Nathu-La pass for trade to take place between the two countries. China finally accepted Sikkim as a legitimate state of the Republic of India and in return India must have made one of its biggest mistakes by accepting Tibet as a legal part of the People's Republic of China. Free trade with the compromise on Tibetan freedom.
India is home to a very large number of Tibetan refugees including their spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama. In pockets all along India, one can find little Tibetan towns with banners reading sharply against China and striving hard for a 'Free Tibet'.
The entire western world, because of fear of the growing economy of the Chinese, has entertained the Chinese government and made provisions for the government to visit their country. India stood tall all this while, not bending to its economic and political rival. The leftist of the country are only happy about friendly ties with the land of Mao. But is it as clear and hunky dory as it seems to be? I strongly feel otherwise...
It goes without saying that the Chinese, irrespective of what comes of this relationship, will always stand to help Pakistan more than India. Frigates continue to change hands, arms and ammunition continue to cross borders. China is threatened by the sudden friendly gesture of the United States with India as it gives India negotiating power. Something the Indian Government is failing to see. India has no compulsions whatsoever to settle on a compromise on Tibet or for that matter Arunachal Pradesh.
China refuses to take back its word on Arunachal Pradesh, greedily setting its eye upon Tawang Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in India and the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. As the Tibetans of Tawang pledge their loyalty towards Tibet first, India next and refuse to submit themselves to a communist China; India refuses to take advantage of her neighbour's vulnerable state. China will continue to look upon India as a 'poor neighbour afflicted by bureaucracy and democracy' with a 'hydra headed' government at power.
India is nothing more than trying to balance a double-edged sword, with one side slightly less sharp than the other. By opening its borders to China, banning Tibetan protestors from taking to the streets India is not only losing face in the outside world but is falling in the eyes of its own citizens as well.
Where do these Tibetans go? Why should they take Indian citizenship? Is it wrong if they demand to get back what is rightly theirs? They are Tibetan refugees in India but Indians in China; who are they really? What's going to become of them? Are they going to perish never to see their home again? What about Dalai Lama, afterall, he cant live forever! As all these questions remain unanswered, we can only leave time to do the talking...
FREE TIBET!
CONDEMN CHINESE GOODS!
PROMOTE INDIAN GOODS!
The Chinese managed to get a hold of Aksai Chin that once belonged to India but lost it miserably in the 62 war. This all because of the government sleeping over it, announcing 'Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai' while China cunningly built a road connecting Tibet to Xinjiang, and set up military posts in Aksai Chin. All this as the Indian government napped over the issue that could have been well avoided. All said and done, India has to accept the fact that Aksai Chin is no more India's territory and 'rightly' belongs to the Chinese.
Since then, India has kept China at bay only opening avenues recently with the clearing of the Nathu-La pass for trade to take place between the two countries. China finally accepted Sikkim as a legitimate state of the Republic of India and in return India must have made one of its biggest mistakes by accepting Tibet as a legal part of the People's Republic of China. Free trade with the compromise on Tibetan freedom.
India is home to a very large number of Tibetan refugees including their spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama. In pockets all along India, one can find little Tibetan towns with banners reading sharply against China and striving hard for a 'Free Tibet'.
The entire western world, because of fear of the growing economy of the Chinese, has entertained the Chinese government and made provisions for the government to visit their country. India stood tall all this while, not bending to its economic and political rival. The leftist of the country are only happy about friendly ties with the land of Mao. But is it as clear and hunky dory as it seems to be? I strongly feel otherwise...
It goes without saying that the Chinese, irrespective of what comes of this relationship, will always stand to help Pakistan more than India. Frigates continue to change hands, arms and ammunition continue to cross borders. China is threatened by the sudden friendly gesture of the United States with India as it gives India negotiating power. Something the Indian Government is failing to see. India has no compulsions whatsoever to settle on a compromise on Tibet or for that matter Arunachal Pradesh.
China refuses to take back its word on Arunachal Pradesh, greedily setting its eye upon Tawang Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in India and the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. As the Tibetans of Tawang pledge their loyalty towards Tibet first, India next and refuse to submit themselves to a communist China; India refuses to take advantage of her neighbour's vulnerable state. China will continue to look upon India as a 'poor neighbour afflicted by bureaucracy and democracy' with a 'hydra headed' government at power.
India is nothing more than trying to balance a double-edged sword, with one side slightly less sharp than the other. By opening its borders to China, banning Tibetan protestors from taking to the streets India is not only losing face in the outside world but is falling in the eyes of its own citizens as well.
Where do these Tibetans go? Why should they take Indian citizenship? Is it wrong if they demand to get back what is rightly theirs? They are Tibetan refugees in India but Indians in China; who are they really? What's going to become of them? Are they going to perish never to see their home again? What about Dalai Lama, afterall, he cant live forever! As all these questions remain unanswered, we can only leave time to do the talking...
FREE TIBET!
CONDEMN CHINESE GOODS!
PROMOTE INDIAN GOODS!
4 comments:
Your blog is well informed but i think information can be used to propagate a cynical angle or it can be used to take on a positive and hope (filled) angle. I personally don't think you've managed to strike a balance this time along but I know you can if you want to.
well, certainly left me thinking about it all. it's a good way to communicate and an effective medium too!
Like Kashmir, Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh are very difficult issues to tackle with, and most often it's the natives that suffer. Just as it's an impossibility that India will ever give up Kashmir, it's equally improbable that China will grant Tibet freedom. China's uncompromising dogmatic doctrinaire doesn't help things for Tibetians. The heartless Chinese government can only succumb to military force and clearly that's not Dalai Lama's Plan of Action. No country would stake trade relations with China and almost all the governments that possess the military prowess to bring freedom to Tibet would definitely not do so for they would stand to gain nothing and only encumber loss or worse face the probablility of war.
So let's temporarily put ourselves in the place of a Tibetian freedom fighter and view our options - A war with China would be futile. Terrorist attacks are also ruled out and would lead to further turmoil in Tibet, gradually destroying the land and the people as it's happening in Kashmir. Self-immolation before the Chinese President generates International Awareness however it stops there. Unless The UN imposes sanctions on China, the chances of Tibet getting freedom seem bleak. Tibet can only hope that the international community, especially the UN pressurises China for their cause.
Coming to Arunachal Pradesh, clearly India doesn't seem very concerned about Arunachal Pradesh (or any of the North-Eastern states for that matter). India has probably done nothing to help the development of Arunachal Pradesh. I had the oppurtunity to make friends with a person who lives 50 km from the Indo-China border and who disliked India as much as he disliked China. It's not surprising that ULFA and other Naxalites have become such a force in the North-East.
Also, in the extrememly rare outcome that these territories do manage to gain Freedom and Autonomy - they would still end up doomed states like Bhutan - who can't sustain themselves because they don't possess the Natural resources, the Capital nor the infrastructure to do so - and would ironically become dependent after gaining independence.
Although the Dalai Lama won't last forever, there will always be another Dalai Lama, and Tibetians can only pray for miracle that would lead to a truly "FREE TIBET"
Great insights. It left me contemplating on the issue. To some extent it tends to be one-sided. However, since this a politically sensitive issue, it needs to be handled with care.
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