cant save myself from saying that its really good that ranju write these ideas here. I think almost the same way sometimes while we go so rigid in mind about matter of facts , while discussing about something...May be the 'myth and meaning' by Claude Levi-strauss is so relevant for these type of discussions.. A structuralist who celebrates his 100th birthday this 28th!
On 11/17/08, ranju radha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > civilians all over the world belive or are made to belive that we live here > peacefully because there is military at the boarder. chinese people may be > feeling the same way. > > but given the context of hindu colonisation taking a violent turn and > moving into the genocidal terror mode, one can't always belive such myths. > > Are we not living peacefully bz the newspaper-walla puts the newspaper at > our door steps on time and therby, initiating us to the world around us, > make us belive in peace and lead us to demand a peaceful world ? Yes we are. > It is not only the jawans in kargil but also the newspaper boys in the > streets, t make us 'belive' that we live in peace. > but are we not paying a price for that? Living peacefully in a country of > violence demands alot more slavish/blind belief. Belief that make us believe > that we cant live without belief. We end up victims of that belief. but > sometimes, or most of the time we tend to believe in it. nationalisms are > created out of such beliefs. patriotism is the symptm. > boundaries are fuzzy; history can delete it with just a stroke > We as a trapped rat in the boundaries of nation clamour for more strong > boundaries > but boundary again is a myth created and re-created in our minds. the > beliefs make us create such strong boundaries in our mind. can we break it? > let us try once. > > > > > On Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 1:04 AM, bobinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> >Your Holiness, even during the period when China was yet to become an >> economic powerhouse, you could not persuade Buddhist majority countries like >> Thailand or Sri Lanka to boycott China. >> >> >> >> During my recent visit to north east states I happen to talk to lot of >> Indian Buddhists. Not a huge number, hence they may not represent the >> Buddhist community but still I was surprised to find that none of them >> supported Dalai lama. >> >> Another experience is witnessing the chineese demonstration in ottawa, >> Canada immediately after Dalai Lama's visit to Ottawa. ( >> http://www.flickr.com/photos/freemind/2412774172/) I was told by the >> chineese crowd that during a recent tibetan demonstration chineese embassy >> was attacked and flags were burned. I was told the similar facts about the >> visit and violence caused by the same by a Canadian photographer also. >> >> >> I am not making conclusions. Simply mentioning few facts. >> >> >> >> >> >> On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 10:48 PM, sreenivas v.p < >> [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> >>> i support Dalai lama and the tibetan people for their freedom >>> struggle. expanding territory is one of the agenda of chinese communist >>> party and they are following it religiously which resulted attacking >>> nieghboring countries including russia and india. >>> >>> some communists were laughing saying that indian soldiers ran away >>> fearing chinese bomb tack during 1962 war . these people should not forget >>> that we live here peacefully for the fact that our soldiers are struggling >>> for life in the border. >>> >>> >>> sreenivas >>> bangalore >>> >>> >>> >>> --- On *Sun, 16/11/08, Bobby Kunhu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>* wrote: >>> >>> >>> From: Bobby Kunhu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> Subject: [GreenYouth] An Open Letter to the Dalai Lama >>> To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" < >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Greenyouth" < >>> [email protected]>, "canopeners" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> Date: Sunday, 16 November, 2008, 7:25 AM >>> >>> http://winnowed.blogspot.com/2008/11/open-letter-to-dalai-lama.html >>> Saturday, >>> 15 November 2008 An Open Letter to the Dalai >>> Lama<http://winnowed.blogspot.com/2008/11/open-letter-to-dalai-lama.html> >>> Your Holiness, >>> >>> I hope this letter finds you in good health. You must be very busy right >>> now, Your Holiness, preparing to attend the six day meet you have convened >>> for members of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in Dharamshala from 17 >>> November 2008 to discuss the future course of action for Tibet. I assume you >>> are not in the best of spirits, Your Holiness. You underwent a surgery for >>> removal of a gall bladder stone last month. You have publicly >>> stated<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7693052.stm>that you >>> have lost hope of reaching a settlement with China through >>> dialogue. Ever since March 1959 when you left Tibet and went to India, you >>> have been trying to obtain a better deal for Tibet and its people. You have >>> not only always stuck to the path of non-violence, but you have also >>> insisted that your followers do the same. All of this is admirable until one >>> realises that, as you recently admitted, you have not managed to wring a >>> single compromise out of China. >>> >>> Your Holiness, are you worried that history will judge you harshly for >>> not having achieved anything much for the people of Tibet, despite >>> struggling for almost 50 years? I don't have an answer to that, Your >>> Holiness. Before we respond to that question, why don't we take a quick look >>> at Tibet's history? >>> >>> The Tibetan language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the >>> Sino-Tibetan language family. Tibetan is as much distinct from Mandarin as >>> Burmese is. Tibet has always been an independent country. In the early 9th >>> century, Buddhism reached Tibet after a Tibetan king invited Buddhist >>> preachers and artisans from India. There have been occasions when Tibetan >>> kings have defeated Chinese rulers in battle. From the 13th century onwards, >>> Tibet was under the control of the Mongols who also controlled vast >>> stretches of China. It was when the Mongols controlled Tibet that Buddhism >>> spread to Mongolia. In the seventeenth century, the fifth Dalai Lama became >>> the spiritual and temporal head of the whole of Tibet. Tibet has had wars >>> with the kingdoms of Ladakh, Bhutan and Nepal, losing many battles and >>> winning a few. >>> >>> Since the early eighteen century, the Manchu rulers of China have made >>> claims on Tibet. However, China went into a period of decline after that and >>> Tibet managed to assert its independence. In the early 20th century, the >>> British led a few expeditions into Tibet in order to prevent any Russian >>> influence in the region. The British forced the Tibetans to sign a trade >>> treaty which opened Tibet's borders to British India. In 1907, Britain also >>> entered into a treaty with Russia which recognised Chinese suzerainty over >>> Tibet. >>> >>> After China was defeated by Japan in a series of battles in the early >>> twentieth century, Chinese control over Tibet waned. Britain, Tibet and >>> China held negotiations in Simla in 1913 and 1914 to resolve the boundaries >>> between India, China and Tibet. The negotiations broke down and Henry >>> McMahon, the then British Indian foreign secretary and the chief British >>> negotiator, unilaterally demarcated the Indo-Tibetan border. Approximately >>> 9,000 square kilometres of traditional Tibetan territory in southern Tibet >>> (the Tawang region) was given to India (which now forms the Indian state of >>> Arunachal Pradesh). McMahon also recognised Chinese suzerainty over Tibet >>> and affirmed that Tibet was a part of China. China did not agree to this >>> Simla convention and hence, this treaty became a bilateral agreement between >>> India and Tibet. >>> >>> Immediately after the communist takeover of China, the communists took >>> over parts of eastern Tibet and initiated a process of land reforms. >>> Landlords were publicly humiliated and at times executed. However, the >>> traditional Tibetan aristocracy was allowed to remain in place till public >>> unrest in eastern Tibet led to a military crackdown, which in turn led to >>> the Lhasa uprising. It was at that time, Your Holiness, that you fled to >>> India. >>> >>> Your Holiness, at the time of the communist takeover of Tibet, Tibet was >>> a corrupt and undemocratic theocracy. Monks held all the powers and abused >>> them. The peasants were oppressed and lived in extreme poverty. One of the >>> reasons the Chinese were able to takeover Tibet so easily was because it was >>> a backward, feudal and theocratic state. The blame for this should lie >>> primarily on the Buddhist clergy which kept Tibet in the dark ages. Your >>> Holiness and your predecessors were always at the helm of such a state of >>> affairs. >>> >>> After Your Holiness came over to India, you set up a Government-in-Exile >>> consisting of a legislative assembly (the Assembly of Tibetan People's >>> Deputies), an executive (the Kashag), and a judiciary (the Tibetan Supreme >>> Justice Commission). You have categorised the Government-in-Exile as a >>> constitutional monarchy. Elections were held and exiled Tibetans voted. You >>> have gone into semi-retirement and if rumours are correct, you would like to >>> retire permanently. Considering the fact that prior to the Chinese take-over >>> Tibet was a full-fledged theocracy, I feel that you have done an admirable >>> job in injecting a decent dose of democracy into the Tibetan community. >>> Since almost all Tibetans are Buddhists, not many Tibetans have objected to >>> having you, the Dalai Lama, a living incarnation of the Lord Buddha, as the >>> head of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. This would mean there is a shade of >>> theocracy in the Government-in-Exile, but I feel this was inevitable. >>> >>> Your Holiness, your emphasis on non-violence and peaceful negotiations >>> won you not only many admirers all over the world, but also the Nobel Peace >>> Prize in 1989. Until you threw in the towel last week, you have always >>> stated that you would be happy with greater autonomy under Chinese authority >>> (on par with what Hong Kong has) and would not press for independence. >>> However, it cannot be said Your Holiness, that all Tibetans have been happy >>> with your approach. Organisations such as the Tibetan Independence Movement, >>> the Students For a Free Tibet led by exiled Tibetans and supported by >>> celebrities like Richard Gere have insisted that Tibet should be >>> independent. They have rightly said that China has been diluting Tibetan >>> culture by flooding Tibet with Han Chinese. Tibet's natural wealth, >>> especially its forest wealth, has been eviscerated. Most importantly, they >>> say that Tibet has historically been an independent state. >>> >>> Your Holiness, it must not be forgotten that Chinese rule has brought >>> some benefits for Tibet. There are a lot more roads and railways and >>> industries, though it can be argued that all these developments further >>> Chinese exploitation of Tibet and facilitate Han Chinese expansion into >>> Tibet. We all know that sadly, in Tibet, the Han Chinese outnumber the >>> Tibetans. >>> >>> Your Holiness, even though you have won international acclaim and >>> admiration, you have not been able to persuade a single country to take >>> concrete measures for Tibet's independence. Measures such as imposing >>> sanctions against China and not trading with China. Please don't laugh at >>> me, Your Holiness. I do realise that the mere thought of not trading with >>> China sounds silly. Who can afford to not trade with China? It is not only >>> nation states who can't afford to antagonise China. A few months ago, the >>> London Metropolitan University awarded Your Holiness a doctorate in >>> recognition of your outstanding achievements in promoting global peace. The >>> threat of a boycott by Chinese students forced this British university to >>> express >>> regret for any offence >>> <http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/jul/09/highereducation.uk>caused >>> to the Chinese government. >>> >>> Were things always like this Your Holiness? No, Your Holiness. It is only >>> in the last ten years that China became so powerful. Twenty five years ago, >>> China was an unknown country, tolerated because it was a counterweight to >>> the Soviet Union. Your Holiness, for a couple of decade after you went over >>> to India, there were many armed groups of Tibetans carrying out guerrilla >>> operations against China. These were not on a very large scale and were >>> funded by the CIA. However, they slowly died down due to various reasons. >>> One of the reasons was that India slowly distanced itself from the USA and >>> became friendly with the USSR, which meant that the CIA could no longer use >>> India as a base for attacks on China. Your Holiness, I wonder if your >>> insistence on non-violence as the only option has been mainly because you've >>> known that neither the USA nor India would provide the quantum of commitment >>> and support that would make it feasible for Tibetans to fight China. >>> >>> Your Holiness, even during the period when China was yet to become an >>> economic powerhouse, you could not persuade Buddhist majority countries like >>> Thailand or Sri Lanka to boycott China. Even though Buddhists believe that >>> you are a living incarnation of Lord Buddha, you have not been able to build >>> up any following within the Buddhists among the Han Chinese. >>> >>> Your Holiness, would things have been different if you have played a less >>> key role right from the time you went over to India? I doubt it Your >>> Holiness. Your personality and charisma gave the Tibetan cause the sort of >>> publicity and respectability that no secular leader could have obtained. It >>> is tempting to speculate on what could have been achieved if a secular >>> person who believed in using all options had headed the Tibetan >>> Government-in-Exile right from day one. At a time when China was fighting >>> the USSR, could such a person have obtained independence for Tibet through >>> armed action? I doubt it, Your Holiness, but we will never know. >>> >>> Your Holiness, I believe that the head of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile >>> must not be the Dalai Lama. It must be headed by a secular individual. If >>> you are to head this Government-in-Exile, it becomes a theocracy and there >>> is no place in the modern world for a theocracy. However, the Tibetan >>> movement still needs your help. You must not retire completely, though you >>> have expressed your wish to do so. You must work with the Tibetan >>> Government-in-Exile in order to keep the Tibetan cause in the limelight. >>> History has been unkind to Tibet and its people. You have, in my opinion, >>> performed a stellar role in fighting for their rights. I don't think history >>> will judge you harshly. >>> >>> Where do we go from here, Your Holiness? I don't believe that there is a >>> magic solution to the Tibetan issue. I wonder what advice you will give your >>> fellow delegates at the forthcoming conference. >>> >>> There will be some hotheads who will want armed action against China. >>> Around eight months ago, in March 2008 there were orchestrated riots in >>> Tibet. Nothing much was achieved, but it did scare the Chinese government a >>> lot, since it was so close to the Olympics. Next time your followers try >>> something like that, the Chinese government might not be as restrained, >>> since the Olympics are now over and the Chinese couldn't give two hoots >>> about public opinion. >>> >>> I assume muscular lobbying is an option. The Tibetan cause has supporters >>> and well-wishers all over the world. Your Holiness, things can change very >>> quickly. If the current economic recession were to continue, China will not >>> be able to provide employment for many of its restless millions. If economic >>> unrest were to spread in China, which now has a vast rich-poor divide, the >>> Tibetan Government-in-Exile might be able to bargain a certain degree of >>> autonomy for itself. There might even be a fortuitous turn of events which >>> enables Tibetans to get their country back. >>> >>> I wish Your Holiness and the people of Tibet all the best for the future. >>> >>> >>> With warm and sincere regards >>> >>> Winnowed, A blogger from the World Wide Web >>> >>> -- >>> Bobby Kunhu http://community.eldis.org/myshkin/Blog/ >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------ >>> Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Invite them now. >>> >>> <http://in.rd.yahoo.com/tagline_messenger_6/*http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> http://freebird.in >> >> >> >> >> > -- Maya S. School of Social Sciences Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam-41 Kerala, India --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
