http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1405939,0008.htm
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Partition was a mistake: Dalai Lama
Vir Sanghvi
New Delhi, June 20, 2005
It may not be L.K. Advani's view but the Dalai Lama believes that the Partition of India was a big mistake and an unfortunate event. The success of Indian secularism, the Tibetan leader said, evidenced by the fact that there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, shows that the Indian model is the best for the region.
In an interview to HT, the Dalai Lama said that Acharya Vinobha Bhave had it right when he spoke about a federation that included India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries in the region. The Dalai Lama believed that such a conglomeration would be best for the people of the region.
He contrasted India's democratic and secular traditions with those of China. "No matter how much people may complain about inefficiency and corruption," he said, "Indian democracy has very strong roots. And Indian secularism as defined by Mahatma Gandhi does not mean 'no religion' but freedom to all religions."
Nevertheless, the Dalai Lama conceded that China had made remarkable economic progress — "almost a miracle," he said. Tibet, he felt, could gain from China's prosperity and economic development.
It was because of such considerations, he explained, that he does not demand independence for Tibet. Rather, he wanted full autonomy and a fully-functioning democracy where Tibetans could elect their own leaders.
At present, he said, the Chinese were engaged in 'cultural genocide', wiping out all traces of Tibetan culture and flooding Tibetan cities with immigrants. "In most of our cities now," he added, "Tibetans have been reduced to a minority."
The Dalai Lama said he had no major disagreements with the Indian government despite Delhi's recent recognition of the Tibet Autonomous Region as an integral part of China. His concerns, he said, were not with Chinese sovereignty but with Tibetan autonomy.
"Today, when the whole world is coming together, I am not saying that we want to separate. We only want to preserve our culture and live in a democratic society. By opposing us, it is the Chinese who are being split-ist," he said.
The Dalai Lama is optimistic that eventually Beijing will meet the aspirations of the Tibetans. "The Chinese are a very proud people," he said, to explain why Beijing has been so unyielding. "But now Tibetan Buddhism centres are opening all over China and a new generation is ready to take over" His hope is that autonomy will be more acceptable to a new generation of Chinese leaders.
(c) HT Media Ltd. 2005.