I just read an interesting article: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/unease-in-dharamsala/429052/
Lately I have been so focused on looking innocent for the IRB that I have kind of strayed from my original idea or question, which asked "Will Tibetans and Indians get along", and not "Why do they get along", which is what my question seems to have become. This article expresses some of the worries and issues going on between the Tibetans and Indians of Dharamsala. There really are a lot of issues, especially from the point of view of local Indians. They do not seem mad at Tibetans, but actually quite willing to mix with them. The problem they say is that Tibetans do not want to mix with Indians. This is just one of several issues, not to mention the whole deal with the Karmapa Lama (which thankfully seems it is being taken care of nicely without raising more issues).
My point is, I have focused so much on the good lately that I have kind of ignored any negative relationships between Tibetans and Indians, when this could really be a valid point to investigate. My only problem is that I am afraid the IRB will not like the idea of me investigating anything negative if it means negative comments will be attached to people's faces on film. I have tried to avoid this being a risk by deciding that the film should only be screened in the United States, but even still, I don't know if the IRB will see that as enough protection.
However, I also don't want to show Dharamsala as a paradise where everyone gets along if that's not really how it is. How do you determine how "accurate" you want to be versus how "safe" you want to be?
Maybe the answer is in the question that I ask. Maybe my question should be, "What are Tibetans and Indians doing to get along better?"
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Current Conflict in Dharam Sala
I read an article about this last week, and it has been brought to my attention on multiple occasions since then. This is big, and has a lot to do with my project.
Recently, Indian police found an equivalent of around $1 million in the Karmapa Lama's monastery. Much of this money was in Chinese currency which has caused a lot of suspicious from Indian officials and media. Many are accusing the Karmapa Lama of being a Chinese spy. He claims that the money has come in donations from all over the world including Buddhists in China. It is still an ongoing event as police try to acquire more evidence. There is more I could summarize, but I'd better just give a link: http://www.minnpost.com/worldcsm/2011/02/15/25813/tibets_karmapa_lama_fueling_china_and_india_border_tensions (and if anyone is interested in seeing more links, I have more.)
Unless things are very quickly and neatly cleaned up, this event will most likely have a large significance for my project when we get to Mcleod Ganj in May. Even if the conflict is "resolved", the event has already caused many Indians to worry about their Tibetan neighbors and suspect them of having secret ties to China. However it turns out, relations between the two communities may take a while to mend simply because of the doubts that have been raised. It may also turn out to be a doorway to further conflicts and suspicions between Tibetans and Indians.
I plan on keeping a close eye on this as well as working it into my project and my story.
Update:
I just read another article, looking at the Hamachel Pradesh's chief minister's point of view on the event. He says that it is under investigation by the central government and that his state government has nothing to comment or add. If the central government finds no fault, than he has no reason to look further. From what I read, he seems to counter the media, or at least try to calm people down about the issue.
He reminds the people: "Karmapa's name in any way is not involved in a any land related cases. Neither there are any cases against some particular monastery person. Under the general policy of Himachal Pradesh, if there has been any illegal land dealing then it would be investigated. If there would be any case against Tibetans or any other person, then law would treat every one equally and would proceed accordingly."
Recently, Indian police found an equivalent of around $1 million in the Karmapa Lama's monastery. Much of this money was in Chinese currency which has caused a lot of suspicious from Indian officials and media. Many are accusing the Karmapa Lama of being a Chinese spy. He claims that the money has come in donations from all over the world including Buddhists in China. It is still an ongoing event as police try to acquire more evidence. There is more I could summarize, but I'd better just give a link: http://www.minnpost.com/worldcsm/2011/02/15/25813/tibets_karmapa_lama_fueling_china_and_india_border_tensions (and if anyone is interested in seeing more links, I have more.)
Unless things are very quickly and neatly cleaned up, this event will most likely have a large significance for my project when we get to Mcleod Ganj in May. Even if the conflict is "resolved", the event has already caused many Indians to worry about their Tibetan neighbors and suspect them of having secret ties to China. However it turns out, relations between the two communities may take a while to mend simply because of the doubts that have been raised. It may also turn out to be a doorway to further conflicts and suspicions between Tibetans and Indians.
I plan on keeping a close eye on this as well as working it into my project and my story.
Update:
I just read another article, looking at the Hamachel Pradesh's chief minister's point of view on the event. He says that it is under investigation by the central government and that his state government has nothing to comment or add. If the central government finds no fault, than he has no reason to look further. From what I read, he seems to counter the media, or at least try to calm people down about the issue.
He reminds the people: "Karmapa's name in any way is not involved in a any land related cases. Neither there are any cases against some particular monastery person. Under the general policy of Himachal Pradesh, if there has been any illegal land dealing then it would be investigated. If there would be any case against Tibetans or any other person, then law would treat every one equally and would proceed accordingly."
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