Conversation with Tenzin Shinyi La

Hosted by Tenzing Dhamdul, FNVA

In a heartfelt and enlightening conversation on the Unsilenced: Voices of Young Tibetans podcast series, we had the privilege to speak with Tenzin Shinyi la. A young Tibetan woman who shares her personal journey, experiences and future aspirations. 

Born in India and grown up in Tibet, Shinyi la’s life has been marked by cultural transitions, challenges and with a profound connection to her Tibetan heritage which she proudly dons and treasures it close to her heart. Her insights shed light on the complexities of identity, education and the resilience of Tibetans both in occupied Tibet, the diaspora and in exile.

She further shares her contrasting experiences of schooling and learning in higher academia from her Chinese schools in Chengdu to Tibetan Schools and Institutions she has and currently studies at in India. “As an outcome of discrimination, I was forced to try every method possible to look like a Chinese, to speak like a Chinese, to dress like a Chinese and even think like a Chinese – just to be accepted” says Tenzin Shinyi on the severe level of discrimination a Tibetan experience in Chengdu. All of which was a stark contrast when she returned to India for her further studies. Yet even in such an adverse environ she states that the Tibetans and their love for Tibetan Culture remain firm and thrives.

While studying she has simultaneously been leading and part of several pivotal organisations that are shaping the narratives on our Tibetan diaspora namely The Global Tibetan People’s Movement for Middle Way Approach (GTPMMWA), Tibetan College Students’ Conference and Monlam AI to name a few. She tells us how through these various agencies she has learnt a lot and her appreciation of being a Tibetan grows stronger each day being part of such bodies. Furthermore, she highlights some of the future initiatives which the GTPMMWA will be taking forward and how the Middle Way Approach is a viable solution for both Tibet and China in resolving the Tibet-China Conflict as both parties involved here win.

On her vision on the future of Tibet, she mentions that it is one where His Holiness the Dalai Lama imparts teachings at the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, where families are not forcibly separated, and where Tibetan culture thrives. Further stating that there are also avenues where our community can bring especially in the context of the patriarchal system we have. She narrates her own experience here and how certain Tibetan Civil Society bodies namely Drokmo and the Tibetan Women Empowerment Desk were of great help to her.

In her closing message, she urges and requests Tibetans to preserve their cultural identities and appreciates the continued support from global Tibet supporters. She emphasized the interconnectedness of humanity and how solidarity with Tibetans contributes to a more peaceful world.

Shinyi’s journey reflects the resilience and determination of Tibetans worldwide to preserve their culture and advocate for their rights.

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Conversation with Tenzin Tsangpa La
Hosted by Tenzing Dhamdul, FNVA

The Unsilenced: Voices of Young Tibetans podcast session saw FNVA engage with Tenzin Tsangpa, a Tibetan who on 21st May, 2023 while attending the Counter Strike: Global Offensive Finals at Paris proudly displayed the Tibetan National Flag. However this simple act of displaying one’s identity and nationality was not taken kindly by misinformed Chinese Mainlanders. As he was subsequently harassed, confronted and assaulted by them and eventually led to the Tibetan National Flag being stolen from him and which was later burned by them and shared on Weibo (Popular Chinese Social media App) by these unruly, radicalised and misinformed Chinese.

The podcast session with Tenzin Tsangpa engages upon this very incident as he shares with us all in detail what he really experienced during this whole unwarranted incident. With the displayal of the Tibetan National Flag even leading to the Live Stream of this popular gaming event being disrupted in Mainland China. Furthermore, we also engaged on his experience as a Tibetan who had grown up in India and is currently residing in France, with a sizeable number of Tibetans also living there nowadays.

Tenzin Tsangpa tells us “Not all Chinese are like that especially those who are settled in the west” making it clear to us how it is those very Chinese who have been misinformed and brainwashed through the systematic propaganda and censorship by the Communist Party of China (CCP). Further reiterating that the Chinese people living in the western world has more exposure and would not conduct themselves in such barbaric ways.

His concluded by stating that “I have accomplished my goal of spreading awareness about our cause, especially among the Chinese youths who are oblivious to it due to CCP propaganda and censorship”. With his message to us, especially to his own Tibetan sisters and brothers being “More Tibetans especially those like us, in our age group. I think they should take the initiative however small it may be as every step counts to solve the Tibet-China conflict”.

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It is hard to miss the irony of Tibetans in exile earning a living from a language that forcefully replaced theirs in occupied Tibet. In 1959, after China suppressed the 10 March uprising, Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, and thousands of Tibetans sought asylum in India. The Indian government allowed them to set up various institutions to preserve their culture and way of life. Several families in occupied Tibet smuggled their children across the Himalayas in the hope that their children could live better lives under the guidance of the Dalai Lama.

While India–China relations have spiralled downwards, especially on the geopolitical front, it never seems to impact their high level of trade. In July 2022, Anupriya Patel, the Indian minister of state for commerce and industry, informed the Lok Sabha that imports from China had increased by almost thirty percent in the past five years. This trade requires linguistic intermediaries, fluent in both Hindi and Mandarin, who are also aware of the etiquettes of both nations. Tibetans came to be seen as perfect candidates to fill the vacuum. However, studying the pull factors, without the push, is half the story—it creates the illusion of choice, driven solely by economic considerations.

“Tibetans in India are greatly limited by their capability because of structural changes in employment,” Tashi Phuntsok, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Calcutta’s Vidyasagar College, told me. “The legal status of Tibetan as a foreigner is one of the primary reasons which has also forced them to migrate out of their settlements and take up odd jobs. And many who know Chinese join Chinese MNCs for their livelihood and survival.” As non-citizens, Tibetans are not eligible for government jobs, which pushes them to pursue employment in the private sector. There have been some developments under the 2014 Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy, but its implementation has been less than satisfactory.

This predicament is not confined to India. The killing of 32-year-old Tsultrim Nomjour Tsang by his Chinese co-workers at an Asian restaurant in the French town of Saint-Léonard, on 11 July 2022, is a case in point. “The problem of young people arriving in France is that they don’t speak our language and often have the only solution to work in Chinese restaurants where they are not always well treated,” Céline Menguy, a press officer for the Tibet office in Paris, told News in France.

The full article can be accessed at https://caravanmagazine.in/communities/tibetans-india-chinese-companies 

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