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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
CIA radios and yak butter, and hours to spare: How a 23-year-old monk outwitted the Dragon empire
Picture this: Lhasa, March 1959. Bitter cold. Gunfire echoing through the hills. A 23-year-old monk steps out of his summer palace dressed as a low-ranking guard. Except he's not just any monk, he's the 14th Dalai Lama , spiritual and political heartbeat of Tibet . The stakes? Life or death. Freedom or capture. And a whole nation's fate balancing on his young shoulders. An invitation that smelled like a trap It didn't happen overnight. China's grip on Tibet had been tightening since 1950. The Seventeen Point Agreement was meant to guarantee Tibetan autonomy under Chinese sovereignty. On paper, it did. In reality? 'It may happen that here in Tibet, religion and government will be attacked both from without and from within,' the 13th Dalai Lama had warned decades earlier, as recorded by The Tibet Journal in 2008. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo By 1959, the attacks were no longer just feared. They were daily life. Then came the so-called invitation. Chinese General Zhang Chenwu asked the Dalai Lama to attend a dance show at military HQ. The catch? 'No guards.' Tibetans knew exactly what that meant. Abduction. Or worse. Live Events On 10 March 1959, tens of thousands of Tibetans surrounded Norbulingka Palace, forming a human barricade. Clashes with Chinese soldiers flared. Shells rained down. The State Oracle was consulted, three times. His advice: 'Leave. Now.' Slipping into the night On 17 March, just before 10pm, the Dalai Lama, disguised in a soldier's uniform, slipped through the palace gates. He was joined by his mother, siblings, tutors, senior ministers. 'A few minutes before 10 o'clock in the evening, His Holiness, disguised as an ordinary soldier, slipped past the massive throng of people along with a small escort,' noted TIME back then. They crossed the Kyichu River, slipped into the Himalayas, travelling by night, hiding by day. There were no detailed maps. Only whispered directions, local guides, and prayers. According to folklore, monks' prayers conjured clouds and mist that hid them from Chinese planes. Maybe true, maybe not, but they made it. A letter and a line crossed By 26 March, the Dalai Lama reached Lhuntse Dzong, days away from India's border. He wrote to India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru , 'Ever since Tibet went under the control of Red China... I, my Government officers and citizens have been trying to maintain peace... but the Chinese Government has been gradually subduing the Tibetan Government.' Then he asked for asylum: 'In this critical situation we are entering India via Tsona... I hope that you will please make necessary arrangements for us.' Nehru's gamble Back in Delhi, Nehru had his own storm to weather. Welcoming the Dalai Lama meant infuriating Beijing. Defence Minister V K Krishna Menon and others were sceptical. But Nehru held his ground. 'The Dalai Lama had to undertake a very big and difficult journey and the circumstances of the journey were also painful to the Dalai Lama,' Nehru told Parliament later. 'So it is only proper that the Dalai Lama should get an opportunity in a peaceful atmosphere to consult his colleagues... and get over the mental strain.' On 31 March, the Dalai Lama and his party crossed the McMahon Line at Khenzimane Pass in present-day Arunachal Pradesh. Havildar Naren Chandra Das of the Assam Rifles saluted the exhausted young monk. Decades later, in 2017, the Dalai Lama told the ageing soldier: 'Looking at your face, I now realise I must be very old too... Thank you very much.' A new home in the hills From the Assam Rifles post at Chutangmu, the Dalai Lama was taken to Tawang Monastery , then Tezpur in Assam. There, on 18 April, he spoke for the first time on Indian soil. He condemned China's aggression. He thanked India. And he set the record straight: 'The Dalai Lama wishes to categorically state that he left Lhasa and Tibet and came to India of his own free will and not by force.' China fumed. Demanded his return. Nehru refused. By 1960, the Dalai Lama had settled in McLeodganj , Dharamshala, what would become 'Little Lhasa', home to Tibet's government-in-exile. Schools, monasteries, cultural centres rose from scratch. In 1989, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle. Today he's 90. Still living in Dharamshala. Still speaking of compassion and dialogue. Still a thorn in Beijing's side. China's grip on Tibet has only tightened, but so has Tibetan identity in exile. Looking back, it started with a suspicious invite. A young monk slipping away in the dark. And a journey through snow and fear to a fragile freedom on the other side of the Himalayas.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
How A Suspicious Invite Forced Dalai Lama To Flee Tibet And Escape To India
New Delhi: On a frigid night over six decades ago, as artillery fire echoed in the distance and Chinese forces encircled the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, a 23-year-old monk disguised as a soldier slipped quietly out of his palace. He was no ordinary monk. He was the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. His destination was freedom; his goal was to survive. What followed was a daring two-week escape across the Himalayas that would reshape the future of Tibet, challenge India's diplomatic balance with China, and forever alter the life of one of the world's most revered spiritual figures. A Suspicious Invitation The events leading to the Dalai Lama 's escape had been in motion for years. After China occupied Tibet in 1950, tensions mounted between the occupying People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Tibetan people. Though the Seventeen Point Agreement signed in 1951 promised autonomy for Tibet under Chinese sovereignty, violations of that agreement quickly eroded any trust. Then came the tipping point: an invitation. A Chinese general asked the Dalai Lama to attend a dance performance at the military headquarters. The condition was that he must come without his bodyguards. Alarm bells rang through the Tibetan establishment. Rumours spread that this was a ploy to abduct or eliminate Tibet's leader. On March 10, 1959, lakhs of Tibetans formed a human barricade around Norbulingka Palace to protect the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan resistance surged. Clashes broke out between Tibetan rebels and Chinese soldiers. Norbulingka was shelled. Amid growing fears and divine guidance from the State Oracle, the Dalai Lama decided it was time to flee. How Dalai Lama Escaped On March 17, 1959, under the cover of darkness and dressed in a Tibetan army uniform, the Dalai Lama left Norbulingka. With him were senior cabinet members, family members, and bodyguards. They traversed the high Himalayas under the cover of night. Their route wound through snowbound passes and rebel-held outposts, avoiding Chinese patrols. They travelled without proper maps, guided by local resistance and ancient prayer. Folklore holds that Buddhist monks' prayers summoned mists to hide them from Chinese aircraft. Crossing Into India After 13 days, on March 31, 1959, the Dalai Lama and his entourage crossed the McMahon Line into India at Khenzimane Pass in present-day Arunachal Pradesh. There, they were met by Indian soldiers of the Assam Rifles. The next day, Indian officials formally welcomed him at the Chutangmu outpost and took him to the historic Tawang Monastery. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was under pressure. Welcoming the Dalai Lama risked provoking Beijing. But on April 3, Nehru confirmed asylum on humanitarian grounds. "The Dalai Lama had to undertake a very big and difficult journey and the circumstances of the journey were also painful to the Dalai Lama," Nehru told the Parliament. "So it is only proper that the Dalai Lama should get an opportunity in a peaceful atmosphere to consult his colleagues on the ups and downs in Tibet and get over the mental strain." Settling In Exile From Tawang, the Dalai Lama was moved to Tezpur in Assam, where he gave his first statement from Indian soil on April 18. He condemned China's aggression and said he was grateful to India for its hospitality. "The Dalai Lama would like to state categorically that he left Lhasa in Tibet and came to India of his own free will and not under duress," he clarified, countering Chinese claims. The Dalai Lama was first settled in Mussoorie, then moved in 1960 to McLeodganj, Dharamshala, now known as "Little Lhasa." There, he established the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, schools, monasteries, and cultural institutions. In 1989, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to nonviolence and dialogue. At 90, he continues to live in Dharamshala. India's decision to grant asylum to the Dalai Lama came at a great geopolitical cost. China protested vehemently, accusing India of interference. The move drove a wedge into Sino-Indian relations and was one of the contributing factors to the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
