Himachal Pradesh: Tibetans-in-exile celebrate Democracy Day in Shimla

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 2 (ANI): Tibetans- in-exile in Shimla on Saturday Celebrated the 63rd anniversary of ‘Democracy Day’. The office of the Central Tibetan Administration organized a programme to mark the day.

The elected representatives of the local assembly of Tibetan government-in-exile, the officers of the Central Tibetan Administration, school children and representatives of Tibetan NGOs participated in the programme organized in Shimla to mark Democracy Day.

Singing the Tibetan and Indian National anthem and offering prayers to the 14th Dalai Lama the Tibetans mark the day. The statements of the Tibetan parliament in exile and the statements of Kashag were also read by the Tibetan representatives and officers on this occasion.

Tibetans here expressed hope to return to Tibet and celebrate Democracy Day in the hope of returning back home in the near future.

” The His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a person who has given us the right to practice democracy in exile. As soon as he took the political role of the Tibetan he tried to give democracy. Later he denounced his political powers and said that the elected representatives of Tibet should Take the lead,” said Teswang Phuntsok, Chief Representative Officer of Tibetan administration at Shimla.

“We are celebrating 63rd Democracy Day across the world except from inside Tibet. We also pay our gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has set up this democratic system for us. We have a democratic system like an independent nation. In celebration of this special day we all Tibetans hope to return home to Tibet one day,” he added.

60-year-old Pema who was born and brought up in exile in India is working as a principal in Sambhota Tibetan School Shimla is happy to practice democratic rights in exile and is looking forward to celebrating this special day in Tibet in the near future.

“We are lucky that despite being -in -exile we are practicing the democracy in biggest democracy in the world. I was born and brought up here and my parents never thought of democracy nor saw it but later after they came to India they were able to get democratic rights. We definitely wish to go back home and executive the same back home,” said Pema. 

 On March 10, 1959, Tibetans in Lhasa staged an uprising against the PRC (People’s Republic of China) in which thousands of Tibetans were crushed and over eighty thousand Tibetans including Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama were forced to flee India.

Since then thousands of Tibetans have been living in exile in India. Tibetan Spiritual leader Dalai Lama decided to establish a democratic system of Tibetans-in-exile in India.