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GANGTOK, India, 28 April 2005
Ravangla Tibetan settlement does not have internet.
So, this story is composed in Gangtok.
The Dalai Lama blessed the settlement with
his visit and a discourse on 24 April.
The reception for him was as ceremonial as usual.
The residents of the settlement gathered in front of
the yet-to-be-finished temple.
The Welfare Officer of the settlement read a report
of the settlement with the following facts.
Ravangla Tibetan settlement became an exiled Tibetan
government undertaking in 1978. There are seven camps
sprawling over 328 acres with a population of little
over 1000 people.
The settlement has a school up to class eight,
a kindergarten and a creche.
For the livelihood of the people there is a carpet weaving
centre.
But the chief source of income for the settlement comes from
the men who join the nearby Cantonment 7 of the Tibetan army
and other cantonments under the government of India.
The temple also needs some immediate financial
assistance in order to be completed.
Ravangla, situated in the South of Sikkim, is 2136
feet above sea lavel. The weather ranges from cool to
cold.
The Tibetans live in harmony with the local people and
the relationship between the two are congenial.
The fact got jolted when a few Tibetan youths started
to narrate how a few years back there was a fight
between the local Bhutias and Tibetans at Namchi, the
chief centre of South Sikkim.
All Tibetan businesses were thrown out from Namchi
after the fight. "I am sure there are still marks
remaining from that incident, and get a feeling of
hostility from the locals," says a settlement youth.
That definitely was a lesson to learn. We are living
in their land and we have to be careful in our
dealings with them.
The Dalai Lama also presumed that the Tibetans are
living side by side with the locals on good terms.
Nevertheless, he exhorted the Tibetans to be friendly
with the locals.
While this issue does not seem to be a main cause of
concern for the Tibetans, the quality of the education
at the school is.
The school is one of the Indian government administered
schools for Tibetans called Central School for Tibetans.
Indian teachers who need to be sent off as punishment,
for whatever reasons, are transferred to Ravangla school,
which is seen as a miserable place due to its remoteness and cold winters.
It is, therefore, understandable that there is a low quality of education,
and this must be the main reason for
the high number of school dropouts in the settlement.
In an interaction with some of the youngsters of the
settlement, we (with my friend James, an IT professional)
learned that education is what they want to pursue.
An internet cafe and a computer centre would bolster up
their quest for learning.
A good internet connection could be available for the
settlement with 400,000 rupees (42 rupees is 1 USD
approx). There are already three computers at the
settlement office, but these are only for clerical use.
June and July are the two months to avoid going there.
These two months experience heavy showers when the
leeches become a major problem.
The settlement tries to grow potatoes, but the crop has
been failing for the last several years due to hail.
With many things failing in the settlement, a new and
fresh start is standing in the offing if the offer
could be grabbed.
Ravangla is getting prominent on the maps of tourism.
There are interesting places
around—religious sites especially—getting known
to tourists.
There is a 135-foot-high stutue of Padmasambava (Guru Rinpoche)
at Samdruptse, which was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama on 24 April.
Some monasteries in the outskirts of Ravangla are
Pemayangtse, Sangacholing, Khecheopalri, and Tashiding.
As Ravangla is ideal as a base to see all these,
tourism-related enterprises could be targeted and
established for the settlement residents as a source
of income.
Internet and a computer centre, and better teachers
in the school, could do a lot towards improving
life at Ravangla Tibetan settlement.
These are immediate and important requirements
of the settlement, before more talents are wasted
as more young Tibetans drop out from schools,
and leave the settlement.
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