Dharamshala — Over eighty students from six senior secondary schools in Dharamshala participated in a 'Tibet Awareness Program,' organized by the Himalaya Parivar, on Friday, October 7th.
The day-long program focused on boosting awareness on the multifaceted aspects of Indo-Tibet relations, the situation inside Tibet, including the ongoing environmental destruction and its consequences to India and rest of world; most importantly to educate the new Indian generation on the nature and course of the Tibetan movement through essay and drawing competition.
The chief guest of the program was Ms Tenzin Dhardon Sharling, who was recently appointed to Secretary-equivalent post in the Information office of Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), CTA, accorind to the Tibetan administration report.
Also present at the event was Ms Chemi Tseyang, Additional Secretary of DIIR, Ms Sonam Sangmo, Tibet Support Group Coordinator, Mr Dawa Rinchen, Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement Officer, representatives of various Tibetan organizations, students and staff of various schools in Dharamshala.
Opening the event, Ms Tenzin Dhardon said, "the Tibetan struggle thrives and survives and gains momentum on the Indian soil. Today we are seeing children from different schools in Dharamshala thinking, writing and painting about Tibet. The young future seeds of India talked about Tibet which, I think, is the essence of grassroots action that we are trying to mobilize so that this will generate later into public mobilization and policy formation."
"The spiritual affinity, historical connection, cultural and religious ties that both countries shared for centuries sends out a strong message to the rest of world that when another friend is in trouble, it's a true friend who will stand by you. India has done that in an incredibly powerful and encouraging manner," she said, expressing deep gratitude to the People and Government of India.
She thanked all the students and the members of Himalaya Parivar for raising awareness on Tibet in the Himalayan regions and urged the organizers to expand such programs to colleges, universities and larger institutions in the future.
Himalaya Parivar is a national organization dedicated to promoting welfare of the Himalayan people and protecting the environment, culture and religious traditions of the people. Since 1998, the organization have been actively engaged in mobilizing awareness and support for Tibet and its cultural, religious and historical ties with India through various grassroots initiatives.
