Tawang — Over 300 people in Tawang launched an event entitled "Freedom Trail" to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the escape of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1959. The event aims to honour His Holiness's journey to India, but also to spread his message of peace, non-violence, and compassion.
On March 31, 2025, over 300 participants in the “Freedom Trail” began their walking from Khen-Dze-Mane, in the district of Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama first set foot on March 31, 1959, after the illegal and forced occupation of Tibet by the Chinese Communist Party in 1959. The “Freedom Trail” is organised by the Tawang District Administration.
According to Mon Tawang Vigilance (MTV), the inaugural ceremony of the ‘’Freedom Trail‘’ was attended by Lumla MLA Tsering Lhamu, Tashi Dondup, ADC Lumla, Tawang DC Kanki Darang, DoKAA Chairman Jambey Wangdi, Tawang SP Dorjee Wangdi Thongon, Col S. Suresh, CO 15 Maratha LI, Lumpo, Lumla ZPM Thutan Gombu, Zemithang-Dudunghar ZPM Lek Norbu, HODs, Tenzin Lhagyal, Tibetan Settlement Officer from Bomdila, public leaders and other dignitaries.
Tashi Dondup, ADC Lumla, delivered the inaugural address, followed by a series of ceremonial activities including Tashi Tsekpa, Serkyem and a prayer for the long life of His Holiness. MIPA artist Pema Tashi performed a musical tribute composed by His Holiness the VIth Dalai Lama.
The keynote speeches were delivered by Kanki Darang, DC of Tawang, Tenzin Lhagyal, Tibetan SettlementOfficer of Bomdila, and DoKAA Chairman Jambey Wangdi. They emphasized the important role of the Freedom Trail in preserving the historical and spiritual heritage of the Tibet. The Aji Lhamu dance from Lumpo brought a vibrant energy to the event and captivated the audience with its rich cultural expression.
Tsering Lhamu, MLA of Lumla, also delivered a speech, in which she stressed the importance of the trek in promoting unity and reflecting on the resilience demonstrated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The trek was officially inaugurated by the dignitaries and the participants embarked on a 3 km journey from Khen-Dze-Mane to Chhudangmo where they were warmly welcomed.
They will walk from Khen-Dze-Mane to Thonglek, Tawang, through Gorsam, Jeymeythang, Shakti, Lungla, and conclude at Thonglek, on April 4, 2025, to retrace the path taken by His Holiness the Dalai Lama when he entered India 66 years ago.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet to India, disguised as a soldier, at 10 p.m. on the night of March 17, 1959, after the Chinese government's suppression of the Tibetan uprising and the perceived threat to his life, following an invitation from General Zhang Chenwu of Communist China on March 10, 1959, to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to attend a theatrical show by a Chinese dance troupe. His Holiness was invited without any Tibetan soldiers accompanying him and his bodyguards were not armed, which caused great concern among the people in Lhasa. Soon, a crowd of tens of thousands of Tibetans gathered around the Norbulingka Palace, where His Holiness was staying, and decided to thwart any threat to His Holiness's life and prevent him from going to the theatrical performance.
In his new book ‘Voice for Voiceless’, His Holiness the Dalai Lama explains the seriousness of the situation before and during the escape in 1959, “Through 1958 and early 1959, the situation worsened further, with growing numbers joining an active Tibetan resistance that came to be based in southern Tibet, called the Volunteer Force for the Protection of the Faith (tensung danglang magmi), led by the energetic leader Adruk Gompo Tashi. To defuse tension, I had several meetings with the People's Liberation Army's senior-most generals in Lhasa, including especially General Tan Guansan, the head of the Chinese military in Tibet, known for his bad temper. Through these generals, the Chinese government insisted that the Tibetan government use our own Tibetan soldiers against the Tibetan guerrillas. It was unthinkable to send Tibetan troops against our own people, especially when they were fighting to safeguard our land and culture.”
“On March 10, I was supposed to attend a cultural show at the Chinese garrison in Lhasa, with the worrisome suggestion that my bodyguards should not accompany me. Word had gotten out, and thousands of people crowded the city to prevent me from leaving my residence at Norbulingka. The crowd grew through the day, with people shouting anti-Chinese slogans and saying that they would not allow the Dalai Lama to leave. It was soon out of control and became a massive popular uprising. Over the next few days, the situation became increasingly tense and chaotic with the crowd refusing to disperse. On the twelfth, thousands of Tibetan women took to the streets and assembled in front of the Potala Palace. They burned the Chinese flag, as well as photos and effigies of Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De, and shouted, "Tibet has always been free! Tibet for the Tibetans! Long live the Dalai Lama! Long live Gaden Phodrang," the last being the name of the Tibetan government under the Dalai Lamas. The leader of this women's protest, Gurteng Kunsang, and some of her colleagues would be later executed by firing squad. On March 14, I met with approximately seventy representatives chosen by the people in the hope that I could help defuse the situation. However, tension kept building, with the Tibetan crowds growing day by day.
“From the tenth to the seventeenth of March, the Chinese army remained in its barracks while I exchanged messages with the short-tempered General Tan Guansan, which may have helped to buy time. My last letter to him was on March 16. It might also have been the case that the Chinese army was awaiting instructions from Beijing. We had information that they were planning to attack the crowd and shell the Norbulingka Palace. Within my own immediate circle, many were urging me to seriously consider leaving Lhasa for the time being. But I kept hoping that if we could find a way to reassure the mass of ordinary Tibetans gathered outside who were worried about my safety, we could somehow defuse the situation and avert an immediate explosion.
“On the seventeenth, around 4 p.m., two heavy mortars landed just outside the north side of the Norbulingka, which, fortunately, did not cause any harm. Everyone thought that an attack was imminent. Earlier on that day, the State Oracle Nechung, in a trance, had in fact urged me to leave, saying, "Leave! Leave! Go tonight!" This instruction was consistent with the outcome of a few divinations I had performed myself on the question of whether to stay or leave. So the landing of those two mortars came as a reinforcement of what the State Oracle had instructed me to do-namely, to leave immediately. Not only was my own life in danger, but the lives of thousands of my people now seemed certain to be lost as well. With everyone around me urging the path of escape as well, I took the decision to flee Lhasa. I went to the chapel of Mahakala, an important protector in Tibetan Buddhism, a chapel where I had always gone to say good-bye before embarking on a long journey. The monks there must have been a little surprised when I offered a long white scarf to the image, but they did not show it. Then, having changed my monastic robe into layman's clothing, I went to my prayer room to sit down for a quiet moment.
“As I walked out of my room, a blanket of silence enveloped me, where I could feel every step I took and the ticking off the clock on the wall. I took the rifle of one of the bodyguards who was standing outside my room. And so, at 10 p.m. on March 17, I put my glasses into my pocket and stepped out of the Norbulingka Palace disguised as a layman with a rifle over my shoulder. This was a truly eerie experience. I was afraid, but also had a more immediate practical thing to worry about: how not to trip as I walked without my glasses. As I stepped out of the gate, I felt the presence of a great mass of people gathered outside the Norbulingka. Thinking of them, I prayed-worrying what fate lay in store for these thousands of innocent Tibetans.
“After I left, the Tibetan government in Lhasa continued as if I were still in residence. Once we were away from the immediate threat of being captured by the People's Liberation Army, personally, the most powerful thing I felt was a sense of relief. Alongside this was the acute awareness that I was now free to speak my mind and openly criticize the policies of the Communist Chinese government. This feeling of freedom was so vivid and strong. The nine years of working with the Communist Chinese in Tibet and Beijing, during which I had to carefully consider every phrase I uttered, had placed a heavy weight in my heart. And I was now able to breathe the air of freedom.”
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Khen-Dze-Mane on March 31, 2025, he was received by T.S. Murti, the deputy political officer of Tawang, as well as by the security personnel of the 5 Assam Rifles and the people of Jemeithang.
The organiser stress that the walk is intended not only to honour His Holiness the Dalai Lama's journey, but also to spread his message of peace, non-violence and compassion.
