The Week India – July 14, 2019

JULY 14, 2019 • THE WEEK 39

Former Research and Analysis Wing
special secretary Amitabh ‘Tony’ Mathur
had been handling Tibetan matters for
the Indian government till last Septem-
ber as adviser on Tibetan aff airs to the
ministry of home aff airs. In a fi rst-time
interview, Mathur spoke on the Dalai
Lama’s importance, the future of
Tibetans and how India messed up its
dealings with the 17th Karmapa.
Excerpts:

How do you see the future of the
Tibetan community in India?
The Tibetan community is at a cross-
roads. There are a few factors that are
causing the dilemma. India does not
have a refugee policy, and the Tibetans
are facing certain restrictive procedures
when they move around within the coun-
try and abroad. The employment oppor-
tunities here are shrinking. Settlements,
which used to survive on agriculture, are
no longer able to sustain themselves or
provide opportunities to the Tibetans.
Finally, the big question, where are
they going to go? It has been 60 years,
from independence to a middle-way
approach [as advised by the Dalai Lama]
and the various organisations which are
springing up. They are a little confused
about their future. What binds them is
their unfl inching faith in His Holiness the
Dalai Lama.

■ INTERVIEW

Amitabh Mathur

former adviser on Tibetan aff airs,

Union ministry of home aff airs

The Dalai Lama is within his rights

to visit Arunachal Pradesh

BY NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA

What role can India play in the

‘’middle-way’’ approach advised by

the Dalai Lama?

I don’t think we have ever offi cially

expressed a desire to intervene in

the matter. But I think the widely held

view is that China should deal with

His Holiness, who has ensured that

the Tibetan struggle remains a civili-

sational one and a peaceful one. One

cannot say which direction it will take

after the 14th Dalai Lama and without

his tempering hand. We just hope

that it does not become a violent one,

as the Uighurs who are struggling in

China today.

China has always viewed the

Dalai Lama’s visits to Arunachal

Pradesh as a provocation.

The Tawang monastery in Arunachal

Pradesh is one of the largest monas-

teries outside Tibet. It has a special

place for His Holiness as he came to

India via Tawang. Arunachal Pradesh

is an integral part of India. So, given

the importance of the monastery and

the following His Holiness commands

in the Himalayan belt, he is well within

his rights to go there, and the govern-

ment is well within its rights to help

him visit these places. I don’t see why

the Chinese should see it as a provo-

cation. It was not intended to irritate

the Chinese, it was intended to allow

His Holiness to visit places where he is

worshipped. And, it is not just the Dalai

Lama. Earlier, the 17th Karmapa also

went to Arunachal Pradesh precisely to

fulfi l the wishes of the devotees there.

Do you think India mishandled the

Karmapa issue as Trinley Dorje has

left India and has taken up citizen-

ship of another country?

India has dealt with him very badly. To

accuse him of [being a Chinese spy

was bad]. No one would entrust such a

task to a 14-year-old in the fi rst place.

I think the reasons he gave for coming

to India—to get the best education, reli-

gious teachings and learning from the

masters based in India and to be close

to His Holiness—are true and should be

accepted as such.

By subjecting him to unnecessary re-

straints and curtailing his movements,

we have only lost a good friend. He is

the only important lineage holder who

does not have a place of his own to stay.

New Delhi should convince him that his

return to India will be unimpeded and

the circumstances of his return will be

far better than what it has been all these

years.

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To read the full interview