From Yoav Fekete

Mcleod Ganj India, the seat of the Dalai Lama and the exiled government of Tibet. In many ways this quiet and remote Himalayan town encapsulates in it the full complexity of the Tibetan story. Nested at a height of 2000 mt on the Dhauladhar range (White Mountain rage) of the Himalayan chain, coloured with an ever green cover of forest, Enveloped in fog which finds it way to every house and corner, its a magical scene.

The local Indians and the Tibetan refugees coexist in a fragile symbiosis. The Indian population is very diverse made of the local Himachali people (the state were Mclead resides in), the Rajastani jewelers and cloth makers , the Kashmiri traders, Punjabi tourists that fill the town every weekend and many more. On the Tibetan side you have the veteran refugees already born in India and the newly arrived Tibetans that fled only recently from Tibet. Last and not least are the Western tourists from all over the world. All with different clothes and styles to make up a vibrant and lively town. Tourism is the life blood for the many restaurants, guest houses, handicrafts shops and internet cafes. The grocery shops rely mostly on the local population.

The Indian government being the only one in the world that accepts all refuges, has supplied a safe haven for the Tibetan people fleeing from the Chinese endless attempts to strip them of their religion, culture and identity. Although the Indian Tibetan coexistence seems ideal from the outside the more you go in, the more the cracks you find. The Indian government has given the Tibetan refuges a registration certificate which every year has to be renewed at the foreign registration office. Land is not allowed to be owned by the refugees, although some of them have lived in this area for more the 50 years. Also moving inside India is a problem, any trip longer then 14 days is possible only with a special police permit, so visiting your aunt's family in a different refugee camp in the south of India would involve a long bureaucratic process.

Many people who I have spoken with pointed out the language and culture differences as the main cause of problems. One story is about a young Tibetan refugee in the mid 1990's who fled only then from Tibet, when arriving to India he rented some room with an Indian family. He could only speak Tibetan and the family could only speak Hindi. One day, some dispute arose between him and the son of the family, the cause lost in the stream of time, from here to there a fight broke up and the Tibetan stabbed the Indian. The next 3 days Mcleod Ganj was on fire. Many of the Tibetan shops, restaurants and offices were pillaged, and burned. Most of the local Indian population did not participate in the riots, as they realized the great contribution of the Tibetan community. And as the riots ceased they asked the Tibetans to stay in the area and not leave (During the rampage the Dalai lama said that if we are unwanted here then we shall leave). Although this is rare story, under the surface there is always the tension of this reoccurring, Every dispute between an Indian and a Tibetan has the potential of ruining this delicate coexistence.

But don't let this story change your view on the Indian's generosity and the amazing town of Mcleod Ganj. The Tibetan community got a chance to preserve her culture here in India, a chance to share their story with the world and a chance to leave a decent life safe from torture, executions, starvation and fear.