Tibetans make Gandhi proud

From The Globe Post written by Tenzin Dorjee

Last year around this time Tibetans decided to observe the traditional New Year — or Losar — as an occasion of mourning for those killed in China’s crackdown in 2008 following the Tibet uprising.

Appeals to forego Losar celebrations spread via text messages, blogs and word of mouth. On Losar, Tibetans stayed at home and ignored the fireworks, defying authorities who wanted them to sing and dance for state media. Overnight Tibetans turned silence — generally a sign of submission — into a weapon of resistance. The No Losar movement was nothing short of civil disobedience in full bloom.

On Feb. 14, Tibetans will again greet Losar with an air of defiance — many are planning not to celebrate while others will embrace cultural traditions as an act of subversive resistance. A couple of days later, U.S. President Obama will meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, sending a signal of hope to Tibetans everywhere. The 2008 Tibetan uprising may now seem a distant memory, but the dust of resistance is far from settled. With the new year, a different kind of storm brews over the Tibetan plateau.

Gandhiji laid stress on truth than on traditional practices: Thakur

From The Hindu

Mahatma Gandhi’s views on religion came under focus during a symposium organised by Sarvodaya International Trust and the Centre for Gandhian Studies here on Thursday.

Inaugurating the “Gandhi and Religious Freedom and Harmony Symposium,” Governor Rameshwar Thakur said Gandhiji’s fundamental contribution to religion was to give primacy to “truth” rather than conformity to traditional practices.

“He (Gandhiji) had declared that he would reject any religious doctrine that did not appeal to reason and was in conflict with morality,” Mr. Thakur said.