Hidden Tremors-Part 1/4 : The Young India

Kartikey Sehgal

–Drugs and economic disparity in the Indian home of the Dalai Lama

(The author travelled to Dharamsala earlier this year.)

“There will be a big vacuum once the Dalai Lama leaves us”, says Sonam Dorjee, a member of the Tibetan Congress in India. Listening to him talk passionately about his love for Tibet, I begin to think that he subscribes to the philosophy of some young Tibetans who feel that violence is the only way to achieve Tibetan independence from China.

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“There will be a big vacuum once the Dalai Lama leaves us”, says Sonam Dorjee, a member of the Tibetan Congress in India. “It is the Dalai Lama and non-violence for me, till I die”

“It is the Dalai Lama and non-violence for me, till I die”, he says and bites into another piece of momo, the favourite Tibetan dumpling. Like some other young Tibetans I spoke to, Sonam too wonders if one of the most popular tourist destinations in India will survive the problem of economic disparity and drugs when the Dalai Lama is no more.

I am at McLeodganj in Dharamsala. The rain clouds have designed themselves atop the Dhauladhar Mountains, across the Kangra Valley. The tourists, perched on the narrow trekking paths in the mountains can watch a million drops relieve the ground from the May heat. The rains mark the beginning of the biggest tourist season and foreigners will scan the place for food, clothes and spirituality. The winds are cold and the temples, internet cafes, momo shops, restaurants are huddled together and packed with foreigners and some Indian tourists. But at night, many lodges and hotels announce themselves as closed and the buzzing streets are left almost-empty.

Every night at 10:30-11, police constables walk the streets to ensure the absence of any surreptitious activity or any illegal consumption of drugs. The place shuts by around midnight and there is very little night-life in this popular destination.

…

I meet him one night at the Main Square (central point) of McLeodganj. “Have you eaten yet…there is a party tonight at…Lot of disco… no police problem”. I tell him that I will consider and then leave. He is a Tibetan and can converse in English and Hindi, like many other Tibetans.

At around 11 p.m, I pass by the Main Square again and watch him walk… The Tibetan then approaches me and asks, “You did not come Sir? Entry fee Rs. 300, for Indian only Rs. 200”. As I walk on he whispers, “You can buy more fun if you want. Open till 3 a.m”.

At around 11 p.m, I pass by the Main Square again and watch him walk swiftly to a local Himachal boy and take a packet from him; he stuffs the packet inside his trousers. The local boy walks away quickly. The Tibetan then approaches me and asks, “You did not come Sir? Entry fee Rs. 300, for Indian only Rs. 200”. As I walk on he whispers, “You can buy more fun if you want. Open till 3 a.m”.

The Indian home of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetans, faces a perpetual problem of drug consumption. In 1959, the 14^TH Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was given refuge at Dharamsala by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and since then this place has garnered International attention. Foreigners come here and see the monastery, the temples, mountains and if they are lucky, the they get to see the Dalai Lama.

“They also come here for new experiences. Easy stay and easy drugs”, says Manoj Kumar, age 34, a shopkeeper of bags and shawls. Manoj was at the party the night before where a local tried to “get fresh” with a foreign girl and was promptly stopped by the other locals. He paid a 100 Rs entry fee and was given free beer by his friends inside.

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Manoj is a native of Punjab and has been here for the last twelve years. He now plans to leave Dharamsala and start a new business in Punjab. He agrees to talk to me because he likes my name and because we can talk over a beer.

Manoj is a native of Punjab and has been here for the last twelve years. He now plans to leave Dharamsala and start a new business in Punjab. He believes in the Dalai Lama as much as he believes in the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Then why is he leaving? His business is suffering. There has hardly been any sale today. There are so many shops for the same product and he is finding it tough to vie with the richer shops. He agrees to talk to me because he likes my name and because we can talk over a beer.

Part One to be continued.

Photographs

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The rain clouds have designed themselves atop the Dhauladhar Mountains, across the Kangra Valley.

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Russian Tourists at the Main Square (central point) of McLeodganj (Concerned about rising vegetable prices). Every night at 10:30-11, police constables walk the streets to ensure the absence of any surreptitious activity or any illegal consumption of drugs.