An account of Tibet and the Tibetan people that emphasises the political history of the 20th century. This book attempts to reach beyond the polemics by considering the various historical arguments, using archival material from several nations and drawing conclusions focused on available documents.
In 1963, Dervla Murphy worked in Tibetan refugee camps in Northern India, while travelling there. Here Dervla describes day-to-day life in the camps where hundreds of children are living in squalor while a handful of dedicated vounteers do their best to feed and care for them.
The book is an anthology of hand-picked articles written on Tibetan refugees' livelihood in exile. Each writer did a thorough research and their work clearly reflects their hardwork, unique in its own way. Backed by their study, some shared their opinion and some synthesized different views and studies. Without limiting to the socio-political condition of Tibetan refugees, the book touches large array of subjects; the tradition, culture, most importantly their dedication. The book will help you understand the struggle of Tibetan refugee from early stages to have become self-reliant.
With great flair for both the sublime and the human, Paine narrates in page-turning, richly informative fashion how Tibetan Buddhism--rarefied and sensual, mystical and commonsensical--became the ideal religion for a "post-religious" age.
Tibetan Transitions uses the dual lenses of anthropology and demography to analyze population regulating mechanisms in traditional Tibetan societies, and to document recent transitions from high to low fertility throughout the Tibetan world. Using the author’s case studies on historical Tibet, the Tibet Autonomous Region, the highlands of Nepal, and Tibetan exile communities in South Asia, this book provides a theoretical perspective on demographic processes by linking fertility transitions with family systems, economic strategies, gender equity, and family planning ideologies. Special attention is devoted to how institutions (governmental and religious) and the agency of individuals shape reproductive outcomes in both historical and contemporary Tibetan societies, and how demographic data has been interpreted and deployed in recent political debates.
Lonely Planet country guides offer down to earth accurate information for every budget. - The complete, practical country guide for independent travellers- Detailed Getting Started and Itineraries chapters for effortless planning- Inspirational full-colour Highlights sections showcase the country's must-see sights- Easy-to-use grid-referenced maps with cross references to the text- Insightful new History, Culture, Food and Environment chapters by specialist contributorsTibet- New Itineraries chapter details traditional routes as well as remote destinations for more adventurous travelers- Features an inspirational Trekking chapter compiled by a specialist writer- Includes new coverage of the Tibetan areas of Sichuan (China)- Tibet is a vital stop-off on the popular Nepal to China overland route
Here is the story of Tibet as told by its remarkable first family--a story of reincarnation, coronation, heartbreaking exile, and finally the tenacious efforts of a holy man to save a nation and its people. Kundun is the first work to focus on the Dalai Lama's family--his parents, four brothers, and two sisters. Particularly compelling are Mary Craigs portraits of the Dalai Lamas siblings, who have negotiated with China on behalf of their country, enlisted the aid of international allies to spearhead Tibetan Resistance, and worked tirelessly to help thousands of sick and starving refugee children. This remarkable book opens in 1933 with the death of the thirteenth Dalai Lama and the frantic effort among Tibetan authorities to find his reincarnation. In their search for a baby boy displaying the characteristic marks of a Dalai Lama--tiger striped legs, wide eyes, large ears, and palms bearing the pattern of a sea shell--officials were led to a tiny village in northeastern Tibet, home of Lhamo Dhondup, a smart, stubborn toddler already known for his tantrums. Responding calmly when a group of high lamas and dignitaries tested his memory of a previous life, the child easily recognized a rosary, walking stick, and drum belonging to the thirteenth Dalai Lama. In an instant this little boy and his entire family were swept into a world of unending ritual and complex internal politics. Lhamo was installed as the fourteenth Dalai Lama at the age of three, and was known from that point on as His Holiness or Kundun (the Presence), titles even his family members were obliged to use. A few years later the young Dalai Lama and his family were faced with China's invasion of Tibet. Living in exile since the late 1950s, they have waged a decades-long struggle for the freedom of their country. Particularly compelling are Craig's portraits of the Dalai Lama's siblings, who have negotiated with China on behalf of their country, enlisted the aid of international allies to spearhead Tibetan Resistance, and worked tirelessly to help thousands of sick and starving refugee children.
As we approach the sixtieth anniversary of China’s 1959 invasion of Tibet—and the subsequent creation of the Tibetan exile community—the question of the diaspora’s survival looms large. Beijing’s foreign policy has grown more adventurous, particularly since the post-Olympic expansion of 2008. As the pressure mounts, Tibetan refugee families that have made their homes outside China—in the mountains of Nepal, the jungles of India, or the cold concrete houses high above the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamsala—are migrating once again. Blessings from Beijing untangles the chains that tie Tibetans to China and examines the political, social, and economic pressures that are threatening to destroy Tibet’s refugee communities. Journalist Greg Bruno has spent nearly two decades living and working in Tibetan areas. Bruno journeys to the front lines of this fight: to the high Himalayas of Nepal, where Chinese agents pay off Nepali villagers to inform on Tibetan asylum seekers; to the monasteries of southern India, where pro-China monks wish the Dalai Lama dead; to Asia’s meditation caves, where lost souls ponder the fine line between love and war; and to the streets of New York City, where the next generation of refugees strategizes about how to survive China’s relentless assault. But Bruno’s reporting does not stop at well-worn tales of Chinese meddling and political intervention. It goes beyond them—and within them—to explore how China’s strategy is changing the Tibetan exile community forever.
Returning to 1960s' India after decades beyond its borders, Ved Mehta explores his native country with two sets of eyes: those of the man educated in the West, and those of the child raised under the Raj. Travelling from the Himalayas in the east to Kerala in the west, Ved Mehta's observations and insights into India and some of its most interesting figures - including Indira Gandhi, Jaya Prakash Narayan and Satyajit Ray - create one of the twentieth century's most thought-provoking travel memoirs.
A masterly anthology of extracts from the journals and writings of travelers, explorers, and adventurers throughout history, taking the reader on one unforgettable journey for each day of the year Inviting readers to cross ocean, desert, mountain, and ice-cap in the company of the world's greatest explorers, wanderers, and writers, this day-by-day anthology of travel writing ranges widely across time as well as place: from Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the West Indies in 1492 to Anton Chekhov's journey through Siberia in the 19th century and on to Wilfred Thesiger's wanderings in Arabia's "empty quarter" in the 1940s. Each quoted extract is accompanied by a brief commentary that introduces the writer and establishes the context of the excerpt, while integrated paintings and black and white etchings chime with the period of the chosen extracts. The itinerary offers the astonishment of the 17th-century diarist John Evelyn on beholding the size of women's shoes in Venice; the stoic courage of Captain Scott facing death at 40 degrees below zero; the exasperation of Dylan Thomas at finding himself in a "stifflipped, liverish, British Guest House in puking Abadan;" and the philosophical introspection of Fridtjof Nansen as he drifts in an "interminable and rigid world" of Arctic ice. Readers will find Napoleon's travel tips to his niece, a flight over Germany with Hitler, and an ex-pat dinner in Morocco where human blood is served from the fridge by the pint. Covering the whole calendar, including leap years, these 366 journeys are by turn lyrical, witty, tragic, and bizarre—but always entertaining.