Samyeling The tibet of delhi

Underneath an old metallic footover bridge, on the road somewhere in between the North and center of Delhi, a small left turn leads you to an old yet relatively undiscovered territory, named Majnu ka Tilla or Samyeling. Samyeling has been a dwelling for the Tibetan refugees in Delhi for years now.

As you go further inside, it unleashes itself onto you. Small lanes punctuated by corner shops carrying everything from the latest fashion trends to items of cultural and spiritual significance. A culture so distant yet right at home in this small tucked-in colony by the Yamuna. Each lane is a new discovery, of men playing carrom on an idyllic sunny afternoon, of women chatting and mingling by the tea bar, of monks in brogues walking around and of children doing what they do best.

Brimming with both the spiritual unison and a quiet revolution, this part of the city is more than just a mere colony. It is a pot which has immersed in itself flavours from all across the oriental land. A lifestyle inspired by India, Tibet and even South Korea, on a canvas painted with the different colors of the orient. A vivid montage encapsulating the simplistic nature of Buddist spirituality and an unyielding attitude of a fredom struggle in vain.

A diaspora that is so far away from home yet it carries with it the last bastions of the land which has been undone by the forces of men. The Little Lhasa of Delhi, Majnu ka Tila is a collection of conflicting life stories. Of over three generations of displaced migrants, some of whom still carry the tales of a toiling journey across the Himalayas. It is there for everyone to see, all you need to do is look. It is there in the pictures of Dalai Lama, in the flags of a former country revered as a deity, it is there in their books, on their clothes and on their counters, it is everpresent somewhere in the deep ocean of their eyes.

With the chants of worship parading the air, guided and dispersed in all directions by colorful prayer flags, with an economy that is both self-sufficient and dependent, and a population that is foreign yet native, this dichotomy is what makes this bank side habitat a one of its kind escape zone for many of the capital's tourists and even locals.

Criss-crossing lanes meeting and diverging into further by lanes, watched over by the at times serene and at times violent waters of the Yamuna. And all these confusing and ever-diverging ways meet somewhere in the middle, in the epicentre, where lies the towering structure of a monastery with meditating Shamans and spinning wheels, a structure filled with ancient iconography and symbolism, overlooking this tiny yet vast expanse. It is a symbol of solace, ever-present and ever-accessible, a portal into the world that was, a time-keeper of the world that is and a dream-catcher for the world that could be

Despite all the hardships and difficulties, one could not ignore or miss out the humane moments of the Tibetans of Samyeling. People here are generally of helping nature and have a warm attitutde, just unlike how refugees are sometimes supposed to be.

Some refugees are still active and demand freedom, some are on the threshold of accepting India as their homeland. Both the kinds are easily found on the streets of Samyeling. I found someone just like that. Palten Choetso was one such person. She traveled to India in a peaceful way and was unknown of the Tibetan cause till she arrived in India. She expressed her happiness that she could come to India and learn Tibetan, her own language. Though her colleagues in China have decent jobs, her morale is set high just by having known the Tibetan cause.

And another person I met was Sonam Wangyal, cousin brother of Jamphel Yeshi, who had set himself on fire in 2012. He says “As long as we are Tibetans, we carry some responsibilities on our shoulders to do something for our people, as they are suffering” says Sonam Wangyal a social activist. Born in 1979, in Dharamshala, Sonam Wangyal went to a Tibetan transit school where he studied English and sometimes Hindi.

Created By
ashish bajaj
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