Students for a Free Tibet

Students for a Free Tibet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

Posted on August 16, 2012

 

POST BY JYOTSNA – Students for a Free Tibet-Delhi Member

Students for a Free Tibet and Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Delhi held a public gathering yesterday (Wednesday, August 15th) to mark India’s 66th Independence Day by unveiling a re-creation of the Declaration of Tibetan Independence issued by the His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama in 1913.  The year 2013 will mark exactly 100 years since Tibet proclaimed the restoration of its independence. The text of this proclamation has survived, though the original document did not. The 10 foot-long handwritten scroll, bordered with brocade and silk in the style of a thangka, was unveiled by Shri Vijay Kranti, renowned photojournalist and a long time Tibet supporter. The proclamation was read out by prominent Tibetan and Indian community leaders, MPs, students, and Indian supporters in Tibetan, Hindi and English.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWM6zDnHBrE&feature=player_embedded]

India’s independence was won through a freedom struggle based on the principles of non-violence, non-cooperation and civil disobedience. The Tibetan freedom struggle shares the same values as the Indian Independence movement. At this crucial time when almost 50 Tibetans have made the ultimate sacrifice to protest Chinese rule, it is imperative that we remember Tibet’s past as a sovereign nation and commit ourselves to the Tibetan freedom struggle.

As the world’s largest democracy, and with a particularly fierce freedom struggle essentially based on Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of non-violence and non-cooperation, India has a moral obligation to add her voice to the multilateral government pressure on China to stop the crackdown in Tibet.

Therefore, Indian members of Students for a Free Tibet has initiated a Petition campaign to call citizen of India to stand with Tibet.

As a conscious Indian citizen who greatly values my independence, I have signed this petition to strongly urge Shri S. M. Krishna, The Minister of External Affairs to make a strong and clear statement acknowledging the crackdown in Tibet, and to highlight the human rights violations being carried out in Tibet today.

Click here for the Petition. Please share widely to your friends also.

https://secure3.convio.net/sft/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=883

We will deliver this petition on October 2nd, 2012 – Gandhi Jayanti – a day that symbolizes our nation’s ability to reject colonial rule, to recognize freedom as our birthright, and to regain our independence.

I am writing to you to urge you to join me in signing this petition.

With Hope,

Jyotsna George

Indian Member of Student for a Free Tibet