A couple of days after he was released by the Ahmedabad police, Tibetan poet-activist Tenzin Tsundue recounts over phone the dramatic sequence of events that led to his detention from the Sabarmati Ashram hours ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit. Edited excerpts:
Can you describe the sequence of events that led to your detention?
I have been on a speaking touring and had landed in Mumbai, when, I came to know of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit. I got to know that he will visit Delhi and Ahmedabad; I knew there will be protests in Delhi but none in Ahmedabad. And to fulfill my duty as a Tibetan, I decided to go to Ahmedabad. I first headed to Pune where I cleaned up my barracks, and then left for Mumbai on the 13th. I took a state bus to Surat and then to Nalsari, and further on to Dandi. In Dandi, I sat on the beach in the bushes and drank water and read for two days. On 15th evening, I left Dandi for Nalsari, and then boarded a state bus to Ahmedabad. I reached on 16th morning, and spent the whole day around Gita Mandir area and headed towards the Sabarmati Ashram by 5:30 pm.
As I was crossing the road, after a traffic jam eased, a policeman of the many in the area asked me if I was Chinese; I said 'no'. He asked me if I was Nepali, and I nodded. I showed him my copy of 'Hind Swaraj' and he seemed pleased. We crossed the road over along with about 15 policemen and entered the ashram. While the policemen went another way, I headed towards the exhibition area.
I knew that the 1960s structure, designed by Charles Correrea, had a rainwater drainage system. I wanted to climb to the room and hide in one of the drainage bench on the roof. I decided, I will come down on the 17th evening, pay my respect to the Gandhi statue, and stage my protest. However, I couldn't find a spot to climb and found my way to a room where photos and documents were kept. I found two boxes there; one had a Gandhi statue on top and the other was empty. I entered the empty box and stayed there till night, when they switched off the lights and locked the door. I came out of the box because it was hot, and in the morning a cleaner found me behind the boxes and alerted the staff, who brought the police.
The police detained you for three days.
The police took me, and after being passed along I finally landed at the crime branch, where I was detained for three days. They interrogated me extensively about the protest, and of the sequence of events that led me till the Ashram. The Intelligence Bureau interrogated me, and the crime branch had a special interrogation. They kept my flag and pamphlets, and let me go on the 19th.
What kind of protest were you planning?
I had the Tibetan flag with me, along with several pamphlets. I planned to unfurl the Tibet flag, and scream Free Tibet. I wanted to urge India to keep dictators from its sacred spots -- the raj Ghat, and the Hriday Kunj in the Sabarmati Ashram.
What do you have to say about the Chinese president's visit to India?
I think the visit was marred by a lot of misunderstandings. There were different expectations on both ends, and things did not shape up as plans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the doors, expecting investments worth $100billion, but the investments were much lesser. It was disappointing that at the same time they sent the President, they sent the troops to the border to annoy the Border Security Forces. These manipulative Chinese tactics are disappointing. I think that China wanted India to say that Tibet is a part of China, considering that they identify Arunachal Pradesh as part of China. India should think if the dangers it is exposing its Himalayan borders to is worth it. Or the labour, environmental and natural resources it is letting go because of Chinese investments.
There was a self-immolation on the 17th in Tibet, which brings the self-immolation toll to 134. Do you think the violent form of protest is worth it?
China is completely immersed and hardened by the blind faith of money and its consumerism. They will not feel the heat of the self-immolations of Tibetans, and yet the Tibetans have not given up. We continue to appeal to the Chinese government: we are not against them; we want our country back. We need to uphold and ensure the survival of our culture.
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