Mumbai Will Recover

India continues to reel under the atrocities in Mumbai. It transpires that a warning email had been sent by the Indian Mujahideen warning that Mumbai “are already on our hit-list and this time very very seriously." The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the main opposition party, immediately tried to score political points claiming the ruling Congress Party were unfit for government. Yet such attacks are so sporadic in nature (New York, London, Bali, Madrid) that no-one can predict where the next target is. There was an excellent editorial in The Tribune written by H.K. Dua who was asking for unity across the country and indeed further afield. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081128/main2.htm

Whilst there seems to be a strong link with Pakistan, that does not necessarily mean that the Pakistan authorities were complicit in the attack. Pakistan quickly condemned the attack and have promised to bring any culprits to justice. I hope they follow through on this.

Mumbai is well known for being a resilient city and will recover from this atrocity, but it will take time.

We are flying down to Delhi on Sunday and will be staying in a small, inconspicuous and unassuming guest house.

Mumbai Massacre

The stories coming out of Mumbai today have been shocking. Whilst there have been several bomb attacks going off sporadically around India in recent months, nothing quite as violent and certainly nothing so co-ordinated.

A previously unknown orgnasation, the Deccan Mujahedeen, has claimed responsibility. It is thought they have links with Students' Islamic Movement of India, outlawed in the country. Young South Asian culprits were seen from CCTV cameras, looking very jovial, and clearly happy to show their faces. British and American citizens seem to have been particularly targeted, leading to possible links to external organisations. The death toll is thought to be over 100 and 900 people injured. Amazingly 9 terrorists are thought to have been captured.

The severity of the situation is highlighted in the postponement of all international cricket competitions. Indians are totally nuts about cricket and a tournament with Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan was due to start on 3rd December. Lucky for England! They are currently being hammered in the one day test series 5 - 0!

Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, claims everything will be done to protect Indian citizens and the perpetrators brought to justice. How do you protect over a billion citizens?

Mumbai is the heart of the Indian economy and markets have been closed throughout the day. Many questions have been raised over security at the top hotels, as well as the Indian Security and Intelligence Agency.

Fly The Flag

There is a growing campaign that is encouraging Tibetans and Tibetan sympathizers to fly the Tibetan flag to generate awareness and dialogue. This is being organised by the Raise Tibetan Flags Campaign (RTFC) which has just set up a tea-shop and offices on Jogiwara Road.

The Tibetan flag is one of the more wacky designs to be found, and , perhaps not surprisingly, full of symbolism.

The six red bands in the dark blue sky represent the original ancestral tribes of the Tibetan people.
The snow - clad mountain in the middle is symbolic of the Himalayas with the rising sun behind it.
The pair of snow lions represent the victorious accomplishments of a unified and secular life.
The swirling jewel between the snow lions represent self-discipline of correct ethical behaviour, embodied in the 10 exalted virtues and the sixteen modes of conduct.

We have a large Tibetan flag adorning our window. It would be great if you would “fly the flag” and show you care. You can even print it off this page!

More details on this campaign can be found at www.tibetanflags.org

Beggars - Part 2 - South Indian Beggars

There is a small horde of migrant beggars on the streets of McLeod Ganj. They are invariably carrying a young baby in their arms and request food. Feeling somewhat sorry for one of these women, and also more comfortable that she wanted food, not money, I walked with her to the grocers´shop. I bought her some rice and powdered milk which cost over 100 rupees. I saw her her in the street just a few moments later approaching other travellers. I asked to see the food products I had just bought for her and she could not. I presume she must have sold them back to the shop and cashed them in almost immediately. I feel somewhat resentful to all of these women now, and fortunately they know better than to approach me.

Rabies Epidemic

There have been four recorded cases of rabies in Dharamsala this month already. The latest victim was an Australian tourist attacked by a ferocious dog on the streets. All bite victims have to be rushed to Chandighar within 12 hours as there is no provision for medication at the local hospital. This is not easy as Chandighar is about 7 hours drive from Dharamsala. I´m trying to give all animals a wide birth at the moment. However we did have an unexpected night visitor on our balcony - a grey tabby amazingly found its way up. It mewed all night outside the window and I was faced with no other choice but to rescue it. A real hero under such circumstances.

Tibetan Parliament in Exile Update

We attended the feedback meeting today with 200+ others organised by Talk Tibet. Unfortunately it was all in Tibetan – not a language I have grasped yet! I am thus very grateful to the Tibet International Post (www.thetibetpost.com) for their coverage of the specially convened meeting. The 500+ delegates clearly still support the Dalai Lama and his efforts in developing a Middle Path. This will continue, passed by the majority of attendees – Tibetans should have their own autonomy in Tibet. However, if the Chinese continue to stall in talks, the Tibetan community will start advocating complete independence and self-determination from China. The proverbial ball is still very much in the Chinese court. If nothing else, democracy of the Tibetan people in exile has prevailed and the Dalai Lama´s actions vindicated by the Tibetan people.

Kenneth Williams

I am just re-reading the Kenneth Williams Diaries. A real master of character acting and a huge variety of comic voices at his disposal, his career spanned several generations. He acted with some of the best including Richard Burton and Orson Welles, and struck up several friendships with the likes of Joe Orton and Tony Hancock (although the latter relationship subsequently turned sour).

Williams´diaries (a compilation of 41 volumes found on his shelves at the time of his death) are an incredible insight into some of his inner-most thoughts and can often be too personal for anyone´s liking – he regularly notes his self-masturbatory experiences (referred to in rhyming Cockney slang as “The Barclays”) and other bodily functions. His own self-hypocrisy, troubled mind and faltering relationships with others spans more than three decades and is an excellent read. His suicide over 20 years ago has done nothing to diminish his cult status. A very strange and dislocated person.

Living on a Film Set

Walk around the quiet streets of Mcleod Ganj and you invariably walk into a film crew. With continuing meeting about developing a “new” approach to resolving Tibet, the media have hit town big time. Such media attention can only benefit the Tibetan cause.

Discussions continue all day at the Parliament building and will continue until Saturday lunchtime, although I am unsure of what conclusions can be reached. There will be a feedback meeting for the community on Sunday which I will check out. Meanwhile President Bush will be speaking to Hu Jintao in Peru about human rights including the Tibetan situation.

Keep Himachal Pradesh Green

Catch the bus from Lower Dharamsala to McLeod Ganj and you will notice many signposts at the roadside. They are encouraging the community to develop their environmental conscience. My personal favourites include “A Thing of Beauty is Joy Forever”, “Divinity In Nature” and “Nature is not a Place, it is our Home”. This does not deter some locals from tipping rubbish wherever and whenever it suits them. I fear it will take a long time for the culture to change.