Sethu Das on ‘Friends of Tibet’

[After graduating from the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, Sethu Das went to Srinagar for an assignment and accidentally reached Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. Moved by the stories of Chinese atrocities in Tibet related to him by the former Tibetan political prisoners, he founded the Friends of Tibet, a pressure group in 1999 with one member, an organisation he never registered! On the occasion of World Tibet Day (July 6), Tibet Rights Collective spoke with Sethu Das. Excerpts:]

Q: Can you tell us the story behind the formation of Friends of Tibet and the journey so far?

A: My only connection with Tibet was a book gifted to me by a friend, and an old documentary in which I saw His Holiness the Dalai Lama repairing a mechanical watch. But, nothing happens without a reason. Years later, an accidental trip to Dharamshala brought me closer to the Tibetan community and their spiritual leader in exile.

Friends of Tibet was officially formed on March 9, 1999, at an informal gathering in Dharamshala after all my attempts to join a Tibet Support Group in India failed. I am not an organisational man, and I have no experience in running organisations. So I felt that it was better to join an existing organisation to show my support and contribute my skills instead of starting a new one. The initial experiences I had with some of the leading Tibet Support Groups were disappointing. Instead of complaining, I decided to start a platform/organisation in Bombay, where I used to live. With activists like Tenzin Tsundue playing an important role in the organisation, it was convenient for us to look at the Tibetan dilemma through the eyes of the exile community.

Friends of Tibet was founded on three fundamental principles:

1. We will never register the organisation, as we do not want to last a minute than longer, once the Tibet issue is resolved 2) The organisation will own no assets and have no salaried activist, but will welcome anyone (irrespective of background) to join freely, to contribute their skills and knowledge for the cause of Tibet 3) The organisation will stand in solidarity with Tibetan people (inside Tibet and in exile) but will remain committed to the ongoing Tibetan struggle for independence.

2. We hope that our humble efforts will bring greater spiritual benefits and results for this cause in the long run.

Q: Tibetans in exile have worked tirelessly to preserve, protect and promote the Tibetan identity. How would you describe the Tibetan Resilience and Spirit?

A: There is no doubt that Tibetans are one of the most successful refugee communities, and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, legitimate and one of the most effective exile governments in the world. The community is blessed to have a fatherly figure like His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has continued to inspire the community and lead their struggle for freedom for the last several decades. The Dalai Lama and the first generation of Tibetans in exile have done an unimaginable job of preserving and protecting the Tibetan identity, at a time when China was working vigorously to destroy and eradicate the culture and identity of native Tibetans.

There are so many good things about the community in exile, of which we are proud. But this is only one side of the struggle. The real struggle of freeing an occupied nation while being in exile, with the help and support of the international community, remains forgotten. No community can afford to live in complacency without being aware of the dangers around them. The Tibetans have a very strong case and all the reasons to regain their lost independence. And at no cost should the Tibetan community reduce their fight based on truth and justice against a mighty empire, to an information war or an academic battle with China. The community should realise its potential and focus on real issues to actively take part in the ongoing struggle, as they have a moral responsibility towards Tibetans who continue to suffer under the occupying forces. That was the very purpose of taking refuge in free nations like India.

Q: It is exciting to see the popularity of the Tibet Pavilion at the Kochi Biennale venue which has the Shadow Circus exhibition by RituSarin and TenzingSonam. Could you tell us more about the exhibition?

A: Friends of Tibet first collaborated with RituSarin and TenzingSonam sometime in 1999 to discuss their participation in the ‘Festival of Tibet’ we organised in Bombay a year later. By then, LhamoTsering, father of TenzingSonam, had already passed away, but the filmmaker couple managed to travel all the way to Bombay to be an integral part of the month-long festival inaugurated by the Dalai Lama.

When the invitation to participate in the fifth edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale came to RituSarin and TenzingSonam, they discussed the possibilities of a collaboration with Friends of Tibet. After a couple of discussions, we decided to collaborate with the “Shadow Circus: A Personal Archive of Tibetan Resistance” project in order to reach out to the maximum number of supporters from all over the world. We had a number of logistical nightmares and practical difficulties in hosting such an event for a period of four months, but it gave us tremendous satisfaction when we realised that the exhibition attracted more than four lakh visitors in four months, something that is usually unheard of, and unimaginable for Tibet events. The Shadow Circus was an eye-opener not only for beginners and supporters but also for academicians and researchers, as many of them were clueless about the armed struggle of the peace-loving Tibetans who courageously fought the occupying forces from 1957 to 1974 with the help of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Q: Why do you think Tibet and Tibet issues should be discussed more by the world?  How can we increase awareness about Tibet? The observance of World Tibet Day, for instance, is an attempt to highlight the Tibet cause.

A: I would like to put this in a slightly different perspective. I do not believe that the world community has ignored the Tibet issue. Thanks to His Holiness and his unquestionable leadership, the world continues to stand in solidarity with the Tibetan community. Even inside China, we can see a large number of people sympathetic to the Tibetan situation. Tibet is suffering not due to a lack of world support or attention, but because of a lack of direction and clarity. Unless there is a soul search to find the real purpose of one’s existence in exile, true results won’t emerge.

World Tibet Day is a good example of the solidarity of the international community. The event was founded by Richard Rosenkranz (1942-2014), a Jewish Pulitzer Prize nominee in history and former correspondent for the US Senate, whom I consider a mentor. After our initial meeting in Berlin in 2003, I worked with him his Foundation until the end of his life. Richard, a victim of polio, wanted Friends of Tibet Foundation to take over the World Tibet Day-related activities when he started developing health complications. He was an extremely charismatic leader on a walking stick who rubbed shoulders with the rich, famous, and powerful. Started in 1997 at an informal meeting between Tendzin Choegyal, the Dalai Lama’s younger brother, Richard was instrumental in making World Tibet Day an important event in the Tibetan calendar. In 2021, World Tibet Day, the birthday of His Holiness, was observed in more than 78 countries globally. We are proud to be one of the principal organisers of the event worldwide.

Q: A lot of discussion is happening regarding the Chinese interference in the reincarnation process of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. What is your take on the issue?

A: China is a nation of contradictions and paradoxes. You will find the best and the worst emerging from China. It is capable of producing disease-causing agents meant for state-sponsored bio-warfare programmes and also capable of deploying the entire task force to contain the very same diseases. China produces some of the best and worst consumer products in the world.

Contradictions result in a balance struggle. Modern China struggles to balance Marxism and capitalism, atheism, and religious beliefs. Look at China’s own economy. China is trying to open its economy while keeping its society closed without realising that the nation will ultimately end up sacrificing either its economy or its society. We see this struggle even with the process of choosing the next Dalai Lama. It is ironic that an atheist nation is more enthusiastic in ‘appointing’ the next Dalai Lama based on Buddhist reincarnation principles than the Tibetan Buddhists themselves. The military dictatorship of China is capable of appointing anyone, even the next Pope!

Q: If there is one thing you want the world to do for Tibet, what would it be?

A: I would only remind the world of a famous quote by Albert Camus — “In a world of conflicts, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners!”

[*Ahead of his 90th birth day on 6 July the 14th Dalai Lama reaffirmed that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama would continue.  A Chinese spokesperson, however, said that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “must be approved by the central government”. In a video message issued by the office of the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, the spiritual leader said:” The next Dalai Lama will be chosen according to Tibetan traditions…..It is not something that political powers can dictate”.]

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Vol 58, No. 5, Jul 27 - Aug 2, 2025