28 Years on, Tibetans continue to pray for Panchen Lama's return

Gondia (Maharashtra) [India], May 18 : The Tibetan refugees living at the Norgyeling Tibetan refugee settlement camp in the Gondia district of Maharashtra gathered at their camp office in the early hours of Wednesday.

The occasion marks the anniversary of one of the darkest chapters of Tibetan history after the forced migration from Tibet in 1959 due to relentless and pervasive attempts by China to sinicize their motherland.

On May 17, 1995, a six-year-old boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima went missing from Tibet. What made him special and even holy was that he was the eleventh Panchen Lama, a very holy and revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

The reason for his disappearance was that China had tried extremely hard to use the tenth Panchen Lama as their stooge but he had disobeyed and openly revolted against the Chinese government leaving them embarrassed on the global stage.

In their attempts to be overcautious, the Chinese government captured the eleventh Panchen Lama in utter disregard of the basic human values and there is no trace of him even today. While some images of him have been generated through artificial intelligence there has been no success in locating him and he has turned into one of the several mysteries originating and ending in China.

The international community refers to him as the youngest political prisoner and he is likely to end up as one of the political dissidents of the CCP with each passing year. The Tibetan community has remained unwavering in their resolve in taking up the issue of the disappearance of Panchen Lama year after year. True to the teachings of lord Buddha they have been peacefully protesting for the cause.

The event was held under the supervision of Tashi Tsering, vice president of the Regional Tibetan youth congress and members of the Regional Tibetan Women's Association. Besides representatives of the local assembly also participated. Senior members addressed the gathering of people who had gathered to offer prayers at the local monastery.

In their speech, the leaders of various groups appealed the fellow refugees and especially the youth to take up the cause of Panchen Lama s release and exhorted them to work for it relentlessly and peacefully. The historical and religious importance of Panchen Lama was emphasized at the event and special prayers were offered for the Tibetan people who had self-immolated for the cause of Tibet. People resolved to pursue the issue with renewed vigour. Senior citizens and women participated in large numbers despite heatwave conditions at the camp.