NONVIOLENT STRUGGLE AND UNCERTAINTY: SOME PERCEPTIONS OF TIBETAN DIASPORA IN DELHI

Abstract

The present study argues that there is a need to explore peoples perceptions of non-violent struggle and their life experience with non-violent struggle which can enrich the debate of the contemporary relevance of non-violent struggle. To explore this, the Tibetan diaspora from Delhi is taken as a case for this purpose, who have adopted non-violent struggle for more than six decades as of now. In-depth interviews were carried out in a Tibetan settlement at MajnuKaTilla in Delhi. Twenty-fiverespondents were interviewed using purposive sampling.Their views are mostly pessimistic about the non-violent approach, given its high rate of unsuccessfulness and its negligible impact on China. The lackadaisical approach of international peace keeping organisations towards their non-violent approach is also responsible for it.These reasons are compelling some of them to think of violence as an alternative tool to achieve the desired end. To address these radical tendencies, efforts like educating Tibetans about M K Ghandi, Martin Luther king Jr. and Nelson Mandelas contribution and the systematic utilization of non-violent strategies in an innovative way to achieve the goal might help. The study concludes with the fact that International peace keeping organisations especially United Nations can make a significant contribution in internationalising the Tibetan issue and provide peaceful solution.