Tibetan Refugees In India Research Articles

Amma La: Reflective Account of a Participatory Mixed Theatre Method in Migration Research in India

This article presents the methodological process of interpreting the ethnographic data of my research about the question of Indian citizenship for Tibetan refugees in India as a theater play titled “Amma la” (meaning “mother” in Tibetan). I present the enacting of the theater play “Amma la” with young Tibetans in India (2019) at three different institutions. I argue that performing the theater play “Amma la” with Tibetan participants in 2019 is a method of enacting the research findings in a participatory, collaborative, creative, and novel way that opens up possibilities for shared meanings and transformative re-interpretation of the data within an embodied, artistic, and performative dimension. I argue that the performance of the theater play “Amma la” sits theoretically at the intersection of verbatim theater, political theater, and participatory drama as well as forum theater and physical theater. It could also be argued that the theater play “Amma la” constitutes a form of experimental theater that is not complete and foreclosing, but processual and prospective. And finally, performing “Amma la” is a form of process drama, focusing on improvisation, and the process of creating and acting a scene for the benefit of the participants-actors, and not on the polished and rehearsed performances for a specific audience. For these reasons, I argue that “Amma la” is constructed on and theoretically supported by what I will simply call participatory mixed theater methods.

Boundary-Making and Political Activism in Protracted Exile: Second-Generation Tibetan Refugees in India

AbstractFor over six decades the Tibetan diaspora in India has followed a strategy of ‘non-assimilation’ towards Indian society. A majority of Tibetans still reside in self-governed settlements and maintain their self-imposed statelessness. Tibetan refugees have constructed boundaries that—according to the diaspora leaders—enable them to continue their political struggle for a free Tibet while in a state of protracted exile and imposed waiting. In this article, based on long-term ethnographic research, I discuss the mechanisms and rationale of this boundary-making by exploring its spatial, educational, and political dimensions. I then analyse the political activism which takes place within those boundaries, with a special focus on second-generation Tibetan refugees. I scrutinize the internal divisions in the Tibetan freedom movement, the radicalization of struggle, and the everyday patriotism practiced by generations born in exile, demonstrating that waiting has the potential to produce resistance.

The Education System as a Tool for Preserving the Identity of Tibetan Refugees in India

The Education System as a Tool for Preserving the Identity of Tibetan Refugees in India

Experiences of Tibetan Refugees in India during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explores the experiences of 70 Tibetan refugees in India (28 male, 42 female; mean age = 30.90 years; SD = 8.11) during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of their stress, financial anxiety, perceived discrimination, dark future expectations, and resilience. Older, married, and working refugees experienced more problems but higher resilience. Female refugees reported more nervousness and stress than male refugees. Financial anxiety and dark future expectations predicted higher stress. Overall, the findings show low to moderate levels of mental health issues and high resilience among Tibetan refugees during the pandemic and highlight the importance of cultural beliefs and practices in maintaining good mental health and resilience.

In The Pursuit of Happiness: Observations of Young Tibetan Refugees in Exile, India

Refugees often experience adverse circumstances as a consequence of displacement from their homes due to conflict, directly affecting their happiness and well-being. This study focuses on Tibetan refugees because of their relatively successful transition into other parts of the world, their effective advocacy to improve their plight and the gradual reduction of repression on the part of China’s government against them. The literature reveals that happiness among refugees is usually a consequence of the interplay of various factors in their destination country. This study seeks to verify the exact nature of these claims by considering the influence life satisfaction, life orientation and the environment has on the happiness of young Tibetan refugees in India. The study concludes with recommendations for stakeholders, including relief organizations, psychologists and counsellors.

Bioethical Threads in the Reflection of Tibetan Refugees in India

This article aims to trace and describe the bioethical threads in medical practice and the understanding of medicine among Tibetan refugees living in India. Taking up such a task results mainly from the fact that only traces of bioethical reflection are visible in Tibetan society, but without the awareness that it requires systematic reflection on its essence and changes that accompany modern medicine. I define the state of the discussion on Tibetan bioethics as preparadigmatic, i.e., one that precedes the recognition of the importance of bioethics and the elaboration of its basic concepts. In this paper, I will show how the Tibetan refugees today, in an unconscious way, approach bioethics, using the example of life-related topics, namely beginning and death. To this end, I chose topics such as abortion, fetal sex reassignment, euthanasia, and suicide. On this basis, I will indicate the main reasons that hinder the emergence of bioethics and those that may contribute to systematic discussions in the future. An introduction to Tibetan medicine will precede these considerations. I will show how medical traditions, especially the Rgyud bzhi text, are related to Tibetan Buddhism and opinions of the 14th Dalai Lama.

High resilience among the Tibetan refugees in India during the COVID-19 pandemic

High resilience among the Tibetan refugees in India during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nehru’s Non-Alignment Dilemma: Tibetan Refugees in India

The circumstances of Tibetan refugees in India in the 1960s attracted international recognition. The question of their asylum provoked domestic debate about India’s relations with China and had implications for India’s vision of non-alignment, particularly regarding how human rights and self-determination would be brought together in the changing post-colonial world. Ultimately, the Indian government led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru focused on the Indian state’s right to grant Tibetans asylum and assistance, with limited involvement from the international community. Public opinion in India called for the refugees’ right to self-determination in Tibet. Simultaneously, the Nehruvian vision of non-alignment was undergoing a change from its immediate post-colonial form. The Indian government tried to draw a clear line between those displaced by India’s own decolonisation and by Partition, and a crisis that was a thorn in the side of Sino-Indian bilateral relations in the bipolar world of the Cold War. The 1960s can therefore be seen as India’s reframing of the term ‘refugee’ to reflect its own interests domestically and internationally.

Influence of remittances oncapital endowment of Tibetan refugees in India

PurposeAn issue concerning Tibetan refugees in India is the poverty and unemployment among Tibetan youth. This often leads to households adopting a strategy of sending one of its members abroad towards North American or European countries in search of better income opportunities. Incomes in the form of remittances from these forward migrants have numerous impacts on living standard of left behind families. This study aims to focus on the influence of forward migrant’s remittances on livelihood in terms of human, financial and social capital development of Tibetan refugees in India.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes 400 households from high-economic and low-economic-access regions of Tibetan settlements in India. Ordinary least square method was used to study these impacts.FindingsFindings show that remittances have significantly influenced human and financial capital development. However, it was found to be statistically not significant for social capital development.Originality/valueThe present paper is original work.

Self-Regulated Learning in Refugee Entrepreneurship Education: A University-Based Program for Tibetan Entrepreneurs in India

ABSTRACTThis article presents a case study evaluation of an entrepreneurship education (EE) program for Tibetan refugees in India. In the context of both calls for and critiques of entrepreneurial support strategies for refugee communities, the authors of this study used mixed methods and ethnographic approaches to reflect upon the delivery and reception of the Tibetan Entrepreneurship Development initiative’s preincubation training program during its third cycle. Two innovative features of this program—its use of the material and intellectual resources of a university to support the refugee-entrepreneurs and its pedagogical emphasis on self-regulated learning—might serve as a model for similar initiatives among refugee groups in South Asia and beyond. Examining the participants’ evolving entrepreneurial visions of themselves and their community, we offer critical reflections on the program’s successes and areas for improvement.

775. An Epidemiological Analysis of Patients With Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Among Tibetan Refugees in India

BackgroundGlobally, refugee populations face an increased risk for tuberculosis (TB) due to malnutrition, overcrowding, and poor living conditions. Compared with the general Indian population, Tibetan refugees in India display a higher incidence rate of both TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The high incidence of MDR-TB in younger population is a serious public health concern.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with MDR-TB treated from January 2010 to December 2013 in Tibetan Delek Hospital, which is the center of TB control among Tibetan refugees. Patients were classified into either new cases (supposed infection by exposure to MDR-TB) or previously treated MDR-TB cases (suspected acquirement of MDR-TB through anti-TB treatment or by MDR-TB exposure after treatment). We compared patients’ age, sex, birthplace, residence type, occupation, contact history, and treatment outcome.ResultsOf 749 patients with TB, we enrolled 134 patients with MDR-TB [median age, 26 (interquartile range: 22–35) years; males, 55%]. The Tibetan ethnicity comprised 96% of the study population, whereas Indians (trans-Himalayan) comprised 4%. The birthplace was Tibet for 22% patients, India for 75%, and Nepal for 2%. New MDR-TB cases were 28% and previously treated MDR-TB cases were 72%. Failure was observed in 42% patients and cured and completed in 54% patients, during their previous TB treatment. The median age was significantly lower in new cases than in previously treated MDR-TB cases (24 vs. 28.5 years; P < 0.01). Tibet was the birthplace of 34% new cases and 18% in previously treated cases (P = 0.04). The residence was of the congregated type in 58% of new cases and 30% in previously treated MDR-TB cases (P = 0.01). The occupation was “student” and “unemployed” in 58% and 8% in new cases and 33% and 24% in previously treated cases, respectively (P = 0.03). Contact history with TB type and treatment outcome were not considerably different, although the rates of cured and completed were high in both new (82%) and previously treated (84%) MDR-TB cases.ConclusionThis study shows that new MDR-TB correlates with younger age, birth in Tibet, congregated residence, and student occupation. Targeting the above-listed characteristics could be effective in further reducing the MDR-TB transmission among Tibetan refugees in India.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

High Prevalence of Active and Latent Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents in Tibetan Schools in India: The Zero TB Kids Initiative in Tibetan Refugee Children.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) prevalence is high among Tibetan refugees in India, with almost half of cases occurring in congregate facilities, including schools. A comprehensive program of TB case finding and treatment of TB infection (TBI) was undertaken in schools for Tibetan refugee children.MethodsSchoolchildren and staff in Tibetan schools in Himachal Pradesh, India, were screened for TB with an algorithm using symptoms, chest radiography, molecular diagnostics, and tuberculin skin testing. Individuals with active TB were treated and those with TBI were offered isoniazid-rifampicin preventive therapy for 3 months.ResultsFrom April 2017 to March 2018, we screened 5391 schoolchildren (median age, 13 years) and 786 staff in 11 Tibetan schools. Forty-six TB cases, including 1 with multidrug resistance, were found in schoolchildren, for a prevalence of 853 per 100 000. Extensively drug-resistant TB was diagnosed in 1 staff member. The majority of cases (66%) were subclinical. TBI was detected in 930 of 5234 (18%) schoolchildren and 334 of 634 (53%) staff who completed testing. Children in boarding schools had a higher prevalence of TBI than children in day schools (915/5020 [18%] vs 15/371 [4%]; P < .01). Preventive therapy was provided to 799 of 888 (90%) schoolchildren and 101 of 332 (30%) staff with TBI; 857 (95%) people successfully completed therapy.ConclusionsTB prevalence is extremely high among Tibetan schoolchildren. Effective active case finding and a high uptake and completion of preventive therapy for children were achieved. With leadership and community mobilization, TB control is implementable on a population level.

A Study on Sustainability of Tibetan Entrepreneurship in Modern Business Environment – with Special Emphasis on Tibetan Business in India

The Entrepreneurship sector being at its peak in this present time could be an economic growth driver. Tibetan refugees in India are witnessing a major growth in entrepreneurship sector. With this, the study aims to analyze the ability of Tibetan Entrepreneurs to maintain their business at a certain level, to identify the major problems faced by the Entrepreneurs during business operations and seeing how the Tibetan Entrepreneurs are striving for the stability of their business in this competitive world. I have collected the information about the Tibetan Entrepreneurs in the selected study areas of North and South India using questionnaire and interview methods and various statistical tools have been used to analyze the data collected for the study. The outcome of the study shows that the Tibetan Entrepreneurs are struggling for their sustainability and stability of their existing business rather than expanding their business. Local legal requirements and volatility of Indian Government rules and regulations are also a huge challenge for Tibetan entrepreneurs. Tibetans hold a refugee status and they do not possess every rights and documents as local citizens do, related to trade and business field. Still, the struggle is going on to make the Tibetan business stable in the market and sustaining with the changing times. Though it might take time but the hope is there to sustain the Tibetan entrepreneurship with their full effort.

Improved Detection of Tuberculosis and Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis among Tibetan Refugees, India.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among Tibetan refugees in India is 431 cases/100,000 persons, compared with 181 cases/100,000 persons overall in India in 2010. More than half of TB cases in these refugees occur among students, monks, and nuns in congregate settings. We sought to increase TB case detection rates for this population through active case finding and rapid molecular diagnostics. We screened 27,714 persons for symptoms of TB and tested 3,830 symptomatic persons by using an algorithm incorporating chest radiography, sputum smear microscopy, culture, and a rapid diagnostic test; 96 (2.5%) cases of TB were detected (prevalence 346 cases/100,000 persons). Of these cases, 5% were multidrug-resistant TB. Use of the rapid diagnostic test and active case finding enabled rapid detection of undiagnosed TB cases in congregate living settings, which would not have otherwise been identified. The burden of TB in the Tibetan exile population in India is extremely high and requires urgent attention.

Book Review: Mallica Mishra, Tibetan Refugees in India—Education, Culture and Growing Up in Exile

Book Review: Mallica Mishra, <i>Tibetan Refugees in India—Education, Culture and Growing Up in Exile</i>

Shyness, Self-Construal, Extraversion–Introversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism

Shyness is considered as a universal phenomenon and its prevalence rates vary across cultures. This study aimed at comparing the level of shyness, self-construal, and personality traits of extraversion, introversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism among the college students from India, the host country, Africa; Iran; and Maldives, and Tibetan refugees in India (TRI), studying in different colleges at Mysore, India. Two hundred students (100 men and 100 women), age ranging from 17 to 30 years, were recruited based on stratified random sampling and were administered the Henderson/Zimbardo Shyness Questionnaire, Fernandez Scale of Independent–Interdependent Self-Construal, and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised. The results showed that shyness was significantly correlated with high introversion and high neuroticism scores. The results also showed that level of shyness varies significantly across different cultural groups and students from Maldives showed highest level of shyness whereas Iranian students had the lowest level of shyness. Although there was no significant gender difference, TRI males and Maldivian females had higher scores on shyness. Faith Orientation did not differentiate the prevalence of shyness among students of the different cultural groups. Shyness may be influenced by the culture from which one hails, and its level may vary depending on the nurturance.

Survey of tuberculosis drug resistance among Tibetan refugees in India.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem among Tibetans living in exile in India. Although drug-resistant TB is considered common in clinical practice, precise data are lacking. To determine the proportion of drug-resistant cases among new and previously treated Tibetan TB patients. In a drug resistance survey in five Tibetan settlements in India, culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST) for first-line drugs were performed among all consecutive new and previously treated TB cases from April 2010 to September 2011. DST against kanamycin (KM), ethionamide, para-aminosalicylic acid and ofloxacin (OFX) was performed on multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) isolates. Of 307 patients enrolled in the study, 264 (193 new and 71 previously treated) were culture-positive and had DST available. All patients tested for the human immunodeficiency virus (n = 250) were negative. Among new TB cases, 14.5% had MDR-TB and 5.7% were isoniazid (INH) monoresistant. Among previously treated cases, 31.4% had MDR-TB and 12.7% were INH-monoresistant. Of the MDR-TB isolates, 28.6% of new and 26.1% of previously treated cases were OFX-resistant, while 7.1% of new cases and 8.7% of previously treated cases were KM-resistant. Three patients had extensively drug-resistant TB. MDR-TB is common in new and previously treated Tibetans in India, who also show additional complex resistance patterns. Of particular concern is the high percentage of MDR-TB strains resistant to OFX, KM or both.

Being a Tibetan Refugee in India

This article deals with Tibetan refugees in India from the first arrivals in 1959, following the Dalai Lama's own flight to India, up to the present day. It focuses on legal issues and on questions pertaining to livelihood possibilities and the preservation of a distinct Tibetan identity in a context of increasingly numerous interactions with Indian society. It first explains how Tibetans managed to establish a strong exile community thanks to the possibilities offered by life in India, such as the constitution of relatively isolated refugee settlements. It then focuses on the challenges faced by Tibetans in India by analysing the tensions between being/remaining a refugee and acknowledging the diasporic status of the Tibetan exile community. It eventually concludes on the more recent trend towards further dispersion, notably to North America. For this, it makes use of the triangular relationship developed by refugee and diaspora scholars, such as Gabriel Sheffer, Bertrand Badie, Steven Vertovec, and Kim Butler, and more specifically of the refugee/diaspora community/host country segment of the triangular relationship.

Audrey Prost: Precious Pills: Medicine and Social Change among Tibetan Refugees in India

Audrey Prost: Precious Pills: Medicine and Social Change among Tibetan Refugees in India

“We're Not Home”: Tibetan Refugees in India in the Twenty-First Century

… We are refugees here. People of a lost country. Citizens to no nation. Tibetans: the world's sympathy stock. Serene monks and bubbly traditionalists; one lakh and several thousand odd, nicely mix...