Kharma Coma

“In India, anything is possible,” a tour guide we travelled with was fond of saying. Probably the occasion where this phrase seemed most apt was when we got to see the Dalai Lama in the flesh.

The day after arriving in Mcleodganj, the Himalayan hilltown that serves as the base of the Tibetan government in exile, we decided to visit the temple where the Dalai Lama teaches most regularly. While there, we were informed that his holiness would be visiting the temple for private prayers two days later. We couldn’t believe our luck – he spends only three or four days a month in Mcleodganj.

Two days later, we headed down to the temple half an hour before the prayer ceremony was due to start. We positioned ourselves close to a group of elderly Tibetans at the door on the temple’s left hand side, close to some well ‘ard Sikh guards.

For twenty minutes we sat (taking care not to point our feet at anything holy) watching maroon clad monks and a handful of tourists with invitations to the prayers go into the temple. Many others were lined up along the path between the temple and the monastery where the Dalai Lama lives. All eyes were fixed on a gate into the monastery.

Eventually, the gates swung open and a group of monks swept out. Amongst the sea of maroon was a flash of yellow, and the familiar figure of a small man in glasses emerged – the Dalai Lama.

His holiness made his way slowly down the path, stopping only to speak to a group of excited tourists. Then, to our disappointment, he made his way towards the right-hand side entrance leading us and the Tibetans to leave our vantage point to hurry to the other door for a closer glimpse, trying to bow our heads at the same time. By this time, the man everyone wanted to see had disappeared inside the temple.

Our glimpse of the Dalai Lama marked the start of a fortnight of experiencing Tibetan culture and Buddhist customs. Himashal Pradesh, the Indian State where Mcleodganj is located, is home for many Tibetan refugees, many of whom made arduous journeys across the Himalayas to get there. We travelled through several Tibetan settlements and found them to be very friendly places, and often better run than Indian communities.

Of course, the locals in Mcleodganj and other hill communities have to be congratulated for their hospitality to their Tibetan neighbours. From speaking to locals the perception I got was that Tibetans have settled in well and interestingly, are more welcome than migrants from within India. Himashali people appear less warm towards migrants from Rajasthan and neighbouring Jammu.

After three days we left Mcleodganj behind, but it wouldn’t be the last time we would experience Tibetan hospitality in India.