Monday, September 8, 2008

Plight of the Tibetans


The Olympics are now well over but there are still some lasting impressions from the protest of the Tibetans. At least I hope there are. (I wrote then to the papers with the hope of generating some awareness of the plight of the Tibetans).

Now the Tibetans are more or less forgotten, swept aside by current events as all things eventually are.

This is a picture of a little boy observed sleeping in a corner of an alley just beside the road that rings the Potala in Lhasa. What struck me was the serenity of his sleep amidst the bustle of pilgrims as well as the bright colors of his dress and blanket.

Now as I look again at this image, the poignancy is not lost. As his elders ponder their grim future, he sleeps on, naïve as a child ought to be. He is older now and very soon, he will start to face his future and that of his kin. What lies ahead for him and his people?

No comments: