Born in exile in McLeodganj, these young people have never seen their country—but they have kept alive the desire of one day going back to a free Tibet. The Sunday Express meets young Tibetans who cherish both the country of their birth and the homeland of their heart

The outbreak of violence in Tibet and other Chinese provinces last week has triggered protest in McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh, seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India and home of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan flag—with its snow lions, a radiating sun and red and blue rays—adds colour to the air as little armies of monks, nuns and ordinary Tibetans pour into the three cramped streets of this tiny hill town in the Dhauladhars every few minutes. It’s a well-choreographed affair with every little platoon led by a cheerleader prompting slogans. Youngsters not part of the organised groups trawl the streets in ones or twos with the Tibetan flag wrapped around them. Even office-goers sport it in style or have it flying from their purses. The cafes and restaurants owned by Tibetans lie forlorn, their shutters down, as the owners do their bit for their movement outside the main monastery or at the various hole-in-the-wall offices where NGOs work day and night to keep the tempo going. Even students contribute their mite, lining up for some serious spot of poster pasting. With hope giving free rein to their imagination, far away from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, freedom seems just a slogan away.

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