It was 10 years ago from May 17, 2008 that the Panchen Lama first went missing. He is thought to have been the worlds youngest political prisoner. As that wiki article explains, it is a disputed position between the Tibetans and the Chinese. To resolve the matter of dispute, the Tibetan elected reincarnation has disappeared. Another worrying side note of this story is the growing age of the 14th Dalai Lama (72), and the ongoing refusal of communication from the Chinese. H. H. the Dalai Lama has made many statements that could place his future reincarnation in any ‘free’ country around the world. Depending on his definition of ‘free’ I would bet that he doesn’t reincarnate as an Iraqi, Iranian, Chinese (at least not recognised by Tibetans) or Afghani. The odds are pretty good that he won’t reincarnate in Lichtenstein or Luxembourg based on pupulation, and I would even bet that he doesn’t come back as an Inuit, a Bedouin or a redneck! Although I am sure if he was asked he would say that all of this is possible.
There was a candle light vigil and march last night that ran around McLeod Ganj and ended in the Dalai Lama’s temple. There was the usual chanting and megaphone yelling in Tibetan, so I took some photos with my Mamiya 7 and then went for dinner at Pintu’s restaurant “Malabar.” I had the best Karahi Chicken I have had in a long time. Pintu took it upon himself to run up to the kitchen and knock it out himself. This is a dish I plan to master, and may even come home with a couple of Karahi’s myself. I have moved hotels, to a nice and quiet spot that overlooks the Kangra valley and the Dhauladhar mountains but is still in the center of McLeod Ganj. Ashoka is a traditional Tibetan guest house that burns the greatest natural incense every morning and has the best views. I am paying 350 Rupees a night. Which is a little more than planned, but only by a couple of dollars. Last night ended (as have all nights) with a quiet evening reading.
My book of the moment is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It is one of those great travel books, that covers some history of the country, and some cultural and social habits, but also tells a story that the fellow traveller/tourist can relate to and have an element of the Indiana Jones to it. I’m not sure I would recommend it to my New York friends (the movie is due to release with Johnny Depp in April 2009), but if you are heading out to India, pick up a copy. It is about the same size as a Lonely Planet though (about 940 pages long and 600 rupees)! I have also read on this trip Augusten Burroughs new book, “A Wolf at the Table.” Although not as entertaining or even as well written as his other books, I still enjoyed reading it and having all the stories of his father tie into his past memoirs. “Shantaram,” put an immediate halt to “The Denial of Death” by Ernest Becker, which was becoming a great read, although a little dense with thinking material for a vacation read. I will return to it, and plan on discussing some of its points on this blog. It has discussed some interesting ideas about our ways of dealing with life and death, that have related to my experiences traveling in India and even my reasons for coming East so much. Anyway, to discussed further….
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