Thank you Lhundup la
When I was in Beijing I kept thinking about a friend back home in New York – Lhundup la. While standing in Tiananmen Square, I thought of him standing there too, as a young Tibetan man, in all his dignity and strength. I even used his name as one of my secret passwords while I was in China.
Lhundup la came into our lives a few years ago when he spoke at a forum on rangzen (Tibetan independence) that Tendor and I helped to organize. I remember being immediately struck by his graceful manner, intelligent observations, kind eyes and beautiful smile. He spoke with passion and conviction about his experience organizing Tibetan resistance in the 1980’s and why he believed Tibetans must struggle for rangzen. He spoke with strength and calm about his years in prison.
During that conference, Lhundup la paid us a most unlikely compliment. While in a breakout session he observed that this type of small group work was really good for Tibetans. He said it reminded him of how the Chinese government made Tibetans study Mao’s Little Red Book. It was the most effective way to get people to participate because they couldn’t hide in a small crowd. He said he was happy to see us young Tibetans use such a method. I will never forget that moment. He stood out to me as a man who really got it. He was looking beyond the issue and seeing the important fundamentals of organizing effectively.
Tendor and I have grown close to Lhundup la over the past few years. He took us for dinner once and gave me one of the most moving and encouraging pep talks I’ve ever heard in my life. He made me feel such a deep sense of strength and pride in what we were doing and how important our mission was for Tibet. I felt so close to him after that dinner – like he was my father or grandfather.
Lhundup la was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago. When I saw him after his first rounds of chemotherapy he was still the picture of elegance and grace. He explained very matter of factly how his body was reacting to the treatment and he joked about his hair loss. His family was begging him to come back to Tibet and let them take care of him but he resisted. He was clearly planning to get well and he did not ever want to live under Chinese rule again.
Other than our Tibetan New Year’s party and Tibetan Uprising Day on March 10th I didn’t see much of Lhundup la this year. Tendor and I got caught up in organizing the Everest protest and were out of the country for a long time. Then in July, during the the celebration of His Holiness’ birthday in New York, I looked up from my program flier to see Lhundup la battling his way through the crowds and heading straight for Tendor and me. He sat down next to us, pulled out two long khatas (Tibetan ceremonial scarves) and put them around our necks. He held on to both of us and through his tears he told us how proud he was to see Tendor on Mount Everest singing the Tibetan national anthem. He thanked us over and over again for our work. He looked a little more frail but still lit up the room with his presence. I later saw him singing and dancing with a group of friends during the Tibetan picnic in Central Park.
Lhundup la died in a hospital in Queens last night while his daughters waited for him in New Delhi. Knowing he probably wasn’t going to win his battle with cancer, he had booked a ticket to India to meet his family for the last time. Sadly, he was admitted to the hospital on Friday, just two days before his flight was scheduled to leave.
Tendor and I went to see Lhundup la just before he passed away. Though his body was giving out, his fighting spirit was still there. He struggled to sit up and pull off the oxygen mask. He told me he was so happy with what I’d done in Beijing. He talked about being in Tiananmen Square as a young man. He asked Tendor and me to continue with our work. Later, his nephew told me that Lhundup la was following my blog and adventures in Beijing diligently. Each day he would ask for the update and if his nephew hadn’t checked the blog yet, Lhundup la would scold him. Right to the end, he was a true Tibetan patriot.
I promise you Lhundup la, I will never give up. Tendor will never give up. We will work hard. We will continue until we achieve rangzen.
Thank you for your sacrifice, for your example and for your friendship.
Posted: August 23rd, 2007 under News.
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Comments: 13
Comments
Comment from no olympics in china until tibet is free
Time: August 23, 2007, 3:22 pm
May his soul rest in peace. And may you, Lhadon la, prosper in your work for Free Tibet.
Comment from Al
Time: August 23, 2007, 8:55 pm
What a beautiful story. Keep the promise.
Comment from Anna
Time: August 23, 2007, 9:01 pm
Thank you for posting that.
Comment from Lindsay
Time: August 23, 2007, 9:47 pm
Thank you for this beautiful obituary to Lhundup la. Om Mani Pad Me Hum ..
Keep up the good work and see you in Toronto this week-end.
Bod Rangzen !
Comment from Tashi Tsering
Time: August 23, 2007, 10:35 pm
May his soul rest in peace. He will rebirth in our community to struggle for our Free Tibet.
Lhadon lak, Thanks for wearing tibetan traditional dress which really inspires Tibetan women living in western countries… Please, put our traditional dress whenever you come to public talk in our community…
You are one of the best role models for our tibetan youngsters and also one of the greatest tibetans living outside Tibet coz you’d been to Beijing for our cause…
May Almighty Bless you and your family members…
Please, keep carrying our Freedom Torch, but never give up.
We all tibetans are with you and United We Stand…Free Tibet
We love you Lhadon lak
Comment from tenzin
Time: August 24, 2007, 2:02 am
A very heartfelt story. Lhundup la and his generation are an inspiration to me and many amongst us. They have given us the strength and the courage to fight for our land.
May he have a swift rebirth.
om mani peme hung…
Comment from Tenzin
Time: August 24, 2007, 6:28 am
Though I don’t know Lhundup la personally I can certainly feel his energy and ’semshug’ through your blog. I’ve seen some Tibetan Pala’s in India when I was a kid with those passion, energy and semshug which I thought is rarely seen these days but little I know that I was looking the wrong way, ’cause you guys are taking over. Your comments like
“promise you Lhundup la, I will never give up. Tendor will never give up. We will work hard. We will continue until we achieve rangzen.”
is so strong and powerful, makes you feel energized and encouraged. I want to promise you Lhadon la and I am sure I am not the only one, Tibetans all over will never give up and do what ever we can, however small part we may be able to play, we will do it for Rangzen. We are just behind you.
May his soul rest in peace.
Comment from tashi
Time: August 24, 2007, 7:47 am
Lhadon la, thanks for sharing this story, i can’t hold my tears back. Whenever i read this kind of news, i can’t stop my tears because i always feel that one of my family members is passed away without coming home in the last moment of his/her life. Its is so not fair for them to pass away without seeing the homeland, without seening his family members.
I am under China and i did nothing for Tibet, but i never forget the misstreatment of the government toward my people, my family members, my parents….
China will never get us.
Lhadon la, sometimes i also want to flee to somewhere, but when i think again then i also think that if all the Tibetan young people flee away then who will keep our land? SO difficult feeling!
Comment from Tendol
Time: August 24, 2007, 1:26 pm
It’s a pain in my nose to go through your relationship with Lhundup la. Hope his soul be rest in peace and serenity. I appreciate you and tendor la for your continuous effort. You both being a Tibetan holding citizen of great nation of the world and it’s ur previlege to do something for the sake of your nation. You are my Hero and wish to be like you but can’t move cuz I am citizen of NO nation. I just have one pass with me….and it’s kind of Refugees Certificate to live to India and it has to be renewed every year!!! All in all, YOU HAVE PROOFED THAT YOU ARE TRUE TIBETAN AND BRAVE DAUGHTER OF OUR EX-KALON………………..WE ARE WITH YOU ALWAYS!!! GOOD LUCK!!!
Pingback from Tibet Will Be Free » Blog Archive » Lhundup la’s Smile
Time: August 24, 2007, 4:25 pm
[…] of Mr. Lhundup la, a former political prisoner and freedom fighter until the end. At the top of Lhadon’s moving tribute, she posted a photo of Lhundup la, with a big broad smile, standing between herself and Tendor. […]
Comment from Sonam
Time: August 27, 2007, 2:59 am
Thank you for sharing Lhundup La’s story with us. May his soul be rest in peace and rebirth within our community soon. My condolence to his brave family members. It is very sad news that, we are losing our ealier generation fast. I am so glad that, atleast within his life time, he saw our younger generation taking over fight for our cause which he was doing for his whole life, which makes him happy at the end. I strongly beleive that, that is what he wished and I thank you both Lhadon La and TenDor La for being there at his side at the end with solid result as present for his last journey.
If I may write this here or I don’t know, but after going through the story, I strongly felt that, this is exactly what we, as younger generation could do keeping in mind of our ealder peoples’ point of view, lesson and above all experiences. We could learn lot of things from our earlier and on top we will get their prayer isn’t it!
Thank you once again to all of you
Bhod Gyallo
Comment from nga gelek
Time: August 27, 2007, 4:59 am
hello …….. here i would like to mention dat after going all through lhadon la and her teams contributions towards our long losted nation wid unlimited courage and untiring determination. obviously, we youths encounraged by those of ur deeds and filled sense of nationalism to my soul…… and yeah regarding this lhundup la’s story, i dont know whether he is da one which i knwn personally or not. being a same originated tibetan fellow i pray for his bright future and may god bless him for returnin to his new life body as soon as possible… om mani padmae hum!!!!!!!!!! finally let me remind u dat “we are here to die”. FREE TIBET , SAVE TIBET. BHOD GYAL LO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment from Athletes supporting team tibet
Time: August 27, 2007, 3:25 pm
Olympic athletes who support team tibet and the tibetan peoples struggle should be able to express this by a special sign: f.ex. raising their fist on the podium, or wearing a special wristband etc.
Maybe they could wear the tibetan freedom wristband which was made by tibetan political prisoners!!??
http://www.friendsoftibet.org/uk/rangzenband.html
I hope SFT can make a strategy on this and publish how the athletes can make a discreet statement to support tibet and also make it easy for them to get wristbands or other effects.
Thank you SFT!
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