Good Samaritans in Our Time: A Short Documentary About Two Individuals’ Efforts to Bring the Tibetan and Indian Communities Together in Dharamsala, India
I am now in the process of making this short documentary film, which takes place in Dharamsala, India. The film will follow two of this city’s residents, a Tibetan refugee and a native Indian, both of which are engaged in serving the members of the other’s community. The film will look specifically at what efforts these two people are making to overcome their differences in background, culture, and faith, in order to serve and unite the people living in this mixed community.
I am making this film because all over the world we see cultural, religious, and political conflict, and I am interested to see what can be done to improve relationships between these different groups of people. I believe that most of us, if asked about our religion or culture, would say that we believe in being peaceful and loving to all people. And yet for some reason, when placed amidst another religion, culture, or race of people, many seem to forget those very things they believe in, resulting in conflict and contention. This may be for many different reasons, and every situation is a little different. For this reason my film will not focus so much on identifying a specific problem as it will in finding a universal solution. My hypothesis and hope is that in following the stories of these two individuals, I will find that a shared belief in charity and compassion combined with the willingness and effort to serve others outside of our comfort zone has the power to bring people together.
The film is scheduled to be completed by December of 2011, after which time it will be shown at Brigham Young University and hopefully in various film festivals. Within another year the film should be available to all online. I know that is a long time to wait, but I appreciate your patients and support in following the making of this film. It would be my pleasure if you would continue to follow this blog and to share it with your friends and family. Please feel free to make comments as any suggestions or ideas are more than welcome.
For information on how you can support this film, go here: http://www.indiegogo.com/indiafieldstudyfilm
For more background information on Dharamsala and the film, continue reading below…
In 1959 His Holiness the Dalai Lama fled Tibet and came to India seeking refuge from the Chinese government (Dalai Lama, VII). Since this time, many Tibetans have followed and come to start a new life in India. The Indian government opened up to the Tibetans, gave them a place to live and everything they needed to survive when they had nothing. They have even allowed His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his followers to establish and run their own exiled government.
In the last 50 years there has been progress as well as conflict. Tibetan Refugees now have a well-established community in the town of McLeod Ganj. However, they have become established to the point that they are now somewhat secluded from their Indian neighbors. Their seclusion has been the cause of some conflict, as a number of Indians have come to see Tibetans as a selfish and prideful people, not wanting anything to do with India or its people. Another recent conflict involved Indian police finding a large amount of money in a Tibetan monastery, some of that money being from China (Ridge). The Lama of the monastery claimed that this money came as donations and was meant for purchasing land, but many Indians were frightened by this discovery and thought that the Lama may be a Chinese spy. A few monks in charge of the monastery’s finances were even arrested, but have since been released. The conflict seems to have been taken care of without too much trouble, but no doubt it has only added to the friction and mistrust between Tibetans and Indians. In these and other ways, Tibetans and Indians seem to be growing apart rather than growing together.
Yet, despite these conflicts that exist, many Indians are looking past their differences and are devoted to helping the Tibetan Refugees. An organization called Friends of Tibet was formed as a support group for Tibetans in order to raise Indian awareness of problems in Tibet and to provide good conditions for refugees in the meantime (http://friendsoftibet.org/).
The Indian people have done much for the Tibetans, but these efforts to help are far from one-sided. Now that the Tibetan refugees are better established, many, out of gratitude for the compassion India has shown them, have begun looking for ways to give back to India. One example is the Tong-Len Charitable Trust Foundation, which was created by Tibetan monks to serve impoverished Indian communities near Dharamsala (http://www.tong-len.org/index.php). This organization has built and taught in schools for Indian children, built bathhouses for towns that had none, and continue to do a plethora of things to serve their neighbors.
I have also learned of an institution called the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution, which is dedicated to resolving conflicts among the people of Dharamsala (http://www.tccr.org). From reading over their website, it sounds as though they are mainly dedicated to resolving conflicts between Tibetans, but what I have learned from former India field study student Melissa Cowles is that this organization has come to deal with conflict between all people, including Tibetans and Indians.
These organizations and the people who run them are determined to make things work between Tibetans and Indians, and improve the general relationship between the two groups.
In his book, Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come Together, His Holiness The Dalai Lama talks about how practically all of the world’s religions are based on a foundation or belief in love and compassion. He has taken it upon himself as a mission to call the world’s religions to this understanding and to be more loving and understanding of one another. I believe that what these Indian and Tibetan charitable organizations are accomplishing is a wonderful example of The Dalai Lama’s mission in action, and a good example to the rest of the world as well. With this project I hope to continue to share this message with the world.
