Caf looks for ‘common ground’ between Tibetans and Chinese (Letter from Dharamsala)

DHARAMSALA - It’s called Common Ground Caf and true to its name it aims to serve as a bridge between the Tibetans and the Chinese - spicing things up with Taiwanese, Tibetan and Chinese cuisine and cups of coffee and tea!

Just like the 100-metre uphill walk from Mcleodganj’s congested main square on a completely broken road, this initiative to provide a common platform to the Chinese and Tibetans in exile is not going to be easy either.

“By providing a gathering point in a comfortable atmosphere, the cafe has been able to provide a platform for informal exchange between Chinese and Tibetan people,” Wen-Yan King, a US national of Taiwanese origin who is the force behind it, told a visiting IANS correspondent.

Though the initiative was first launched in a low-key manner in June last year, the caf has re-opened recently since Wen returned after her travel to other countries.

The caf, which is run from a leased bright yellow-coloured building, offers seating space for about 40-50 people, including a ‘baithak’ (low-level seating area), with the snow-capped mighty Dhauladhar mountains of the Himalayas in the backdrop.

It has a few books, ranging from Chinese learning to Tibetan culture to civil wars and genocide. ‘Talk Tibet’ events are also hosted here.

Wen says Mcleodganj near Dharamsala, which is the abode-in-exile of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama for the last over four decades, is the best suited place for a caf like ‘Common Ground’.

“Home to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government-in-exile and a myriad of Tibetan NGOs, Dharamsala is the beating heart of the Tibetan freedom struggle since civil society is not permitted in the People’s Republic of China,” Wen told IANS.

In 2009 the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community observed the 50th anniversary of living in exile in India. An estimated 150,000 Tibetans live in exile, the majority of them in India and Nepal.

Common Ground is a non-profit venture with the mission to establish and promote understanding between Chinese and Tibetan people.

“Through grassroots exchange initiatives, Common Ground seeks to sustain an amicable platform for respectful dialogue between the two peoples and thereby step towards a conducive atmosphere for a peaceful resolution to the Tibet issue,” she added.

The cafe has become popular with many local Tibetans and Chinese and Taiwanese travellers to Dharamsala.

“The cafe also regularly hosts China-related events and programmes to cultivate a sense of mutual understanding. This has included film screenings and discussions, musical performances by Chinese and Tibetan artists and Chinese language classes,” Wen said about the activities at the caf.

Her parents, who are of Taiwanese origin but settled as professional chefs in the United States, came here a few months ago to train locals in Taiwanese and Chinese dishes.

“The concept for the caf is an interesting one. Gradually, the idea of having an exchange among people from China and the Tibetan community will pick up,” youthful Tibetan activist Lhakpa Kyizom told IANS.

US national Christine and her friend who help Tibetan children with art classes are among those who have recently been involved with the project.

The Common Ground project is not about the caf alone. Getting into the virtual world, the project plans to set up a social networking site specifically for Chinese and Tibetans to share, connect and interact in a user-friendly, security-enhanced and privacy-insured online forum.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)