By Manuwant Choudhary
McLeodganj, Dharamsala: I envy the monks who sit on their computers overlooking the pines at the Dalai Lama Trust study room but am sure the Chinese hate this place and must be sending a million viruses to bug the Dalai Lama's computers.
As a journalist I have had a few extraordinary encounters that are still memorable.
One event was being pushed around by Tibetan women bodyguards of the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya even as we tried to get close enough to attract the Dalai Lama's attention, the women bodyguards were tough and rude but effective, "What journalist? We know no journalist."
So we were sent back some hunderds of metres away but even as the Dalai Lama emerged journalists shouted at the top of their voices, "His Holiness, His Holiness, His Holiness!"
And to our delight and surprise His Holiness looked at us and contrary to the itenary came towards us.
Hordes of cameras clicked away while TV crew pushed mikes into his face.
And His Holiness said, "Ask."
There was silence.
He smiled, "Ask. ask."
Complete silence again.
His Holiness laughed this time, "Questions, please."
Nothing came from the journalists who expected the Dalai Lama to give a sermon.
Just then I realised what the problem was...all the journalists there were Hindi speaking and they simply did not know English.
So on the spur of the moment I asked some 6 questions.
The Dalai Lama for the first time spoke out against the war in Iraq.
There was so much insecurity in the world that I asked his what is security and the Dalai Lama pointing to the gun weiliding bodyguards around him laughed, "This, this, no security."
He went on to explain perhaps like no one has what security means to the individual.
A rare insight into a great mind.
He looked me in the eye.
I have also seen the Dalai Lama being greeted by lakhs of Tibetans who worship him, and I can think of no individual who has shouldered his responsibilities as well as he has.
I asked him who will be the next Dalai Lama?
And he had replied, "I will be the last Dalai Lama."
Then added, "Tibetans should elect their leader. They can call him the Dalai Lama if they want to."
It is this democratic views of the Dalai Lama that really scare the Chinese.
The Chinese say they do not recognise him, yet they spend all their propoganda machine trying to target the Dalai Lama.
Over the years I have somehow become a pilgrim of peace.
I have been lucky to meet a few Nobel laureates like the Dalai Lama and South Korea's late President Kim Dae Jung.
Outside the Dalai Lama house is the familiar wooden post `May Peace Prevail On Earth."
Just as health is most important to an individual, peace is most important for the world.
I have also had an opportunity to visit the International Court of Justice at the Hague, where they have this post outside.
And I want to meet the brave lady of Burma Aung San Suu Kyi one day.
Near the Dalai Lama house is a museum of rare photographs. If you do visit Mcleodganj you cannot miss them. There are rare photographs of the Dalai Lama escaping from Tibet and about brave Generals who died fighting the Chinese.
I watched a film there. There were just three persons in the audience, the other two were westerners.
It was called `Red Flag Over Tibet."
I cried.
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