Dharamshala: Parliamentarians Geshe Lharampa Atuk Tseten and Tenzin Jigdal successfully completed their official visitation program to the Darjeeling Tibetan settlement in West Bengal on 23rd May 2025.
After completing programs in Kurseong and Sonada Tashiling settlement, the two MPs visited the Darjeeling’s Regional Tibetan Freedom Movement and the settlement office construction project on the morning of 23rd May. They also paid respects at the Phuntsok Pema Choekorling monastery.
Subsequently, they visited the Darjeeling Tibetan Refugee Self Center, where its director Tseten guided them through an introduction to the center and showed them the carpet weaving section and the sales shop.
The Tibetan Refugee Self Center was established on 2nd October 1959, by Lhacham Dekyi Dolkar out of great compassion for the Tibetan people. She served as director for a full 27 years until her passing away on 22nd September 1989, bringing immense immediate and long-term benefits to Tibetan refugees.
In the afternoon, the two MPs visited Sambhota Tibetan School, where principal Kalsang showed them around the administrative building, workshop, student dormitories, and other facilities. Then, in the school assembly hall, they met with local Tibetan community members and senior students. Settlement Officer Dorjee Rigzin introduced the two visiting parliamentarians and gave a welcome speech along with a work report from the settlement office. The two MPs then spoke about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s great deeds, the work of the Central Tibetan Administration, the international situation regarding Tibet’s struggle and situation inside China, and the current critical situation in Tibet. They provided detailed responses to questions and concerns raised by the community.
Afterward, they visited the Manjushree Centre of Tibetan Culture, where they were welcomed by the director and staff. They toured an exhibition related to Tibet’s historical independence, coming into exile, the biography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the evolution of Tibetan democracy, and the unique religious and cultural heritage of the three traditional provinces of Tibet. Following the tour, they held a meeting with the center’s staff, during which the two parliamentary members provided guidance on the importance of Tibetan culture, its continuous preservation, and the need for efficient management of the organization’s work.
Upon the successful completion of official visit to the Darjeeling in West Bengal, local organizations jointly hosted a farewell reception for the two parliamentarians.
