(TNT la at TWA Debate)
The TWA debate was held on the 31st of January at 10’o clock and attended by around 150 select invitees. The format of the Debate was different from the earlier debates as the questioners had to represent the organizations that they belonged to and at the same time the same question was asked to each of the candidates turn by turn. Another interesting concept was that each questioner had the opportunity to ask a follow up question if he or she felt that their question was not answered.
(Questioners representing their organizations)
You can read the whole report of TWA at http://www.tibetanwomen.org/press/2011/2011.01.31_Question_Hour.html
You can also watch the whole video at http://media.phayul.com/
The debate was going on when it hit a bump on the road, the lights went out and the guy who has the keys to the generator room couldn’t be found. So after an hour and a half had gone by, there was in interval for about an hour till the lights came back. Since the entire session was about four hours, I think almost everyone welcomed the break.
(Selected Invitees of TWA)
TNT la answered all of the questions openly and if you read the TWA report, you might get some idea of how the debate turned out. If I give my opinions on how the Debate turned out, I only saw one clear cut winner and I don’t think I need to name it.
(Sherab Ghartseling Students requested TNT la for a picture)
After the Debate, TNT la met with the Youth for TNT volunteers in the evening. Since most of the volunteers had never met TNT la before, it was great for everyone to meet him in person and know more about the person that they are supporting. TNT la spoke to the core group of volunteers about the Kalon Tripa election and at the same time thanking everyone for their support and hard work.
(A few of Youth4TNT team along with other supporters and TNT la)
After actually meeting TNT la, all the volunteers were feeling energized by the seeing the dedication TNT la has for the Tibetan Community in Exile as well as for the Tibetans inside Tibet.
(TNT la with the Heads of Sarah, College for Higher Tibetan Studies)
Youth for TNT was able to arrange a discussion between TNT la and the students at College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah which took place on the 1st of February at 10 am. The first session was in Tibetan with all the Tibetan Students studying in Sarah. TNT la spoke about the importance of the Kalon Tripa as well as the Chitue elections and at the same time spoke about 50 years of the Tibetan Government in Exile and how our democracy has evolved.
(Students of Sarah)
Another important thing that he mentioned was the fact that what we have achieved till now is because of His Holiness and also the huge amount of Tibetans who have worked tirelessly during the early days.
(Emory University Students and Student from Sarah)
After about an hour and a half, it was time for the second session in English with the students from Emory University as requested by the College. It was attended by the Students from Emory University as well as the students from Sarah College too. Though the students were new to the Tibetan Situation but TNT la was able to explain about our Tibetan Government in Exile and also about how our Democracy has evolved in the last 50 years so that they had a much better understanding about Tibet.
(TNT la meeting with the supporters in Dharamsala)
After a quick lunch at Sarah, TNT la had a meeting with all his supporters in Dharamsala at 2pm in Mcloed Ganj. While meeting the supporters, TNT la spoke about his experience while visiting the various settlements around India and about the support he had received in all these areas. Also at the same time, the supporters spoke about why they are supporting him and also spoke their feelings about why they felt TNT la was the right candidate for the Kalon Tripa. After a two hour session, the supporters donated to the efforts undertaken by the Youth for TNT during this campaign.
(TNT la at the VOT Debate)
At 5:15 pm, TNT la attended the Debate organized by Voice of Tibet Radio Service which was an exclusive event for all the Tibetan Journalists and was not open to the general public.
Have a look at the video of the Debate at http://blip.tv/file/4789057
And you can actually see that TNT la was only candidate who was answering the questions.
On the 2nd, TNT la had a meeting with Kelsang Gyaltsen la, the envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for a briefing on the current dialogue process. You can read the whole report at http://www.tibet.net/en/index.php?id=2115&articletype=flash&rmenuid=morenews&tab=1
(Trisur Sonam Topgyal la introducing TNT la)
At 6:30pm Youth for TNT organized a discussion between the Tibetans living in and around Norbulingka at Dolmaling Nunnery. TNT la was introduced by Trisur Sonam Topgal la who spoke about the work that they had done together and outlined his reasons for supporting TNT la at this crucial point in our history. The reason why he supports TNT la is not based on his personal viewpoints only but the fact that at this crucial juncture in our History, he believes that TNT la is the right candidate to serve under His Holiness.
(TNT la Speaking at Dolmaling Nunnery)
One of the questions was about TNT la’s experience as the head of the second delegation to Tibet in 1980. TNT la shared his personal experiences about the visit and it was a revealing moment for all of us there and a reminder that our ultimate goal is for the Tibetans inside Tibet. Even in the extreme cold of night and since the talk was held outside, it was great to see the huge turnout.
We left Dharamsala for Delhi on the 3rd morning.
