India has been kind, but home is home, says Tenzin Tsundue

CHENNAI: "I am more of an Indian than my chinky Tibetan face, " recalls Tibetan activist and Itinerant Poet and Author Tenzin Tsundue, talking about his first book, as he describes his journey from being a student at a private college in Chennai to an activist over a course of 30 years.

He read excerpts from his recent book "Nowhere to call HOME" in the city on Thursday and spoke about the connection that poetry and activism share. "I don't see them poetry and activism as two separate units, I believe they inspire each other."

In his recent book, he talks about his lives of refugees, and narratives of his personal experiences where he was subjected to racism even as he travelled across India. Talking about his books, he says that I recognise my voice in the writings that I do, while I narrate a painful story with a sense of humour.

He also talks about his personal freedom and political freedom in his new book. "My parents escaped Tibet and came to India, following Dalai Lama's escape to India. I was born on a roadside in a tent in India, where my parents were living as refugees. They worked as construction labourers in Himachal Pradesh and then they relocated to Karnataka, near Sathyamangalam jungle, " he narrates.

For his activism towards Free Tibet, he has been jailed 16 times and striped naked a lot of times. He also protested upon the arrival of Chinese leaders in India, and was placed her detention and left in isolation.

On a lighter note, Tenzin Tsundue describes his love for the South Indian food saying that it's always a delight to visit Tamil Nadu, as it brings back memories from his college days when he studied English Literature at the Loyola College. He later enrolled at the Pen India Center to learn more about poetry and writing in Mumbai and had written 130 poems in two years.

However, he could publish his first book after picking 22 out of them, as his friends contributed money to help him publish the book.

Recalling the life changing moment, he mentions the award he won for his essay "My kind of exile" which was organised by the Outlook magazine since it helped him to pursue further education as the reward prize was about Rs 32,000. Though, his parents have a home in Karnataka, he says that "I grew up in school, dormitories and hostels and now, I live in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. No matter how kind India has been, home is home. And I cannot make someone's home my home."