Tibetan and Indian activists come together for roundtable discussion on 'Coexisting and Flourishing'

Tibetan and Indian activists from various NGOs, environmentalists, research students, members of local organisations, including the hotel and restaurant association, representatives of Dharamshala Municipal corporation and police also participated in the discussion.

The Round Table Discussion in the series of "Coexisting and Flourishing" brought local Indian and Tibetan leaders together and aimed at facilitating a platform for a reflective look at the current scenario and identifying solutions and new creative ideas that they can all take forward towards strengthening the friendship that they have shared for decades. The participants hoped to contribute towards building partnerships and a more supportive community of Indians and Tibetans.

One of the major purposes of this gathering was to address some issues that deeply impact the lives of people of these communities so that they can make better relations and harmony within and among different communities.

Sonam Dechen, associate director of Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution told ANI, "This is a roundtable discussion that we started in 2008 and it means a lot for the Centre. Since 1959, Tibetans have been living in India. We are living in exile, here, together with the Indian people and still, we are keeping our culture and tradition alive and we are also learning a lot from the Indian community. So, we wanted to create a platform where both communities can come together and share our grievances, worries and vision for the future. We also talk about the environment which is very important issue in recent time."

Arvind Sharma, an Indian activist from Dhauladhar Cleaners NGO told ANI, "We are here to attend this annual meeting organised by TCCR. Various people from different NGOs and environmentalists, including the local business community and people from the Tibetan community are here to discuss their problems so that we can address those issues amicably."

Priya, a research scholar from Central University of Himachal Pradesh, said, "Everybody has come here with a problem or some issue to be discussed and it will be interesting to see the conclusion or how do they address it. I think it will be a very fruitful meeting and we will learn a lot from this meeting."

Established in May 2001, the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR) is a registered NGO dedicated to peace and non-violence in the world at large. During the past 23 years, TCCR has conducted more than 450 workshops and training programs which has directly created a positive influence in the lives of more than 12,000 people belonging to various cultures and backgrounds. (ANI)