The uncertain fate of the Tibetan people constitutes one of the seemingly intractable international issues at the dawn of the new millennium. While the Dalai Lama, the undisputed leader of the Tibetan people, enjoys world-wide acclaim and authority, he has now been homeless for more than four decades. His Government-in-Exile based in India is not recognised even by the host country. And while successive governments in both New Delhi and Beijing have reiterated the uniquely autonomous status of Tibet but what constitutes such autonomy is different in the eyes of the Tibetans, the Indians, the Chinese, and the rest of the world. The resultant impasse has direct human consequences: not only do four per cent of Tibetan people live outside their country as exiles but they have also been reduced to a minority in the cities of Tibet. The tragedy of the Tibetan people is thus obvious; their identity faces extinction.

India has had a huge impact on Tibet since time immemorial. The mystical origins of the Tibetan people are rooted in Hindu mythology and the Tibetan language, script and temple architecture are obviously of Indian origin and inspiration. Even at a time when India was in tremendous flux following the collapse of the Mughals and the attendant rise of European powers, Raja Chait Singh of Banaras was contributory in keeping the British out of Tibet in the 1770s. During the twentieth century, both the XIIIth and the XIVth Dalai Lama have sought safe haven in India. At the turn of the millennium, India continues to shelter more than 1,00,000 Tibetan refugees and has been instrumental in preserving Tibet’s culture and traditional way of life. On the political level, a Tibetan Government-in-Exile functions in the small hill-town of Dharamsala. Even the nucleus of a military force exists as Establishment 22 in another remote hill-station, Chakrata. China’s bid to dominate Tibet has been most marked since the eighteenth century. Notwithstanding this, Tibet enjoyed forty years of absolute freedom till as late as 1951 before Beijing gained total control of Tibet.

This work puts Tibet in its historical, cultural and geographic perspective and goes on to examine various options that can break the Tibetan deadlock. Tibet is truly caught between its two giant neighbours — India and China. It thus stands to reason that any resolution of the problem would need the active participation of both these countries. In addition, the book highlights a number of vital concerns that the world has not come to grips with, including the Chinese violation of human rights in Tibet and degradation of the Tibetan environment which has potentially global impact.