Sikyong Penpa Tsering Thanks India for Safeguarding Tibetan Identity in Exile

Sikyong Penpa Tsering has said that India played a decisive role in ensuring that Tibetans in exile did not lose their language, faith or sense of nationhood. Speaking on 22 February 2026, during the 86th enthronement anniversary of the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, he expressed deep gratitude to both the Government and the people of India. “With the support from the international community, including that of the government and the people of India, we have been able to preserve our language, religion, culture and national identity,” he said. His message was clear, without India’s support, Tibetan identity in exile may not have survived.

The Tibetan exile story began in 1959, when the Dalai Lama fled to India after the uprising in Tibet. He was followed by more than 80,000 Tibetans who crossed the Himalayas under extremely harsh conditions. At that time, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru granted asylum on humanitarian grounds. This decision laid the foundation for a long-term partnership. Soon after, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was established in Dharamshala, which became the political and administrative centre of Tibetans in exile.

Over the decades, India allocated land for more than 30 Tibetan settlements across states such as Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. One of the largest settlements, Bylakuppe in Karnataka, was established in the early 1960s on thousands of acres of land provided by the Indian government. Today, it is home to major monasteries, schools, farms and small businesses. These settlements allowed Tibetans not only to survive but to rebuild stable and self-reliant communities.

Education has been one of the strongest pillars of this rebuilding process. From the beginning, India supported Tibetan schools through special administrative arrangements. Institutions such as Tibetan Children’s Village and the network of Central Schools for Tibetans ensured that young Tibetans could study modern subjects while also learning their own language, history and culture. As a result, even second- and third-generation Tibetans born in India are able to read and write in Tibetan. Monastic universities re-established in India have also preserved important Buddhist texts and traditions that might otherwise have been lost.

Religious and cultural freedom has been equally important. In places like Dharamshala and Bylakuppe, Tibetans freely celebrate Losar (Tibetan New Year) and hold major prayer gatherings. Monastic centres such as Sera, Namdroling and Tashi Lhunpo now train thousands of monks and nuns. These institutions have become global centres of Tibetan Buddhism. In contrast to restrictions faced inside Tibet, India has allowed these traditions to continue without interference, giving the exile community space to practise its faith openly.

India’s democratic environment also shaped Tibetan political development. The CTA functions with an elected parliament and a directly elected Sikyong. Penpa Tsering himself was born in Bylakuppe in 1967, educated in Indian schools, and later elected to the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in the 1990s. He served as Speaker before becoming Sikyong in 2021. His personal journey reflects how India’s support for education and self-governance helped create a new generation of Tibetan leaders grounded in democratic values.

Today, the Tibetan population in India is estimated at around 70,000 to 100,000 people, down from earlier decades as some have migrated abroad. Despite challenges such as limited citizenship rights and economic pressures, many settlements remain largely self-sufficient through agriculture, handicrafts, tourism and professional work. Tibetan culture has also enriched Indian society, especially in towns like Dharamshala, which has become an international centre for spiritual tourism and cross-cultural exchange.

Tsering’s remarks also carried a broader message. By offering refuge and space for self-governance, India demonstrated its civilisational values of compassion, non-violence and religious freedom. This has strengthened India’s global image as a country willing to stand for humanitarian principles. At the same time, the survival of Tibetan identity in exile shows that efforts to erase it have not succeeded.

Penpa Tsering expressed hope that Tibetans inside Tibet and in exile would one day be reunited. Until then, he said, the community remains deeply grateful to India. In exile, India has become more than a host country. For Tibetans, it has become a partner in preserving a living civilisation and safeguarding their identity for future generations.