Contact is taking a holiday!

Marching into McLeod Ganj after a 23 day journey across India, the 11 monks from Ganden Jangtse Monastery who set out on foot from Pune on September 3rd reached the Tsuglagkhang Temple at noon, triumphantly shouting “Victory for Tibet!” and waving Tibetan and Indian flags. Each sat wreathed in khatags and wearing pictures of monks who had recently self-immolated as they spoke to the gathered crowd of the motivations behind their “Mourning March.”
As the representative of the group, Lobsang Jampa, related the struggles faced by fellow protesters still in Tibet, he urged the community in exile to take action. “We can’t remain as silent spectators in a free country like India when our brothers and sisters are suffering under Chinese rule,” he said, reiterating statements made to Phayul.com.“We need to do more to show our solidarity with those in Tibet.”
Unsure of the best way to show their support and raise awareness for the Tibetan cause with no knowledge of foreign languages or any contacts in the media, the monks decided to march north anyway to demonstrate that ordinary people can make a difference, whatever their circumstances. The group traversed the 1,924 km between Pune and Dharamsala, receiving support and encouragement from spectators – some of whom housed and fed them along the way. One of their biggest challenges, Jampa stated, was indeed the language barrier that prevented them from easily communicating their cause to the media sources they encountered. Despite this, as well as the economic hardships they faced, the monks feel they did the right thing.
“People think that you have to be educated – that you have to have high-falutin English, for example, to do big things,” Regional President of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Tenzin Tsondue told local media sources in attendance. “These monks are doing what they can. And it’s a reminder – a reminder that we are in exile, that China is occupying our country, and that we need to do more.”
The monks were welcomed to Dharamsala by representatives of the Tibetan Women’s Association, the Tibetan Settlement Office, and the TYC, as well as by other local NGOs. They expressed their support for the work these organizations are doing, and volunteered to participate in any future actions taken.The monks began a three day hunger strike here in McLeod Ganj, and invited anyone from the community to join them in showing solidarity with the people still struggling in Tibet.