Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre in

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, is a rehabilitation centre for the

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

refugees in the

Darjeeling Himalayan hill region Darjeeling Himalayan hill region or Darjeeling Himalaya is the mountainous area on the north-western side of the state of West Bengal in India. This region belongs to the Eastern Himalaya range. The Darjeeling district except the Siliguri subdiv ...

. It was established on 2 October 1959, after they followed Dalai Lama and escaped from Tibet. The production of Tibetan handicraft is the centre's main activity.

Location

It is located at hillside Lebong in Darjeeling District of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

. The altitude is approximately above sea level. The temperature variation is from 17°-1.5 °C, along with an annual rainfall.

History

Situated at Lebong and locally known as Hermitage, the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre (TRSHC) came into existence on 2 October 1959. In 1959, funds raised from local charity led to the starting of this centre by Zhu Dan (wife of

Gyalo Thondup Gyalo Thondup (; ), born c.1927, is the second-eldest brother of the 14th Dalai Lama. He often acted as the Dalai Lama's unofficial envoy. Early life In late fall of 1927, Gyalo Thondup was born in the village of Taktser, Amdo (Ping'an District, ...

). The place initially provided emergency relief to Tibetan refugees who had come through a hazardous trek over the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

into

. The Hill-side had a special significance for

Tibetans The Tibetan people (; ) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 6.7 million. In addition to the majority living in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, significant numbers of Tibetans live ...

, because the Thirteenth Dalai Lama had spent his exile in India from 1910 to 1912 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet at that time.

"It was within this view that a ten member committee was formed in Darjeeling to organise a rehabilitation centre to be known at the TIBETAN REFUGEE SELF HELP CENTRE. The founding members of the committee were: Mrs. Gyalo Thondup, President, Mr. T. Lawang, Mr. G. Tesur, Mr. Tenzing Norgay, Mr, & Mrs. Joksari, Mr. T. Tethong, Monsignor Benjamin, Mr. Chumbay Tsering and Miss Tesur. Later we had the pleasure of welcoming the following new members into the committee: Mrs. Laden-la, Col. & Mrs. Thapa and Mr. Dilip Bose."

The centre was registered as charitable organization under the act of Government of India. Starting off with just four workers, today the centre is the home for 130 Tibetan family. The centre has been a part of multifarious activities which ranges from handicrafts, training of artisans, and craftsmen. These activities are primarily to the care of the sick, elders and needy destitute.A brief story on Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Handicraft Center, Darjeelin

/ref> The Centre now comprises one créche, one nursery school along with a pre-primary school (up to +2 standard). * started on 1 October 1959 * production of handicrafts is the centre's main activity *June 1960, the Centre started a small Nursery School

References

External links

*{{official, http://www.tibetancentredarjeeling.com/
Darjeelingnews.net
Tourist attractions in Darjeeling Tibetan people Refugees in India Tibetan diaspora in India