The Asia Scotland Institute is a non-profit organisation which exists to promote a greater understanding of Asia through the sharing of knowledge. We run regular events with global leaders from across Asia, with the aim of stimulating curiosity and fostering an environment to promote the exchange of knowledge.
Excellent job Sikyong la! As your tenure matures year by year you represent your genuine qualities of endurance, resilience and spirit grounded in pure motivation and faith in the Dharma and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In our tradition of Tibetanness those principles play a huge factor for anyone in the public service. Devoid of these a political leader is utterly nonsense. Keep up your good job. We have still so much to achieve. Truth is out on our side. Please accept my sincere appreciation! 🙏
Why did Harold Mcmillan - fmr PM - advise his political colleagues of never making the "folly of invading Afghanistan", Olga? He was referring to the heavy costs, the first hand experience, Crown incurred, while invading Afghanistan thrice, 19th - 20th century... What costs he alluded to...? certainly all the expeditions have yielded bumper returns & dividends to the Crown & its allies, continuing to date...? That mystery'd be easily solved if u had read, W B: : H Darlymple's other book, : the White Mughals - Mixed race.... ooh yeeaah ive read an excerpt by the Scottish author himself in the Guardian : - White mischief.... That book is an essential reading for ones curiously interested in the so called historical - 1857 Sepoy mutiny....! While poring thru the archives in the Delhi library, W B H D came across startling revealatikns abt his own Scottish ancestors & his Mughal - Hyderabadi cousins...! 1801 : James A Kirkpatrick - A British - EIC officer at Calcutta, an ambassador in the Hyderabad Nizam court had begun to behave in a quirky eccentric manner, dressing up in the finest textures like the Nabobz, hennaing his palms, quoting Urdu poetry, apparently he had miraculously managed to get a 14 yr old girl of Nobility origin ( he claims of her lineage traced to Prophet Mohammad) pregnant & she delivered J A K's child, & he married her. Soooh now u know what heavy costs, Harold Mcmillan referred to most probably, Tim...? The colorful ancestry - mixed race tales of Scot historian W B H D, stands validated & corroborated by many sources... Olga... The classic film : The Chess players - where the Brit origin actor, plays EIC officer, fluently translating Urdu poetry for his superior... besides by the famous, story writer, author Ruskin Bond og Kasauli - Hill stn near Shimla & Chandigarh... hv u read his stories. Olga...? The lady on Platform no 8, i recollect, vividly abt 12 yr old school boy being sent alone to a boarding school.... but i liked his other story much more, The flight of the Piegons.... another evergreen movie by S Benegal, featuring, mixed race starcast - - British theatre group Shakespearewallah, J. Kendall's daughter & Damaad ji - the 1st - overseas, immigrant, settlor filmy family of India.... That story too relates to the 1857 sepoy mutiny & concludes with the Afghan warrior, supposedly leaving the country, never to be seen again...? Is that true Tim..? did the Afghans leave India, for good...post 1857 crushing defeat in the glamourised, Sepoy mutiny ? Off course not... why was the mutuny described as a Sepoy mutiny....? And what exactly Mr Ruskin Bond wishes to convey is apparently very clear, isn't it...? Yeeeaah, why did he choose to stay back in India, instead of returning home, risking the backlash of hatred against the colonial masters? That was taken care of more than adequately Olga, by the Colonial masters & Lords, wasn't it...? Mr R Bond, was fruitfully engaged in tutoring the Royal Princely Kingdom scions, in Jamnagar - Gujarat... while not writing stories, novels, published printed, in the monopoly broadsheet, indusyrialists of his times.... Apparently, tutoring, the budding Indian writers, readers, the art of writing stories, articles, in their fmr colonial masters language.... To "beat them"? at their own game...? "Chutnification" - - mixed race process, described by Londoner - - another "Indian" author - S Rushdie....! "History never ever repeats itself, exactly the same way", concludes Scot historian - - W B H D.... His own prolonged stay in and around north India, over the last 2 decades & more, confirms that fact... What exactly is this Scot historian engaged into under the garb of, authoring history books? initiating, annual J. LIT fests ? U must see the old British film, - - School for scoundrels, Tim... U'd get an idea, as to what exactly, most probably, were Mr Ruskin Bond & his ilk engaged into, besides authoring novels, stories.... Perfekt cover for Spying isn't it...? I've seen the Hindi film adapted from the - - School for scoundrels film u just mentioned, Olga... A brilliantly adapted film, again by a duo - Sind-Punjab + Baangali - Producer, director, 1975 movie, most turbulent time... A small matter - - title of the Hindi movie translated into English... A small matter...? intriguing title, Tim... all the more, given the year in which it was released, story most deceptively funny, light hearted romance tale, yet it was anything but that,.... I can imagine, given the inspiration of the film u mention... Col Wilfred Julius Nagendra Singh, is a profoundly intriguing charakter in this... A small matter... movie abt 2 /3, ordinary, commoner protagonists, "middle working class" - - with utmost profound multiple threads, emerging from their bus commute incidents, 2 wheelers, opening scene of a British era - Govt office styled, Pvt sector office setting - - Jackson Tolaram & Kompany....!!! seems most relevant & pertinent in these times, Tim....
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h9mpotnFTSc.htmlsi=wu7n2Sv2FVFfsNfn What's this abt the 4th British-Afghan war, that the pre- eminent Scottish historian, William Benedict Hamilton Darlymple - half a dozen titles - - speaks of... Olga ? We know of the 3 British - Afghan wars, beginning in 1837 - 42 : 2nd in 1878 & 3 rd in 1919,? And the prima donna Scottish historian claims of the Greatest colonial Empire receiving a bloidy nose from the Afghans, on all 3 occassions ? Isn't that a patently absurd narrative, Olga...? There are conflicting views, Tim, abt the viktors & loosers, abt syrategic interests, as in every Imperial power expedition... Aaahhh... the **mysterious strategic interest - alibi /agenda,? And what's this abt the 4th British - Afghan war? Don't u know, Tim, the US invasion lof Afghanistan? The infamous, Tony Blair - Labour PM led alliance of NATO powers, with the US, invading Afghanistan, yet again post 09 /11 ie 9th September, 2001 - airplane hijack, - suicide pilots crashing into the Nyork, WTC twin towers - besides Pentagon lawns, surprisingly sparing the White house...? They chose to focus on the Eastern coast, Tim... Strategic interests / agenda , of the suicide terror - hijacker -, pilots, blame assigned to the Talibans? That was the consensus view, albeit a mfd one as most of the world came to know later onn... Come (9th) September, revives a flood of memories Olga... Another historian, the Indian Mademoiselle, A Roy u familiar with, Olga..? Off course yes, the Booker prize winner, besides a serious crusader /champion for human rights, against Dams, etc etc etc... she mentioned in one of her numerous speeches, in India & in the West, of 3 epic incidents, all occurring on 9 th September... Am aware of atleast 2 notorious incidents... Chile incident - Coup on 9th Sept, 1973 against Allende US president George H W Bush addressing, the US joint chief of Army staff on 9th Sept, 1990 appraising them of abt the invasion of Iraq & the 3rd incident...? 9th Sept 1922...: Ignoring the Arab outrage, the then British govt declaring a Palestine mandate, follow up to the 1917 - Balfour declaration, amassing the British army at the gates of Gaza....! Exactly 8 decades prior to 9th September, 2001.... Tim...!!! At whom were the fingers pointed then Olga...? the favourite blame-game of the most powerful ones, the leaders, the Captains...? Certainly not the Talibans or the Mujaheeddins or even the PLO, Tim...! yet now i recollect, u must revisit Lord W Churchill the great's, astonishing outrageous utterances then...!!! The Sun was blazing on the Gr Britain empire then.... as it was in 2001 on the US & its NATO allies, yet the contrast could not be more stark in the leadership utterances 8 decades ago & 2 decades back from now... anyways, we could talk at length of the Anglo - Afghan wars, narrated eloquently by the numerous titles /honours bestowed upon Scot historian, but for now, should we not focus upon the eminent historian himself for a change, Olga? Why not, indeed he happens to be both, a blue eyed darling in India, esp of the, famous /notorious golden triangle - - Delhi-Agra-Jaipur, the pioneer initiator of Jaipur LIT fests, what with the swish Royal circuit set fawning over him, esp the brown saahibs, the Malabari, fmr UN diplomat - 4 term MP - accused of murdering his 2nd or 3rd? wife besides embroiled in a scandalous liaison with neighbouring IS republic "journo"? - - & off course as usual the Delhi - Sindh - India Habitat centre & IIC, Lodhi road - Lutyens Darbar crowd, desperate to ingratiate themselves with the Scot historian who's chosen Dilli as his primary residence of choice for over 2 decades now... While at the same time he seems to hv been embroiled in scandalous METoo, allegations by numerous women, authors among others who allege, n accuse him of making unwelcime advances.... I've no knowledge of the facts of the matter, nor do ive encountered, mischievous, unwanted advances so I'd refrain from commenting upon those kind of allegations yet i do not know but, in the frenzied atmosphere of the American MEtoo movement, was it not considered trendy to latch upon that & hpg limelight a few yrs ago...? And less said the better abt the suppisedly scuttled & sabotaged METoo movement accusations by the Indian women esp the elite ones, the so called celebrity ones! Am i denying the very existence of molestations, abuse, demanding of sexual favours, rampant practuce in any & every industry, even rapes,? Not in the least, Tim, yet do these women cimolaining of sabotage & scuttling of the METoo movement in India hv the guts, hv the sincerity, honesty, integrity to address the root cause for that so called sabitage? Who else Olga but the ubiquitous janus faced females, brand ambassadors z celebrity women, occupying offices, positions of influence, power, brazenly choosing to ally with the. much reviled male species, which they've been doing for centuries, even as they hysterically rail n rant against the stereotype feudal, patriarchial male lord, is it not an undeniable harsh &, ugly truth, a reality of the feminine gender being in bed, literally & metaphorically with the feudal male lord & master? The women, the feminine species if they do not hv the courage to address the complex issue in its entirety, whose cause /interests are they harming /endangering more than the alleged lecherous male species? The tens of millions of women /under age girls, - boys, who hv no avenue, no forum, no platform to express their sufferings... Be that as it may, why do u suppose, W D has chosen India as his preferred chouce of residence...? In the garb of LIT fests? His venue too is intriguing, Jaipur - golden triangle ...? I happen to know of another scandal concerning W D... London - BBC, Radio 4 PM incidence of a Jat Dhillon accusing him of a racist slur against the supposedly minority Jats of Punjab & Haryana...! If that was indeed true, how does one reconcile the lavish reception, showered upon him by the Dilli, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana region elites...? How & why no remonstrations against him in the North India? Who sabotaged the aggrieved London Jats - movement against the alleged racist slurs by W D....? Why India & why Dilli in the past 2 decades? Isn't it crystal clear Olga? These decades were the "golden decades", so to spk, the trumpeted liberalised era, where, anyone & everyone, esp in Dilli - Jaipur-Agra, golden triangle belt, besides off course the forever King makers, of Hyderabad, Madras, Mangalore, Goa, Bangaal, were liyerally minting currency at free will, procuring & peddling permit, licences in coal, telecom, education, health, luxury hospitality industry... real estate, land acq deals, foreign equity transactions.... a tailor made golden opportunity, esp for one who knows far too well, the past centuries- history of rapacious exploitation, loit by the Imperial colonisers in collusion, connivance with the local Naeabs, Pandits, Bankers, Lalaz, Chetyiars, Baniyaaz, desperate to make a quick fortune allying with the Goraa saahib...!!! Yeeeah the numerous Kings, Princelings, feudal aiyyash landlords, Zamindars et al... Even as he would be racounting, regaling his elite audience with saucy tales of LOOT by his own fellow countrymen, the audience impressed no end, with his "objectivity", what exactly was he engaged in, Mr William Darylymple & no, we're not alluding to the alleged unwanted sexual advances allegations hurled at him by prominent honourable ladies....? Yess... was he imitating, putting into practice, the rapacious LOOT, template of Robert Clive, Warren Hastings, Dalhousie & scores of other known - unknown, Gora saahibs, earning a handsome 10% or maybe even 20% commission in USD, sterling pounds, Euros, Swiss francs, enabling succesful conclusion of deals? Given the undeniable fact of he hobnobing with the wheeler dealers in the garb of literary scholars, arts connoisseurs, notoriously corrupt, white collared professional criminal law maker parliamentarians, accused of heinous crimes, cases inordinately delayed, un tried in the courts of law for over decades, what else can one infer?
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No doubt minorities shiuld be included in the political ptocess however India persecutes it's minorities, why is that not raised? China persecutes it's Uygur minoroties, Mayanmar, Israiel too are in the same league. Some other democracies also don't give enough rights to it's minorities or marginalise them or pass laws curtailing their freedom.
Lots of scaremongering by regurgitating lies & propaganda about Tibet fabricated in the West. Also, he rather have Tibet & Tibetans stay undeveloped & backward because he & his organization know he's not able to deliver the same goods, and the badmouthing of developments in Tibet & Tibetans are experiencing. He's a descendant of the once privileged Tibetan nobility who are cronies of the dalai lamas & his cabal and who were serf owners. He's venting & lying because he's bitter about the loss of privilege, power & most importantly serfs that his family once owned.
It is not China that derails its peaceful rise. It is America that fears its world dominance being replaced by China. As a reputable scholar, she just needs to speak truth.
You might also need to do research on India literatures in Tamil and Sanskrit that talks about India and Western trade. There were other India Empires other than Maurya's and Guptas specially in the southern India like Sathavanas, Chalukyas, Tamils, Vijayanagara Empire, they all had extensive trade with west and middle east, where some eastern empire like Kalingas, Pallas, Cholas, Pandiyas and Pallavas doing extensive trade with far east
So #Bharat /#India was really the origin of maths, science,arts, philosophy, medicine, commerce etc. and this knowledge was kept away by the invaders from Arab to England.
Despite various tribal make up of Afghanistan, currently the ruling group (Taliban) seems to have united various faction, giving a rise to some sense of normality. Bar Western msm's views, the reality seems to paint a different picture after two years of Taliban take over. As for the notion of human rights in western paradigm in Afghanistan is overplayed and bears no relation when basic human rights security, food, shelter have been in jeopardy. Blocking Afghan fund illustrates the usual looting tactics and builds more resentment.
The sore loser should accept they lost the war and not in power. Even he gains cooperation of NATO nothing will happen. The west have impose all kinds of sanctions on China and the west ends up the loser.
Tibetans r the only PROTECTOR of complete BHUDHISM IT was COMPLETLY carried by TIB Scholors into TIBET before it was destroyed by ISLAM in NALANDA After the CCP occupied and started destroying BHUDHISM Tibetans again carried back to INDIA where it was originated. Tib.Bhudhism include Trantric Praxis,YOGA, Meditation , Mantras and and and to achieve ultimate LIBERATION within oneself❤❤❤
Tib.Bhudhism is all over the HIMALAYAN Nepal,Ladakh,Bhutan,Sikkim, ARUNACHAL. Mönpa,Tamang+ Mongol and TIBET Landsize 2* Europe or even bigger❤ Best LIVING STYLE and most PEACEFUL PEOPLE in this PLANET❤❤❤❤
Ann, your books are for people with open-mind and willing to view and understand China in 2000s, not back in 1960s, 70s, 80s as China has evolved in leaps and bounce toward improving people's lives and much much more as a nation. Thank you for your positive effort.