New Delhi, (Asian independent) Almost half of India, mostly by virtue of misinformation or rather the lack of information, is not really sympathetic to the cause of Tibet, something that should be of great concern to the Tibetan policy makers, as per the IANS C-Voter Tibet Poll.
The survey found that more than 50 per cent Indians are either highly or moderately concerned regarding the situation in Tibet.
Every third Indian is not really concerned about the issue and the remaining are completely ignorant about it and are unable to make up their mind. Also, Indians do not readily associate Tibet as China’s integral part.
“But the fact that almost half of India, mostly by virtue of misinformation or rather lack of information, is not really sympathetic to the cause should be of great concern to the Tibetan policy makers,” the survey found.
Almost a quarter understands that Tibet is a state occupied by China, but going beyond these optimistic lines, the fact remains that almost 3 out of 4 Indians do not have the right idea about the status of Tibet.
Their idea of Tibet ranges from being an independent country to a state within India, but not exactly as a country which was free and independent and is now occupied by China.
In every question of the survey, maximum sensitivity towards the cause of Tibet was observed among respondents from Northeast India, followed by East and North. The least sensitivity was observed in South of India.
The survey found that there is significant confusion regarding the system of governance in Tibet. The same quarter of Indians knows clearly what the situation is on the ground. The spiritual leadership of the Dalai Lama has been duly acknowledged, but ironically that information comes at a cost of mass-amnesia regarding what happened in Tibet.
Tibet is relatively underreported in Indian media and national discourse, and almost half of the respondents confirmed the same.
