Tenzin Tsundue

Tenzin Tsundue
Tenzin, a human, waving a Free Tibet flag.
Tenzin Tsundue protesting across from Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao's hotel room in Bangalore in 2005.
Born1975
Manali[1]
EducationBA & MA English
Alma materLoyola College, Chennai
Mumbai University
Known forActivism and writing
Websitewww.tenzintsundue.com

Tenzin Tsundue (born 1975[2]) is a poet, writer and Tibetan refugee and activist.[3][4] As of 2019 he has been taken into preventive custody, arrested or jailed 16 times for short durations for his activism by Indian authorities, as India does not allow Tibetans to engage in anti-China activities in India.[2][5][6][7] When he was 22, he travelled to Tibet. However, he was arrested and sent back to India, "They told me I was born in India and so I did not belong to Tibet."[2]

He won the first-ever Outlook-Picador Award for Non-Fiction in 2001 for his work "My Kind of Exile".[8] He has published four books which have been translated into several languages: Crossing the Border (1999), Kora (2002), Semshook (2007), and Tsen-göl (2012). Tsundue's writings have also appeared in various publications around the world including the International PEN, Outlook, and The Times of India. In 2002 the Indian edition of the international fashion magazine Elle, named him among India's 50 most stylish people along with the Dalai Lama.[9] Tenzin Tsundue joined Friends of Tibet (India) in 1999 and is the current General Secretary. Tsundue lives in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, North India.

  1. ^ "My kind of exile". Tenzin Tsundue. 12 March 2001. Retrieved 3 March 2021. I was born in Manali
  2. ^ a b c Deeksha, Johanna (21 October 2019). "Arrested during Xi's visit, Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue has been jailed 16 times. Here's why". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Dialogue with Tenzin Tsundue". www.phayul.com. 26 October 2005. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  4. ^ Singhal, Pallavi (26 February 2021). "'In Tibet's independence resides India's security'". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Hurling abuses, TN cops dragged Tibetan students out of hostels: Poet Tenzin Tsundue". The New Indian Express. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2021. Did you face any harassment? The cops were absolutely professional. They were instructed not to abuse their power. My biggest problem was, personally, as an activist for 25 years, I could not protest that day.
  6. ^ "Tibetan Poet, 9 Others Taken Into Preventive Custody Ahead of Chinese President's Visit". The Wire. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  7. ^ Sanghvi, Vir (2 July 2003). "India's Tibet stand same: Sinha".
  8. ^ "Fourth Outlook/Picador Non-Fiction Competition". Outlook India. 25 February 2005. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  9. ^ "India's 50 Most Stylish People: The ELLE Hotlist!".