The Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 forced His Holiness the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans to leave their homeland Tibet and take shelter in India, Nepal and Bhutan as refugees.
Settling down in a completely new region away from their homeland was an emotional and tough task for them. They faced a lot of trouble adjusting with the new lifestyle, language, culture and climate. After leaving Tibet their first priorities were rehabilitation, education for children and preservation of Tibetan culture and identity. During this situation the Indian government played the role of a friendly neighbor and gave the Tibetans all the assistance possible. The first Tibetan settlement in India was established in 1960 and the first school for Tibetan refugees also came into being the same year. Then onwards, the Tibetans started setting up monasteries, nunneries and several institutions to preserve Tibetan language, culture and heritage.
In April 1959, the Tibetan government in exile was established in Dharamsala. It is popularly Known as Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)The Tibetans both Inside and outside recognize the CTA as their sole and legitimate government.
Present condition
There are over 60 Tibetan settlements in south Asia i.e. India Nepal and Bhutan. The life in these settlements is very simple and easy going. Their main occupation is agriculture and they also indulge in small scale businesses like woolen cloth trade during winters.
A total of 130,000 Tibetans are living in exile worldwide out of which more than 90,000 live in India and in the west the largest concentration of Tibetans is located in USA and Canada.
Every year more than 3000 Tibetans migrate to India leaving their homeland. Today, the educated Tibetan youth is fighting with problems like identity crisis and unemployment and is struggling to safeguard their cultural identity.
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