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{{Infobox person
| name = Tenzin Tsundue
| image = Tenzin Tsundue.jpg
| alt = Tenzin, a human, waving a Free Tibet flag.
| caption = Tenzin Tsundue protesting across from Chinese Premiere [[Wen Jiabao]]'s hotel room in Bangalore in 2005.
| birth_date = 1975
| birth_place = Manali<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 March 2001|title=My kind of exile|url=https://www.tenzintsundue.com/2001/03/12/my-kind-of-exile/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-03|website=Tenzin Tsundue|language=en-US|quote=I was born in Manali}}</ref>
| nationality =
| education = BA & MA English
| alma_mater = [[Loyola College, Chennai]]<br />[[Mumbai University]]
| known_for = Activism and writing
| website = {{url|https://www.tenzintsundue.com/}}
}}

'''Tenzin Tsundue''' (born 1975<ref name=":0" />) is a poet, writer and [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] refugee and activist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=11030&t=1&c=5|title=Dialogue with Tenzin Tsundue|date=26 October 2005|work=www.phayul.com|accessdate=26 July 2010|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5rVsF4Lib?url=http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=11030&t=1&c=5|archivedate=26 July 2010}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Singhal|first=Pallavi|date=2021-02-26|title=‘In Tibet’s independence resides India’s security’|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/in-tibets-independence-resides-indias-security-7205512/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-03|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref> As of 2019 he has been taken into preventive custody, arrested or jailed 16 times for short durations for his activism by Indian authorities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Deeksha|first=Johanna|date=21 October 2019|title=Arrested during Xi's visit, Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue has been jailed 16 times. Here's why|url=https://www.edexlive.com/news/2019/oct/21/arrested-during-xis-visit-tibetan-activist-tenzin-tsundue-has-been-jailed-16-times-heres-why-8733.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-16|website=The New Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=21 October 2019|title=Hurling abuses, TN cops dragged Tibetan students out of hostels: Poet Tenzin Tsundue|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/oct/21/hurling-abuses-tn-cops-dragged-tibetan-students-out-of-hostels-poet-tenzin-tsundue-2050581.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-16|website=The New Indian Express|quote=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.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 October 2019|title=Tibetan Poet, 9 Others Taken Into Preventive Custody Ahead of Chinese President's Visit|url=https://thewire.in/rights/tibetan-poet-9-others-taken-into-preventive-custody-ahead-of-chinese-pms-visit|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-16|website=The Wire}}</ref> 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."<ref name=":0" />

He won the first-ever Outlook-Picador Award for Non-Fiction in 2001 for his work "My Kind of Exile".<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=25 February 2005|title=Fourth Outlook/Picador Non-Fiction Competition|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/fourth-outlookpicador-non-fiction-competition/226576|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-14|website=Outlook India}}</ref> 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 [[PEN International|''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]].<ref>India's 50 Most Stylish People: The ELLE Hotlist! | http://www.friendsoftibet.org/mediaonfot/20020701.html</ref> Tenzin Tsundue joined Friends of Tibet (India) in 1999 and is the current General Secretary. Tsundue lives in [[Dharamshala]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[North India]].

==Background==
Tsundue's parents were forced to leave their country, Tibet, in 1959 fearing persecution by the [[People's Republic of China]].<ref name=":0" />

When they reached India, they worked as mountain road construction labourers in Masumari, Bir, Kullu, and Manali. "Hundreds of Tibetans who came across into India died in those first few months as they could not bear the heat of summer, and the monsoon caught them in poor health. But the camp lived on and had many shifts along the road. Tsundue was born somewhere along that journey, in a makeshift tent along a roadside".{{Sfn|Saranya|Bolleddu|2016|p=80}} When he asks his mother for the date of his birth, she says 'Who had time to record a child's birth when everyone was tired and hungry?'{{Sfn|Saranya|Bolleddu|2016|p=80}}

He did his schooling from [[Patlikuhal]] village, [[Kullu Valley|Kullu valley]] and [[Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh|Dharamshala]], and later went on to study English at [[Loyola College, Chennai|Loyola College]], [[Chennai]] and Mumbai University.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==Writing==
His first book of poems ''Crossing the Border'' was published while pursuing a [[Masters Degree]] at Mumbai University. He won the Outlook-Picador Award for Non-Fiction in 2001. His second book, ''Kora'' has been translated into French and Malayalam (and was also turned into an award-nominated play<ref>Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards | http://metawards.com/v1/so-many-socks/</ref> called "So Many Socks"). His third book, ''Semshook'', a compilation of essays on the Tibetan freedom movement was published in March 2007. His writings have also appeared in on a regular basis in the Tibetan<ref>{{Cite web|title=TO BE OR NOT TO BE A CITIZEN: The Tibetan dilemma {{!}} Tibetan Review|url=https://www.tibetanreview.net/to-be-or-not-to-be-a-citizen-the-tibetan-dilemma/|last=Tsundue|first=Tenzin|date=July 29, 2014|website=Tibetan Review|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> and Indian media and in international publications.

{{Poem quote|text=When I was born
My mother said,
you are a refugee.|char=|sign=|title=|source=From the poem "Refugee", from the 2002 collection Kora<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dhompa |first1=Tsering Wangmo |title=Writing 'About' (Part I) |url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2013/05/writing-about-part-i |website=Poetry Foundation |access-date=16 February 2021 |date=6 May 2013}}</ref>}}

==Activism==
[[File:2008 Tibet. China..jpg|left|thumb|262x262px|Protest against China in India, 19 April 2008]]
Tsundue has been involved in [[Tibetan independence movement|Tibet's independence movement]] since his student days. But he caught international media attention in January 2002 when he climbed the scaffolding outside the hotel where PRC Premier [[Zhu Rongji]] was staying in Mumbai; he displayed a banner with the words "Free Tibet: China, Get Out" and a [[Tibetan flag]] while shouting pro-Tibetan slogans before being arrested by Indian police.<ref name="Mishra">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/magazine/18tibet.html?ex=1292562000&en=60573fd71359ffd5&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|title=The Restless Children of the Dalai Lama|last=Mishra|first=Pankaj|date=18 December 2005|work=The New York Times|page=58|accessdate=26 July 2010|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5rVrCwQWe?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/magazine/18tibet.html?ex=1292562000&en=60573fd71359ffd5&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|archivedate=26 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jan/22dilip.htm|title=Dilip D'Souza on Tenzin Tsundue's struggle for a free Tibet|last=D'Souza|first=Dilip|date=22 January 2002|work=rediff.com|accessdate=26 July 2010|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5rVrU3j6T?url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jan/22dilip.htm|archivedate=26 July 2010}}</ref>

In April 2005 he repeated a similar one-man protest when PRC Premier [[Wen Jiabao]] was visiting the southern city of Bangalore. Standing on the balcony of a 200-foot-high tower at the [[Indian Institute of Science]], he unfurled a red banner that read "Free Tibet" while shouting "Wen Jiabao, you cannot silence us". As a result of his actions, the Indian police ordered a travel ban and Tsundue was ordered not to leave the town of Dharamshala, when the Chinese President [[Hu Jintao]] visited India in November 2006.<ref>{{cite news|last=|first=|date=14 November 2006|title=Travel ban for Tibetan activist|work=BBC Online|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6148216.stm|url-status=live|accessdate=26 July 2010|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5rVsTZw87?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6148216.stm|archivedate=26 July 2010}}</ref>

In 2008, Tsundue announced his intention of taking part in a return march from Dharamshala to Tibet, that was being organized as a part of the "Tibetan People's Uprising Movement", a united effort put together by five major Tibetan NGOs. Tsundue has been wearing a red band around his head since 2002 which he says is the mark of his pledge that he would work for the freedom of his country, and would never take it off until Tibet is free.

Tenzin wrote in the ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' in 2019 that, "whenever the president of China visits India, the Indian police locates me, no matter where I am and throws me into the nearest central jail".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tsundue|first=Tenzin|authorlink=Tenzin Tsundue|date=2019-10-23|title=India’s One-China policy is flawed. It must be reworked {{!}} Analysis|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/india-s-one-china-policy-is-flawed-it-must-be-reworked-analysis/story-zfA0tZnSigx5W0rmF4wIgO.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-09-26|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> As of 2019, he has been arrested on 16 separate occasions.<ref name=":0" /> Before Xi's visit in 2019, he was jailed in [[Puzhal Central Prison]] with 13 other Tibetans for 12 days and was the last to be released.<ref name=":0" />

=== Walk a Mile for Tibet ===
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On 12 February 2021, the day of the [[Losar|Tibetan New Year]], Tenzin started a 500 km walk from Dharamshala to New Delhi seeking that India re-visits its "one-China policy".<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=13 February 2021|others=ANI|title=Tibetan activist begins march to Delhi, seeks change in India's 'one-China policy'|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/feb/13/tibetan-activist-begins-march-to-delhi-seeks-change-in-indias-one-china-policy-2263582.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-14|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-02-13|others=ANI|title=Tibetan activist begins march to Delhi, seeks change in one-China policy|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tibetan-activist-begins-march-to-delhi-seeks-change-in-one-china-policy-101613211357011.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-14|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> The main aim of the walk "is to highlight the issue of Tibet".<ref name=":1" /> He plans to cover the distance in one month, reaching New Delhi on 10 March, the [[Tibetan Uprising Day]].<ref name=":route">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=12 February 2021|title=Tibetan starts march, wants change in India’s China policy|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/tibetan-starts-march-wants-change-in-indias-china-policy-211602|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-14|website=Tribune India|language=en}}</ref>

As he walks to Delhi, he distributes pamphlets along the way and has crowdsourced translations into other regional languages to reach a wider audience. Tenzin says that he is also "informing people about India’s border security" in three languages. He walks holding both the Tibetan flag as well as the Indian tricolour.<ref name=":1" />
{{clear}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}'''Bibliography'''

* {{Cite journal|last=Saranya|first=U S|last2=Bolleddu|first2=Siva Nagaiah|date=December 2016|title=Neither here nor there: Augmenting the hyphenated life story of Tenzin Tsundue|url=http://www.scholarcritic.com/papers/10%20.pdf|journal=Scholar Critic|volume=Vol-03 Issue-03|pages=76–82|issn=23486937|eissn=23486945}}

== Further reading ==

* Harriet Staff (24 September 2014). [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2014/09/tibetan-poet-tenzin-tsundue-speaks-out-about-his-detention Tibetan Poet Tenzin Tsundue Speaks Out About His Detention]. Poetry Foundation.
*[https://www.tibetwrites.in/authors/tenzin-tsundue/ Tenzin Tsundue]. Tibet Writes.

==External links==
* Tenzin Tsundue official website: [http://www.tenzintsundue.com/ tenzintsundue.com]
* [http://www.friendsoftibet.org/tenzin/ Profile at Friends of Tibet]
* [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/tenzin_tsundue/2006/12/tenzin_tsundue.html Guardia article] by Tenzin Tsundue
* [http://www.merinews.com/article/tibetan-self-immolations-expose-chinese-repression-tenzin-tsundue/15881036.shtml Interview of Tenzin Tsundue: Tibetan self-immolations expose Chinese repression] on merinews by [[Citizen Journalism#Z|Citizen Journalist]] Ashim Sunam

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsundue, Tenzin}}
[[Category:People from Dharamshala]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Tibetan activists]]
[[Category:Tibetan diaspora]]
[[Category:Tibetan poets]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Loyola College, Chennai alumni]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]

Tenzin Tsundue - Revision history

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