Leading on the Frontline

15Take care of yourself

How I was stopped in my tracks in Delhi — pampering or bust!

In the Tibetan refugee camps I listened to many youngsters venting their frustration at not being able to find jobs. As aliens, they did not have the right to seek work in the Indian civil service and they couldn’t see how they would be able to penetrate the Indian job market. I thought about what might be done and arranged a meeting with Colonel Singh from the Mysore Indian Chamber of Commerce. Together we discussed the possibility of arranging a job fair. If businesses that were open to hiring Tibetans could be persuaded to attend, then the fair might create a useful bridge. The colonel agreed that there was a need for new channels to improve the Tibetans’ job prospects. Like many Indians I had spoken to, he had nothing but good will towards the Tibetans. He knew them to be honest and hardworking. The problem was that he never saw them. He could see the need for new initiatives.

Samdhong Rinpoche, a Buddhist monk who was also the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamsala, had received my field report, which suggested setting up formal links with Indian business groups who were receptive to hiring Tibetans. He discussed it with his teams to work out how this would be sustainable across India, linking to each of the refugee camps. In the meantime, I continued to talk to local businesses. One of the most important links came about quite by chance. On my frequent taxi ...