[Reader-list] i-fellow Posting by Mallica

[mallica mishra]

H'lo! I'm Mallica and this is my first posting.

I am pursuing a Ph.D in Sociology of Education from
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. I graduated in
Political Science (Hons) from Lady Shriram College a
eons ago; following which I did my Masters in
Sociology from JNU; M.PHIL in Sociology of Education
again from JNU (JNU sort of grows into you, its
difficult to get out , once you’re in!)

My Ph.D thesis deals with the education of Tibetan
refugees in India and explores its interlinkages with
culture; ethnic identity and economic opportunity. I
also work as Consultant (part-time) at the Institute
of Social Studies Trust, an NGO that conducts research
and action programmes to promote social justice and
equity for the under-privileged, with a focus on
women. I’ve worked as a Social Worker for the UNHCR in
Delhi and as also as a Gender Trainer at the Centre
for Social Research (CSR).

Working on issues of peripheral, marginal and liminal
identities (for instance: of refugees; internally
displaced people; women and children) interest and
motivate me.Talking of identities , I have multiple
identities,as woman; as student..etc. parts of this
identity is also Bihari Brahmin and Delhi'ite'. (My
roots are in Bihar as also in Delhi where I've taken
root in since the past ten or so years; strangely
there's been no uprooting and re-transplantation
involved, rather a spreading a roots at both these
places, I would say!)

As one of the Sarai-CSDS independent fellows,I seek to
explore similar concerns. My proposed research at
Sarai titled “Identities and Aspirations of Tibetan
Youth in New Delhi” builds on my Ph.D research and I
am eagerly looking forward to my work at Sarai and my
Ph.D, both being a symbiotic, mutually enriching
association. I hope that this experience helps me get
a richer; deeper and intense understanding of the
identities and aspirations of Tibetan youth; their
likes and dislikes; to understand ways in which they
are similar to other youth in Delhi and the ways which
make them different and unique as Tibetan; as refugee;
as youth and as individuals. 

Beyond the boundaries of academic research also, I
seek to interact; to empathize with and to hear out
voices of Tibetan youth for what makes them what they
are; their essence; their own perspectives of what
makes them alike the rest of the youth yet apart from
them. 

I seek to explore the images that the word 'identity'
conjures up in their mind. Is this identity a product
of their socialization at home and the school or a
continuously evolving process, in the city of Delhi,
which has a culture and identity of its own (where
many of them are pursuing higher education in Delhi
University; JNU etc) or an amalgam of both product and
process?

Is this identity placed on a need to balance modernity
with tradition? Is this identity determined, in part,
by 'others' (older Tibetans; Indians; westerners etc)
expectations?
 What are their experiences of being born ;brought up
and educated in exile? What are their educational and
economic aspirations? Has schooling in India and
knowledge of three languages i.e."Thinglish" (Tibetan;
English and Hindi)been of help to them in establishing
connections with Indians; westerners and with fellow
Tibetans? 

What does it feel like to be the "seeds of future
Tibet" (as taught in school), to be prepared to 'go
back'when "Tibet becomes independent" when, in most of
the cases, they've never actually seen Tibet with
their own eyes, when their roots have been forged in
exile in India? What makes them FEEL Tibetan , when
they have been born; brought up and educated in India;
to FEEL Tibetan even if they are sometimes criticised
for becoming 'westernized' in terms of their clothing;
choice of music;films etc? 

What does the person and symbol of His Holiness the
Dalai Lama mean to them?

What does it feels like with popular Hollywood actors
like Richard Gere taking up the cause of Tibet?

Do they support the exile government's stance of
support for 'significant and real autonomy' of Tibet
or does 'rangzen' or freedom seems to be a much more
desirable alternative to them? What does it feel like
to sit on dharnas or peace processions shouting
anti-China slogans and demanding freedom for Tibet at
Jantar-Mantar and why do they do it? (if all of them
do, i.e).
Do they feel that even fellow Tibetans , people of the
older generation, fail to understand them, if yes, why
and how does this generation-gap occur?

Youth, I believe, is about desires; dreams and
dilemmas...I seek to explore how Tibetan youth feel
about all these issues , being consciously socialized
by the different sociazing agencies in India (family;
school and community) to internalize an identity as
Tibetan and as refugee; as ‘different’ from the rest
and having the ‘responsibility’ to protect and
preserve Tibetanness and to proud of the same? 

Do they realize the fact that their identity ; as is
that of every individual human being , is as much a
product of previous socialization as it is  part of a
continuous living, breathing, and continuously
evolving process, open to multiple influences
(westernized as also Indian) in a rapidly changing
world subject to the forces of globalization?If yes,
what are their responses to this question of identity;
their take on this issue? 

Are these views just ‘different’ from that of the
exile government and people from the older generation
(who were born and brought up in Tibet and for whom
Tibet was real; not a product of imagination woven
around stories and myths recited by elders in the
community and as part of school textbooks) or is it
merely an extension of the same? 

What about differences amongst the youth themselves ,
in terms of not just age; gender; place of birth;
education etc? Do these differences also colour and
shape their identity ; provide different textures and
hues to their feelings of , ‘who am I?’, I wonder????

For Tibetan girls, is the Miss Tibet contest a symbol
of empowerment or something not in sync ‘with their
culture’ and ‘anti-Buddhist’(in view of the
displeasure of the exile government towards the
holding of such events)?What do they feel about this
and other issues pertaining to their real selves and
their identities?

Does the youth feel a sense of alienation, as straws
blown about in the wind, without any control over the
direction their lives are moving? Or do they have a
definite sense of direction ; well-defined educational
and economic aspirations and ways to realize the same
alongwith clear definitions of  their identities and
selves? 

I would be exploring these issues through collection
of secondary data (official reports; newspaper
articles; books etc) for looking at the policies and
programmes in education of the Tibetan Government in
exile and the Indian government towards preservation
of Tibetan culture, language and identity. My primary
data would comprise of sustained, in-depth
interactions and dialogues with Tibetan youth residing
in the Tibetan Youth Hostel in Rohini and also in
other parts of Delhi. 

I look forward to interactions and sharing of ideas
with other sarai fellows and also hope that not only
Tibetan youth and Tibetologists but also people in
general find my work interesting (for, its true, isn’t
it, that somewhere, there is an iota of refugee-ism
that searches for peace, tranquility and happiness,
within all of us??) ; as something they can relate to
and establish connections with!!

 my blog>  http://mallicam.blogspot.com/
 mobile:9810839141

Send instant messages to your online friends http://in.messenger.yahoo.com