"Our condition is even worse than animals. They say we have human rights but it has been 25 days since we are on an indefinite hunger strike and all that the dignitaries do is ask us to conclude the hunger strike. They do not assure us anything. Some of them even don't know why are we here and what problems we face as Tibetans," said an old but determined Tashi Thondu of Shimla.

One of the 14 hunger strikers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, the 73-year-old said he has decided to give up his life for the cause of Tibet. "Six million Tibetans continue to suffer in Tibet occupied by China. We have hundreds of political prisoners languishing in jails in Tibet. Our people are forced to serve the Chinese who have come to occupy our country," he said.

When asked about how he decided to plunge himself into this struggle, he said, "I had registered for the hunger strike since Pawo Thupten Ngodup had taken part in the indefinite hunger strike in 1998."

He looks frail but his energy and enthusiasm is addictive. He speaks of the five demands with such enthusiasm that it could put any youngster to shame. He is dedicated and it reflects in his eyes.

Very proud of the fact that he is a part of this indefinite hunger strike, Tashi Thondu said, "Gyalo Thondup la is concerned. Being a Tibetan, valuing lives comes naturally to us. He worries about our health and that is why he has requested us to conclude the hunger strike. But all of us here have decided. There is no question of turning back now."

Tashi Thondu was working as a cook back in Shimla.

He speaks slowly and nonchalantly but it is just the way Karma Sonam from Mundgod looks from the outside. Dig a little deeper and one will get to see the more determined side of this 61-year-old.

"In 1995 when  it was announced that there will be a rally on foot from New Delhi to Lhasa in Tibet, I had given my name for that. Unfortunately that did not materialise and we could not go," he said.

"Gyalo Thondup la assured us that he will go and speak with the authorities at the Chinese Embassy at 10 am today. He is at a position that he can do things and I am quite hopeful that his efforts will bear fruit. I am quite positive that his talking to the Chinese will help our cause," said Karma Sonam, whose has a daughter in Dharamsala.

When asked whether he misses his family and what does he talk about whenever he calls home, he said with a smile, "They know that I am doing perfectly fine here. And whenever I talk to them I tell them not to worry about me. I tell them I am fit and fine."

"I was a member of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress at Mundgod and have full support of my family. They are proud that I am taking part in the hunger strike," Karma Sonam said. He was a member of the village cooperative at his camp in Karnata in South India.

His favourite movie is "We were Soldiers", which has Mel Gibson as the main protagonist. Action movies are his weakness. He also likes listening to music and was spending most of his time sitting with elders from his village in South India before he decided to do something most 20 year olds hardly ever think of doing.

A resident of Camp no 9 in Mundgod Tibetan Settlement, 26-year-old Passang Dorjee is like any Tibetan youth of today. But what sets him apart from all of us is his dedication to do something for Tibet. He was spending his time listening to old folktales of Tibet, which elder Tibetans of his village talked about. However, as of today, he is the youngest person on the indefinite hunger strike being held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Obviously feeling the pressure of being the youngest person, Passang said he always wanted to do something for Tibet. "I wanted to take part in the rally organized by the Tibetans Women's Association in which people walked from Pune to Mumbai as a mark of protest. But somehow I missed that. So I kept telling myself that the next time I would grab any opportunity that comes my way," said an ever-smiling Passang.

He said it was his mother who told him about the hunger strike being organized by the TYC. "I was very happy that it was my mother who asked me about participating in the hunger strike but she also told me to think properly before taking any decision. And I had decided. So here I am," smiled Passang.

"I saw these elder people on hunger strike and got even more encouraged. I felt when they can do it, I, as a youth, should do it too," he said. 

"My friends were shocked at first. Some of them have come to meet me here and still ask how did it strike me, to do something like this. I just smile and say I somehow decided," Passang added.

When asked about what he felt when dignitaries asked them to conclude the strike, Passang, a former student of CST Mundgod, said, "It is their duty to tell us not to go ahead with the strike. But we won't stop till our goal is achieved."

Nyima Tsering was running a small canteen before he decided to give up everything and take a plunge in this struggle.

The 32-year-old is not married and has a 70-year-old father back home. "I am not worried about my father. He can take care of himself and in fact he told me not to worry about him," Nyima Tsering said when asked about his family back in Ravangla in Sikkim.
Originally from Dharamsala, Nyima and his father moved to Ravangla after his mother passed away. He then started a mini-factory from where he makes products for the canteen at CST Ravangla, a secondary school.

"I was very jealous when, in 1998, I got to know that some of my classmates were taking part in a hunger strike campaign. I could not take part in it and decided to make use of the next opportunity to get into our freedom struggle. So when RTYC Ravangla held a meeting and asked for volunteers for an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi , me and another person from our settlement volunteered," he said.

He added he feels really encouraged and moved when people come to meet them. "They have the dedication and are so moved when they come for a visit. Regarding the Indian visitors, I think they are genuinely concerned about us. They are well settled and have a country to call their own. But despite this, they feel for us and support us. This is really encouraging," Nyima Tsering said.

Regarding pleas to conclude the strike, Nyima added, "Probably Samdong Rincpoche and other Indian dignitaries feel that our lives could be put to some other use, something better according to them. I think maybe that's why they are asking us to stop our hunger strike."

"But I have given up everything and come here. Now there is no going back," said Nyima Tsering with a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes.

He has a six-year-old son back home who is being taken care of by his wife. His family had no idea that he is going to be a part of the indefinite hunger strike at Delhi.

Like always, Jamyang Yeshi says he did not tell his family where he is going. "Whenever I took part in any protest rally or march, I do not tell my family about my participation because they tend to worry a lot. So this time too, when I started to take part in this rally at Jantar Mantar, I didn't tell them anything. I just said I am going to attend a TYC meeting. But two days after we started the hunger strike, I called home and told them.

They were surprised but then said I am doing something great for the cause of Tibet and that they are proud of me," said the 33 years old, who was working as the driver of the local Tibetan monastery at Salugara.

When asked about his activities prior to taking part in the hunger strike, he said he has been an executive of the RTYC at Salugara three times. "I live in a small town, so it is not very uncommon to be appointed as an executive more than once," he said with a smile. He had also participated in the peace march organised by the TYC in 2004. Tibetans had walked all the way from Dharamsala to New Delhi.

It is the 29th day since they have been on the indefinite hunger strike. Jamyang Yeshi says the feeling of hunger is dead now. "Now only my back pains sometimes. But we have nurses coming and checking our health on a daily basis," he said.

And when the people come to meet them, how does he feel. "It is very touching when people come to meet us. Elderly Tibetan women come and cry looking at us. But I felt a lump in my throat when even the monks cried looking at us. My eyes were filled with tears when I saw tears trickling down the cheeks of our monks after looking at us," he added.

Tashi Wangdue was a farmer, tilling hard his land with his sweat and blood before being a part of this indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Now he has pledged not only his sweat and blood, but his life for the cause of Tibet.

"When Lhasang Tsering la was the TYC president, I had given my name to be considered for any future hunger strike movement, whenever it is organised. However, I never got a chance to take part. But once again I contacted the current TYC president, Kelsang Phuntsok la, and told him I would like to be a part of this hunger strike," said the father of five children. His youngest child is four year old.

Like some of the hunger strikers, even he had not told his family about his decision to be a part of the hunger strike. "My 81-year-old mother doesn’t know that I am a part of this hunger strike even now. She has been told that I am helping hunger strikers. We started the hunger strike on June 8 and on June 10 I told my wife about my participation. She cried but in the same breath she said she is proud of me," he said smiling.

Having been the RTYC president at his settlement, Tashi Wangdue clearly understands the things that are at stake for him and for everyone. "Human life is precious but me and all the hunger strikers here know that what we are sacrificing for is something greater. It is a very important cause for all of us and giving our life for such a cause is a thing to be proud of. I really appreciate the Indian masses who are supporting us. The Indian government probably cannot do much due to the political situation but the general public is with us and I am really thankful to them for their support. Not only this movement, I am sure that the Indian masses will continue to support us all our future endeavors too," he added.

He said, "Though it is started by the TYC, it is a people's movement."

"I was a part of the Tibetan army and was into technical climbing, sky diving and mountaineering for 25 years. But since my retirement I have stayed at my village in South India and have been an active participant of protests and rallies calling out for Tibetan freedom," said Kelsang Dawa, who is a resident of Mundgod Tibetan settlement in Karnataka.

A member of RTYC in Mundgod, Kelsang Dawa walked 610 kilometers from Delhi to Pittoraghar as a part of a peace rally organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress some years ago. He was also a participant at the protest organized in Mumbai, where a Tibetan youth Lhakpa Tsering attempted self-immolation.   

When asked about how he feels since it has been 28 days since they are all on hunger strike, he says, "I sometimes feel what is going to happen. Whether we will achieve our aim? But I am hoping that something will happen."

Going strong with the full support of his wife, this father of two children is determined to continue with the hunger strike. "Human life is precious no doubt but I will go strong till our aim is achieved. However, we can only protest peacefully. It is the Indian and the Chinese government who have to do something," he said.
Kelsang Dawa added, "Though Gyalo Thondu had assured us that he will talk to the Chinese regarding our demands, China has not responded till now. It doesn't matter to China if anything happens to any one of us."

Tsering Norzom lost her livelihood when India and China went to war in 1962. At that time she was pregnant with a child at Bomdila. She lost her house once again and even lost the baby.

"Once again we had to leave everything behind and run away from that place just like in 1959 when the Chinese attacked our country and we were forced to flee. The Chinese tortured and killed my aunt in Tibet. But we can't do anything. So when they announced this hunger strike, I decided to take part. This is the only thing I can do for my country- give my life. So I am here today," said the 67 year old who is a resident of Bhandara Tibetan Settlement.

"We have done no harm to China but they kill our people like ants. China claims that the Panchen Lama is alive along with his family members but we want them to prove it. The railways, they claim, benefits Tibetans in Tibet. But I want to ask them to prove that it has helped any Tibetan," she said.

A mother of five children, Tsering Norzom said she got the full support of her husband for the hunger strike. "He is a former army personnel and had participated in the Bangladesh war. He told me that since he couldn't do anything for Tibet, it is a very good opportunity for me to do something for Tibet. He fully supports me. In fact, my elder son told me that even he will participate in the hunger strike with me," said Tsering Norzom, who is very happy being a part of this hunger strike.

"I am deeply hurt because the world is not doing anything for us. This time no government representative came to visit us. During the last hunger strike in 1998, the US representative was among the first persons to visit us besides representatives of the Australian government and various human rights groups. Today is the 27 th day we have been on this indefinite hunger strike. We need to do something concrete," said the former personnel in the Tibetan Army, Dawa Tsering. He is from Ravangla in Sikkim.

 "Until or unless you knock on your neighbour's doors, there won't be any response. I feel that we need to do something so that the world responds. This time even the BBC, which is normally fair in its reporting, has not reported anything on the hunger strike. It is quite surprising," said the 66-year-old.

Father of six children, Dawa Tsering said he had taken part in the hunger strike, which was organised in 1998. " I also took part in the peace march organised by the Tibetan Women's Association. We walked from Dharamsala to Chandigarh. And then there was a protest at Mumbai when Chinese government representatives had come in 2006. I went to protest in Mumbai.

Regarding pleas to conclude the hunger strike, he said, "Although each and every life is precious and it would be a great loss even if one person dies, I have decided to give up everything for the cause of Tibet. Gyalo Thodu la is His Holiness' younger brother and he is concerned about us. But it is our decision. We have decided to sacrifice our lives."

She was a simple housewife before she decided to leave everything and come to Delhi to be a part of the indefinite hunger strike.

"My two children are in Canada and they have assured me that if anything happens to me, they will take my place and be a part of this hunger strike. I am so proud of them just like they are proud of me," smiles Kelsang Youdon, who is from the Tibetan Settlement of Mainpat.

"Initially my children didn't know that I had taken part since they are not in India. But after knowing, they called me and said that they are extremely proud of me. I felt so good. I had registered my name for hunger strike since 2004, when a hunger strike was to take place at Jantar Mantar. However, it was later shifted to New York in US," she adds.

Her husband had passed away when he children were very small. "My son has grown up now and he is a member of the RTYC in his city in Canada," says a proud Kelsang Youdon.

A patriot to the core, she adds, "We have come here to fight for our cause and will fight till the end. There is no going back from here."