Nearly 600 prominent Tibetan exiles representing a far-flung diaspora have flocked to Dharamsala, the seat of the government- in-exile, for an unprecedented “special meeting” to discuss the future of their homeland.
Monks in crimson robes, men wearing formal Tibetan chuba tunics and women in traditional dresses gathered for an opening ceremony on Monday where musicians blew Tibetan horns and beat large drums.
After the ceremony Tibetan activists, scholars, religious leaders, heads of cultural institutions and politicians in the government-in-exile mingled outside a school auditorium and sipped yak butter tea before starting week-long talks that could signal a turning point in Tibetan politics.