Dalai Lama’s elder brother Gyalo Thondup dies at 97
Thondup was 97 and had been suffering from age-related ailments for a long time; he lived with his two sons and their families near St Philomena’s School in Kalimpong
Gyalo Thondup, elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama, died at Kalimpong in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Saturday evening, leaders of the local Tibetan community said.
Thondup was 97 and had been suffering from age-related ailments for a long time. He lived with his two sons and their families near St Philomena’s School in Kalimpong.
The funeral will take place on Tuesday morning.
The Dalai Lama presided over a memorial prayer service for Thondup at Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, on Sunday.
Born in 1928 at Taktser village in the Amdo region of Tibet, Thondup was the second-eldest among the Tibetan spiritual leader’s six siblings. He played a key role in the movement for Tibet’s freedom, interacting with many global leaders on behalf of his brother, the Tibetan Regional Association said in a statement.
In 1939, Thondup moved with his family to Lhasa. When he was 14, he travelled to Nanjing, China, to study Chinese history. During his stay, he came in touch with politicians such as Chiang Kai-shek, head of the nationalist government from 1928 to 1949 and subsequently head of the government in exile. In 1948, Thondup married Zhu Dan, the daughter of a Kuomintang general. He left Nanjing in 1949 and eventually settled down in Kalimpong, the statement said.
Thondup became an Indian citizen in 1952 and developed contacts with the Indian and American governments to seek support for Tibet.
Chungda Bhutia, president of Regional Tibetan Women Association said: “Some ministers from the Tibetan government in Exile at Dharamshala have reached Kalimpong. Thondup’s elder sister and his brother-in-law have also arrived.”
“Tibetans across the globe are grateful to Gyalo Thondup,” she added.
Exiled Tibetans in Dharamshala mourn loss
The exiled Tibetans in Dharamshala mourned Thondup’s demise.
In a statement on micro-blogging platform X, Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said, “We mourn the passing of Gyalo Thondup, the elder brother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who died yesterday at the age of 97. His lifelong dedication to the Tibetan cause was an inspiration to many, and his loss resonates deeply with all who knew him.”
Speaker of Tibetan parliament-in-exile Khenpo Sonam Tenphel said, “With a heavy heart, we mourn the demise of Thondup. His lifelong dedication to the Tibetan cause and his contributions will be remembered with deep gratitude, inspiring our pursuit of justice and freedom for Tibet.
The International Campaign for Tibet group said Thondup became the point person to take up the Tibetan issue internationally after China’s takeover.
Thondup handled foreign affairs for the Tibetan government-in-exile in the 1960s and was the chairperson of the ‘Kashag’ (cabinet) in the early 1990s.