Tibetans and technology

NPR recently did a four-part series called “Hacking the Himalayas.”  It looks at several interconnected topics, including how the community of Dharamsala, India has been changed by the influx of Tibetan refugees; how Lhasa, Tibet has been affected by the settlement of ethnic Chinese; and how some Tibetans are utilizing technology and the internet to stay connected and to preserve their culture.

Here is an excerpt about Lhasa, Tibet:

Inside what’s known as the Tibetan Quarter, the timeless rituals of faith unfold. At the ornate, massive Jokhang Temple in the heart of the quarter, visitors are greeted with the sights and sounds of prostrating pilgrims. They stretch flat on the ground, then rise up, palms clasped in prayer. The stone beneath is polished smooth from centuries of this devotional gesture. The towering Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama’s former residence, dominates the horizon.

But just a short rickshaw drive away, a different world unfolds. Outside the Tibetan Quarter, Lhasa feels more like a modern Chinese city, full of garish sights and sounds. The pace of change has never been faster than in the last decade.

And about technology differences between Lhasa and Dharamsala:

While some Tibetans have access to the Web, it’s not the freewheeling information superhighway Westerners enjoy — thanks in large part to the so-called Great Firewall of China. …

It’s telling that in the Tibetan refugee “capital” of Dharamsala, in northern India, a team of experts works to build a large wireless network for Web access. The goal is to open a flow of news and information about what’s happening in the Tibetan homeland. But within Tibet, those voices remain unheard.

Related posts:

1. Technology and the world ...
2. Technology startups in China and Scandinavia ...
3. The 17,000 foot train ride ...