Gyalo Thondup facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gyalo Thondup
|
|
|---|---|
| རྒྱལ་ལོ་དོན་འགྲུབ | |
.jpg)
Thondup in 2009
|
|
| Born | c. 1928 |
| Died | February 8, 2025 (aged 96–97) Kalimpong, West Bengal, India
|
| Other names | 嘉乐顿珠 |
| Spouse(s) |
Zhu Dan
(m. 1948; died 1986) |
| Children | 3 |
Gyalo Thondup (Tibetan: རྒྱལ་ལོ་དོན་འགྲུབ; Chinese: 嘉乐顿珠; born around 1928 – died February 8, 2025) was an important Tibetan leader who lived outside his home country. He was the second-oldest brother and a very close advisor to the 14th Dalai Lama. From 1952, he lived in India.
During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from the United States. They tried to help Tibetan fighters against China, but it didn't work out. In 1959, Thondup helped the Dalai Lama safely escape from Lhasa to India.
When the US stopped supporting the Tibetan resistance in the 1970s, Thondup often spoke for the Dalai Lama to China. He tried to arrange for his brother to return home. His popular book, The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong: The Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet, came out in 2015. After he passed away in 2025, The Washington Post newspaper called him "arguably the second-most important person in modern Tibetan history." Many governments saw him as a key political leader for Tibet.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Around 1928, Gyalo Thondup was born in the village of Taktser, in a region called Amdo. He was the third child of Choekyong Tsering and Diki Tsering. He was the second of five sons. He was the only male child who did not become a monk. His father wanted him to be a farmer and take care of the family's land.
In 1939, his family moved to Lhasa. This happened after his younger brother, Lhamo Thondup, was recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama. As the family became very important in Tibet, Gyalo Thondup began training. He was being prepared to become the main advisor to the Dalai Lama.
The Reting Rinpoche sent Gyalo to a private school. There, he received a traditional Tibetan education. A Chinese Muslim teacher named Ma Bao also taught him the Chinese language.
In 1942, when he was 14, Thondup went to Nanjing. This city was the capital of China at that time. He went there to study Standard Chinese and learn about Chinese history. From 1947 to 1949, he often visited Chiang Kai-shek at his home. He ate with Chiang's family and was taught by tutors chosen by Chiang himself. In 1948, he married Zhu Dan. She was the daughter of a general and had a degree in social work.
Political Work and Efforts
In 1949, before the Communist revolution in China, Thondup left Nanjing. He went to Tibet with his wife, who became known as Diki Dolkar. After Chinese troops took control of Lhasa, Thondup rode a horse to India in 1952.
He could speak Chinese, Tibetan, and English very well. For many years, Thondup traveled between different cities. These included New Delhi, Taipei, Washington, Hong Kong, and Beijing. He acted as an unofficial messenger for Tibet.
Working with the United States
In 1951, Thondup traveled to America. He became the main person providing information about Tibet to the United States Department of State. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) promised to help Tibet become independent from China. In return, they asked Thondup to help organize groups of fighters against the Chinese army. Thondup agreed to this offer.
Thondup helped find about 300 fighters. They were trained at Camp Hale, Colorado, in the US. These fighters then trained thousands of others in the Tibetan resistance. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the CIA sent many supplies to the resistance. This included rifles, ammunition, grenades, and radio equipment. They dropped these supplies into Tibet from airplanes. However, these missions were not successful.
In 1959, Thondup helped plan the Dalai Lama's safe journey to India. The Dalai Lama was being held by Chinese authorities in Tibet. Thondup said he did not tell the 14th Dalai Lama about the CIA's actions. He did this out of respect for the Dalai Lama's peaceful beliefs. To his disappointment, US support for Tibet ended after the 1972 Nixon visit to China.
Later Career and Negotiations
With the Dalai Lama's permission, Thondup met Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1979. They had peaceful political talks. Thondup wanted to discuss terms for his brother's return to Tibet. However, Thondup ended these discussions in 1993. He felt they were not leading anywhere. In the 1990s, Thondup made several official visits to China. He continued to act as the Dalai Lama's unofficial messenger.
In his later years, Thondup encouraged Tibetans to stay involved in politics. He often said that talking was the only way to make progress with China. In 1998, the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government in exile) criticized Thondup. They said he should have told the Dalai Lama about the CIA's involvement in Tibet.
Personal Life and Passing
Gyalo Thondup and his wife, Diki Dolkar, had a daughter and two sons. Their daughter passed away in the early 1980s. His wife, Dolkar, died in 1986. In 2002, Thondup briefly visited Lhasa. He was invited by the Chinese government.
After he retired, Thondup started a noodle factory in West Bengal, India. In 2015, he published his life story, The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong: The Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet. It became a very popular book.
Thondup passed away at his home in Kalimpong, West Bengal, on February 8, 2025.
See also
