Desk: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s elder brother, Gyalo Thondup, passed away at his residence in Kalimpong, West Bengal, due to age-related illnesses. A senior official confirmed the news on Sunday. Thondup, who was 97 years old, had been unwell for the past two weeks and breathed his last on Saturday afternoon in the presence of his son and granddaughter.
His last rites will be performed on February 11, after the arrival of other family members. The Dalai Lama, currently in Karnataka, attended a prayer session at a monastery in Bylakuppe in memory of his late brother. Thondup had been residing in India for decades and had previously served as the Chairman of the Tibetan government. He played a crucial role in multiple rounds of negotiations with China regarding Tibet’s future.
According to Tibetan media, Gyalo Thondup was instrumental in gathering foreign support and bringing the U.S. into Tibet’s struggle. Following his demise, the Dalai Lama expressed his prayers for Thondup’s rebirth and emphasized that his contribution to Tibet’s cause will never be forgotten. Among the six siblings of the Dalai Lama, Thondup was the only one who led a family life.
Thondup had been living in India since 1952 and worked extensively to gain support from India and the U.S. for Tibet. In 1957, he helped train a group of Tibetan fighters and sent them to an American training camp. When the Dalai Lama needed asylum in India in 1959, it was Thondup who facilitated talks with then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
In 1979, Thondup initiated negotiations with China, believing that direct discussions with Beijing were the only way to resolve the Tibet issue. Several rounds of talks took place until 2010, but a resolution remained elusive. Thondup firmly believed that neither India nor the U.S. could resolve the Tibet issue, and that only face-to-face discussions with China could lead to a meaningful solution.