Siblings to unite Tibetans through cricket league

CHANDIGARH - Tibetan siblings Tashi and Nawang Dorje, who have made the picturesque Kasauli hill-station their home, are treading the explored path of sports to bring together tens of hundreds of Tibetans living across India.

Fascinated with the charm and great fan-following of cricket in India, the Dorje brothers have evolved the idea of organising a Tibetan Premier League (TPL).

These days they are busy in inviting teams for this tournament. They are promoting TPL through the internet and by pasting posters at places that are mostly frequented by Tibetans in different states.

“This is our brainchild. With the help of my younger brother Nawang, I had decided to organise a small-scale cricket tournament at a very local level. But seeing the enthusiasm, we have decided to rope in teams of Tibetan youths from all across the country,” Tashi, 28, told IANS here.

“Everyday I am getting over a dozen queries from various places about TPL. So far teams from Delhi, Dehradun, Dharamsala and Chandigarh have shown interest in participating in this tournament. We have also sent pamphlets in Udiapur (Rajasthan) to promote TPL,” he said.

Tashi said they are also contacting their friends in south and west India to spread awareness about TPL. “We are also using the medium of internet to disseminate knowledge about this.”

Tashi runs a woolen garments shop at Kasauli in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, around 60 kilometers from here. These days he is in this union territory and displaying the garments at a Tibetan market.

“We think that in India cricket is the most apt medium to unite people,” said Nawang, adding: “The main aim of TPL is to spread harmony and peace and to strengthening the ties between Tibetans who are staying in different parts of India.

The brothers have booked Tau Devi Lal cricket stadium in neighbouring Panchkula town for the tournament. However, so far they have not finalised the dates of TPL as they are still looking for sponsors.

We are ready to shell out money from our own pockets but if we are able to find sponsors then it would help us to organise the next editions of TPL. We have plans to make it an annual event. Besides cricket there would be Tibetan cultural shows at match venues to enthrall the spectators, added Nawang.