Retirement: An honour to anticipate
The Dharamsala monsoon lasts nearly for three
months. Amid this heavy monsoon downpour, the Men-Tsee-Khang
administration gave a farewell tea party to the first-ever-group
of 21 retiring staffs on the 22 July 2005.
Only handfuls of staffs retired in the past
few years. The group retirement this time came into effect
pertaining to the amendments made in the Men-Tsee-Khang
rules and regulations book, under the supervision of the
Kashag (cabinet) of Central Tibetan Administration.
The atmosphere outside was hazy with heavy downpour
of rain, whereas inside the staff mess the atmosphere was
pumped up with mixed feelings. Seated in a rectangular sitting
arrangement, staffs were facing one another in a group.
Everyone listened in rapt attention to the speakers. Some
of them were listening with their hands cupped from behind
their ears with leaned posture, seemingly exhibit hearing
problem—an apparent attestation of being old enough.
Whereas others nod in uniformity in agreement to what is
actually being spoken on. We know for sure that everyone
has to pass through this undesirable suffering caused by
old age and this strikes a chord in me. With fear looming
large over my head for I wasn’t sure what surprise
my future has in its store. For the retiring staffs—their
future is secured. The administration assured every possible
measure to take good care of them.
The gathering had a distinct outlook. Everybody
wore different facial expressions, from utter fulfillment
to slight dissatisfied ones. Of course this is a moment
of pride for some, whereas it is a mixed feeling for others
having had to retire from their work because of age factor.
For me, if I were to retire from the work having served
the institute for more than 20 years would have been my
major achievement in life. I would feel very contented for
my share of services offered for the many years, which is
rewarding and equally acknowledged by the administration.
When I was growing up as a young kid, Mr. S.
P. Datta, former Educational Secretary, Central Government
of India for the Central Tibetan School Administration,
visited our settlement school. He spoke to the students
and the teachers on the 3Ds: Dedication, Devotion and Determination.
He articulated the importance of the 3Ds in conjunction
with studies and services. This has struck deep in my thought
that this piece of advice refreshes my mind whenever I feel
down. I agree that every Tibetan has these 3Ds to serve
the exile Tibetan community in their best possible ways,
yet nobody realizes untoward circumstances might obstruct
wishful thinking. Therefore, I salute the retiring staffs
for their indomitable spirit that has facilitated them to
sacrifice the best time of their lives in the service of
mankind here in the Men-Tsee-Khang. Without their dedication,
devotion & determination, Men-Tsee-Khang today would
have been wearing a different look.
As Tibetan saying goes, “thirty dzo (a
hybrid of a cow and a yak) have sixty different horns, likewise,
thirty men have thirty different thought processing”.
Not everyone at the end of a day return home satisfied.
It may be a satisfying moment for most of the retiring staffs
but Men-Tsee-Khang is bound to wobble in absence of their
expertise and will surely require time to stabilize and
fill up the vacuum.
The Editors
