Dharamsala, March 22:

Till a few years ago ‘MIC’ was a banned word at Mcleodganj, the hilltop settlement of the Dalai Lama. But that boycott of ‘Made in China’ products has given way to 21st-century market demands.

Like in other parts of India, ‘Made in China’ goods have invaded Mcleodganj, where most shops are owned by Tibetan refugees. Toys, games, stationery items, cheap quality household products and many other things made in the dragon land are now available. The buyers are mainly the local Tibetan population and visitors, foreigners included.

“Yes we do sell China-made products. I don’t think there is a ban on doing so. Tibetans

do hate anything that is Chinese. We get our products through agents in Delhi,” said a shop-owner who did not want to be identified.

Friends of Tibet general secretary Tenzin Tsundue said the Tibetan population here had become resigned to the fact that ‘Made in China’ products could be sold by them.

“We ran the boycott MIC products campaign till 2003. But after the start of the dialogue between the Tibetan government-in-exile and China, the Dalai Lama asked Tibetans not to do anything anti-China that would jeopardise the talks,” Tsundue said, “This has given some Tibetans a useful excuse to sell MIC goods and in a way support the Chinese economy. This is sad.”

Till a few years ago, selling Chinese products in Mcleodganj, which is also known as ‘Little Lhasa’, was taboo — because of the resentment that Tibetans had for anything Chinese. Tibetan exiles claim that the Chinese invaded their homeland nearly five decades ago, forcing their spiritual leader Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans to flee to India in 1959. Nearly 130,000 Tibetans now live in India and elsewhere in exile.

Many shops had stickers — some still have them — proudly proclaiming that no ‘Made in China’ goods were sold. A few shops in the main market of this small hill town even sold stickers and other products declaring ‘No to Made in China’.