Adolescents, as is commonly acknowledged, are never known for their diplomatic skills. In the case of 14-year-old Ugyen Trinley Dorje, this is especially true.
Dorje, considered one of the heads of Buddhism's four principal sects, decided sometime in late December, that Lhasa was no longer the happening place, the yak's milk ice cream was soft, and sought out the sprightlier spots in McLeodganj.
Unfortunately, his wanderings have not exactly edified either the Indian or Chinese governments. The former since they'd rather have done without another intruder who's left the MEA mandarins muttering under their breaths, and the latter since they may just have lost their showpiece in Tibet; a fairly sizeable chunk of land of they'd decided to usurp.
Yes, the Chinese are peeved; after all the trouble they'd gone through in creating a living deity even if it militated against their professed atheism. And yes, he was supposed to have prayed for Mao's soul and was central to the Chinese charade of apparent tolerance (hey, the crackdown on the Falun Gong never happened and Tiananmen Square doesn't exist).
But the real problem is that of verifying Dorje's credentials. He's been well indoctrinated by the Chinese and couldn't have escaped from the Tsurphu monastery, with its single exit, without the guards being in the know. Not only that, how could he have traversed through miles of rough terrain, skillfully dodging more than half-a-dozen checkposts?
That's obviously one reason that India's RAW and Intelligence Bureau agents are busy trying to gather some credible data about the journey and Dorje's antecedents.
Now, the problem is that Dorje wants to establish himself in the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim. Unfortunately, there is already an occupant there - a certain Thaye Dorje of Kalimpong - who has been ordained as the real Karmapa by the Regent of Rumtek, Shamarpa Rimpoche.
Not only that, a third contender, one Dawa Sangpo Dorji, has also suddenly laid claim to Rumtek.
Why is Rumtek so valuable? Well, because it validates the Karmapa's claim to heading the Kagyu lineage and with that control over 500 centres and property worth nearly $ I.2 billion.
But then there's also the strategic angle. Remember that the Chinks never recognised Sikkim's accession to India in 1975 and given their love of land-grabbing, they may just have decided to stage another Long March to secure their purpose.
That's because Rumtek is a power centre within Sikkim; one that parallels the elected State Government. And, if a Chinese flunkey were to be placed there, serious difficulties could be contrived for the Indian Government.
On top of that, there's also the factor of a certain Tai Situ Rimpoche. Rimpoche was kicked out of India after a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry showed that he was busy indulging in many not-too-holy practices. But then, Union Minister Ram Jethmalani lobbied hard to get the Government to allow his return.
Tai Situ is now the person who is considered the real power behind Dorje; the manipulator; or should we say, the surrogate puppeteer for the Chinese Government.
So, given these circumstances, just what will happen? Given the Vajpayee Government's track record, you could expect the worst. After all, two prominent Cabinet ministers, Jethmalani and George Fernandes are sold on the Tibetan cause.
But, the real question that remains, is just who's cause is Dorje trying to further?