Dalai visit a signal to China that Arunchal is India's

AN UNMISTAKABLE SIGNAL: Dalai Lama's visit tells the people of Tawang that Arunachal Pradesh is forever Indian.

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Tawang: Monks and locals spruced up on Saturday in the Indian town of Tawang ahead of Dalai Lama's week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.

The tricolour, banners, buntings and prayer flags adorn the route to the Tawang Monastery where the Dalai Lama will stay and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu is personally overseeing the arrangements for the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The town is gearing up to greet the Dalai Lama even as China has slammed the leader for stoking tensions with New Delhi. Chief Minister Khandu, meanwhile, is dismissive of China's protests.

"If China is raising objections, then handling them is the job of the Government of India," Khandu said.

Meanwhile, the mood on the streets is joyous, not to mention infectious. People are happy and say they are fortunate enough to be given a chance to greet the spiritual leader.

However, memories of 1962 when Chinese troops occupied Tawang lurk not far beneath the surface and the secret nature of negotiations with China on a border settlement have left many people worried over the future.

But the Dalai Lama's visit has sent an unmistakable signal to the people of Tawang - that Arunachal Pradesh is forever Indian.