The Untold Story of Friends of Tibet | 25 Years Without a Bank Account | Global TV
By NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
Fundraising is everywhere in the world today. We see appeals every day. Many groups have big offices and glossy reports. They spend huge money on overheads. But here is a story that is different. It is the story of Friends of Tibet.
It is surprising but true. For 25 years, Friends of Tibet has worked without a bank account. They do not have fancy offices. They never held dinners for big donors. They do not have piles of papers in government files. They have one thing only; people who care.
A Name with a Heartbeat
When Sethu Das started Friends of Tibet in 1999, he did not plan to build a normal group. The name says everything. Friends. Not managers. Not trustees. Not saviors. Just friends. Friends of Tibet keeps alive a question the world must not forget. It keeps alive a culture. It keeps alive the spirit of people.
Service Without Chains
In the beginning, Sethu Das sent small help to monks, nuns, and families in exile. But he soon saw a truth. Tibetans do not ask for donations. They are rich in spirit and culture. They want freedom and respect. They want friends who stand up for their right to live with dignity. So, Friends of Tibet did not become a fund machine. It became a living bond. It grew step by step. It grew naturally. It started in a small cybercafé in Dharamshala. Then small groups spread across India; and beyond India too. When people offered money, they said; keep it under your pillow; it is safer than the bank. This was not a joke. This was freedom. Friends of Tibet had instances of big initiatives where none of the officials handled money in any instance. In fact, there we nothing official about Friends of Tibet. It is all sentiments of freedom expressed in total.
Medical Camps — A Promise Kept
One of the purest signs of this spirit is the medical mission. For 25 years, Friends of Tibet has arranged medical camps every single month. They support Tibetan refugees and local communities too. No big boards. No giant sponsors. No photos with stars. Only care. Only volunteers. Many are young. Some come with no clear path. They find purpose when they help.
From Kerala to Chennai to remote towns, this promise stays. They did not need a bank account. They needed open hearts and helping hands.
No Registration; No Papers; No Problem
Today, many run for papers and forms. Friends of Tibet stayed free. If they registered, they could be owned or controlled. Outside interests could creep in. They did not want this.
By staying unregistered, they stayed true to the cause. They answered only to their own truth. Yet leaders and communities supported them. Nobody asked for stamped papers.
This is true openness. When you have nothing to hide, you do not need to show.
A Lesson for All
Sethu Das often says; if you enter the system, you become a slave to the system. Friends of Tibet proves good work does not need big money. The best bank is the trust you build in hearts. Even activism today risks becoming an industry. Friends of Tibet reminds us that true friendship does not need receipts. True freedom does not need files.
May their story remind us to ask again about what does it mean to stand for something? What does it mean to stand together? The balance sheet does not matter. The bond does.
The People Who Carry the Flame: Unsung Volunteers
For 25 years, Friends of Tibet has done what many thought impossible. It ran with no bank account. It stayed free of forms. But the real secret is not the missing bank account. The secret is the people. The people who carry the flame.
Ordinary People; Big Spirit
Some are students. Some are teachers. Some are artists. Some are nurses. Some are writers. Some have jobs but find time to help. They do not come for fame. They do not come for money. They come because they feel a call. They come to stand for something bigger than money. They do not ask for donations. They give what they have; time, hands, ideas, care.
The Young Who Found a Path
Many young people joined when they felt lost. Some did not know what to do in life. They found meaning here. One carried medicine to a village. One sat with an old monk. One stayed awake to plan a camp. One made posters. One wrote letters. One sent emails from a small café. For many, these simple acts changed everything. Some became healers. Some became teachers. Some became people who now teach the next generation what freedom means.
No Bosses; No Followers
In Friends of Tibet, no one orders. No one waits for permission. Everyone is equal. Everyone is a friend. They plan together. They decide together. If something fails, they fix it together. No blame. No show-off. The power is in this. Togetherness is their only rule.
Stories That Live
A young woman from Kerala spent her college holiday at a camp. She cooked for doctors. She cleaned rooms. She never took a selfie. An old man from Chennai brings medicine every month. He says it keeps him alive too.
School kids give notebooks for Tibetan kids. Parents travel overnight just to help. Writers share stories so the world remembers. Nobody knows all their names. But their deeds live on. The seeds grow in every heart they touch.
The Real Wealth
People ask; how did you run for 25 years with no bank account? The answer is here. People are the bank. Trust is the currency. Friendship is the wealth. Volunteers show true service is not about how much you have. It is about how much you give. Some give an hour. Some give a life. All give with a free heart.
A Light That Will Not Die
Service has become an industry. These people stand apart. They remind us, you do not need big money. You do not need big walls. You need a reason to stand up. These people keep the flame burning. They pass it on. They ask nothing back. May we see them. May we learn. May we carry the flame too.
Sethu Das: The Unseen Catalyst
Some movements have a famous leader. Some leaders stay hidden so the work stays true. Sethu Das is this unseen spark. He founded Friends of Tibet. But he does not call himself a founder. He calls himself a friend. When people praise him, he smiles. He does not want titles. He does not want medals. He wants the work to speak.
Starting with Nothing
In 1999, he did not have a big plan. No big office. No big file. No bank account. Only a clear mind and a true heart. He saw Tibetans in exile. He saw they were rich in spirit. He saw they did not ask for charity. They wanted friends who would say; Tibet must live. So, he began with small acts. He helped monks. He met families. He wrote letters. He connected people. He gave time. He gave trust.
Saying No
Many said; register; open an account; call big donors. He said no. He knew if you join the system, the system rules you. He did not want to become a manager. He wanted to stay a servant of the cause. By saying no, he stayed free. By staying free, he kept the spirit alive.
Friend, Not Boss
Ask any volunteer. They do not say boss. They say, our friend. He works with us. Eats with us. Sleeps on the floor with us. He does not stand above. He does not give orders. He does not chase targets. He asks what can you give? Not money. But time. Trust. A piece of yourself.
The Price
Staying true is not easy. He lost comforts. He could have built an office. He could have become famous. He chose none of this. He chose quiet action. He faces questions. Doubts. He hears people say he wastes time. But he does not change.
An Idea That Lives
Today Friends of Tibet is an idea. It lives in every free mind. It lives in every camp. It lives in every story that keeps Tibet alive. He says; you do not need power to stand up. You need courage. You do not need money to serve. You need trust.
The Spark
A catalyst is a spark. It does not show itself but makes things move. That is who he is. He makes a spark. He steps back. He lets others shine. This is rare. This is true leadership.
May his story remind us that one spark can light a fire for years. If the flame is pure, others will carry it.
Beyond Borders: The Philosophy and Networks
Some stories cross borders. Some grow without walls. Friends of Tibet is such a story. When Sethu Das began, he made three promises. No registration. No ownership. No salary. Anyone can join. Anyone can leave. Only the cause remains.
This is not easy. It is not a file. It is a living promise. It says, we will not live longer than Tibet’s fight. We do not build empires. We do not store wealth. We stay light. We stay free.
A Network of Minds
This freedom pulls people together. Some give ideas. Some give courage. Richard Rosenkranz was one. A Jewish writer. A mentor. He dreamed of World Tibet Day. When he fell sick, he asked Friends of Tibet to keep it alive. World Tibet Day lives in 78 countries. It shows the world stands with Tibet.
A Bond with Gandhi
Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, is also a friend. He worked with Sethu Das at IIT Bombay. He stands with Friends of Tibet as a believer. His father, Arun Gandhi, stood firm too. China denied him a visa because he met the Dalai Lama. He did not bend. Truth mattered more. His Holiness said sorry for what China did. Truth bows to no one.
Art and Action
Friends of Tibet uses art to tell truth. The Shadow Circus show in Kochi brought 400,000 people to see a hidden story. Many never knew Tibetans once fought with help from the CIA. The past must live. Art keeps memory safe.
Action in Hard Times
When Covid came, they did not stand still. They started Spreading Masks with The Mask Lab and Men Tsee Khang. They gave almost two million masks for free. No show. No press meet. Only work.
A Living Lesson
This is the heart. Stay light. Stay open. Do not grow too big to move. Work with people; not files. Bring writers, artists, mothers, monks and students together. Cross walls of language and faith. Be a friend to Tibet. Be a friend to truth.
Today, big groups fail under weight. Friends of Tibet stays light; strong like a mountain. They are rich because they share. Not because they own. May we learn. The true power of any cause is not in money. It is in free minds and open hearts.
